b'Altea Active in BridgwaterLIVING LARGEBig box fitness facilities in Winnipeg part of a growing trendBy James PetersGym rat or not, it would be hard to miss the evolution ofAND THE REASONS BEHIND THIS RAPID GROWTH? workout facilities on Winnipegs horizon over the last fewNolan Ploegman, President & CEO of Concord Projects years. Similar to the evolution of big box retail in scope,and the general contractor for Altea Active, says, I think some fitness centres have developed into large, multi-usethe building boom in large-scale fitness is simply the establishments. Todays large gyms have been designedresult of a younger demographic. Winnipeg seems to have to accommodate almost any fitness method, equipmentan enduring reputation as being an older city, but the and group class imaginable, complete with the flexibilityexpansion were seeing in these kinds of gyms shattersto convert to new programs and ideas. Personal coachesthat myth.are always available to design and develop customizedWithout a doubt, Alteas target market is young urban programs to individual clients.families, which is exactly why the company decided to By way of example, some of the larger and more recentbuild in Bridgwater. The company chose Winnipeg as a centres in Winnipeg are the newly-opened Altea Active ingeographic location because of the land availability in Bridgwater and the soon-to-open GoodLife facilities in theBridgwater and the neighbourhood itself. It was also easier Refinery District, St. Vital Centre and 330 Main Street. Alteato build here with the aggressive timelines the Altea group Active in Bridgwater is the first of its kind in Canada, whilehad in mind. the new GoodLife locations will make for eight in the city Another rumour dispelled by Ploegman is the notion that and nine in Manitoba.the rise of large-scale fitness centres is the result of less I felt as much like a coach as I did a site superintendent. Altea had made their commitment and we needed to hit the ground running. About halfway through the build, we ran a second shift for about six monthswhich I think was a key part ofthe success.Sean Carey, Concord Construction Manager and Altea Site SupervisorIssue 1 Spring Edition 2020 BUILD MANITOBA 39'