Status: °ä°¿²Ñ±Ê³¢·¡°Õ·¡¶ÙÌýMarch 2016 - March 2017
The McGill Spin Bike Gardens were designed and installed in 4Ìýkey locations on McGill’s downtown and Macdonald campuses to provide enjoyable mental and physical health breaks for students, staff and faculty. The gardens consist of quiet, magnetic-resistance spin bikes surrounded by plants and meditative art and are located in areas where students and staff are busy at work, so that briefly accessing cardio activity is easily attainable. The project will also include a health promotion campaign to dispel the misconception that exercise must be difficult and focused on burning calories or attaining fitness. Overall, the Spin Bike Gardens create culture change on campus towards the viewing of exercise as an easy and accessible tool to improve our mood and wellbeing.
Locations
Brown Building, 4th floor east wing by elevators
One Total Body Trainer
Hours: Monday - Friday, 7 am to 7 pm
Trottier Building, 5th floor computer lab
Two Bikes
Hours: Monday- Friday, 7 am to 9 pm
Weekend by card access only
Redpath Library, 1st floor group study area
Two bikes
May 1st to August 31st
Hours: Monday - Friday, 8 am to 9 pm
Saturday - Sunday, 9 am to 9 pm
McIntyre 3rd floor, to the right of Osler Library
Two Bikes
Hours: Monday - Friday 9 am to 5 pm
Read the full project description
Decreasing mental health is a pressing issue for McGillÌýstaff, faculty and students alike. The McGill Spin Bike Gardens will address these health and wellness issues by constructing easily accessible spin bike gardens and implementing an accompanying health promotion campaign, which will raise awareness about the immediate and long-term benefits of physical exercise, such as improved mental health. Ìý
Three - fiveÌýindoor spin bike gardens with quiet, magnetic-resistance spin bikes will be installed on McGill’s downtown and Macdonald campuses in areas where students, staff and faculty are working hard, so that briefly accessing cardio activity is easily attainable. Whereas cardio normally requires an often unavailable 2-hour window taking into account travel and time to change, this project will make it realistic for a user to jump on a nearby bike within a window of just 15 to 20 minutes.
These stations will be designed to appear inviting and easy to use for those who do not self-identify as physically active or sporty, yet equally appealing for those who do. Spaces will be semi-private, calming, surrounded by plants, cooling fans, and meditativeÌýstudent art if the space permits.
A fresh health promotion campaign will accompany the bike gardens to dispel the misconception that exercise must be difficult and focused on burning calories or attaining fitness. The bikes will be promoted as effective tools for increasing our immediate sense of wellbeing, self-esteem, alertness, focus, mood and mental health in general. Promotions will be geared towards those who do not consistently have exercise in their life, and encourage focus on immediate rewards for biking rather than longer term effects of weight management or fitness.
Resources from the SPF will be used to design the surrounding gardens, as well as purchase the bikes, fans, plants, art, and other supplies needed.
Connect with this project
Group |
Macdonald Campus Student Services |
Related Projects |
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Multimedia |
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Photos
All photos by Luis Boullosa
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Contact
ana.portillo [at] mail.mcgill.ca (L)louise.lockhart [at] mcgill.ca (ouise Lockhart)
