Our US arm, Crown Architecture, has completed the fit-out of a new rock climbing and fitness gym for VITAL in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. 

The 50,000-square-foot facility spans three floors within the recently completed building within Essex Crossing at 182 Broome Street and features an expansive bouldering area alongside spaces for weight training, cardio and stretching, and a community café.

This new location for VITAL supports the brand’s mission to make climbing a more accessible and inclusive sport by providing a variety of terrains and bouldering routes designed and changed daily to suit a range of fitness levels and climbing abilities.

The design for the fit-out embraces the base building’s urban industrial aesthetic, which is characterized by exposed concrete, double-height windows, black steel finishes and live greenery.  Brightly colored climbing footholds and contemporary LED lights ‘pop’ against the neutral backdrop.

The font desk is located within an impressive double-height atrium space alongside an expansive bouldering area. Gym-goers have access to a two-story cardio and training suite with cycling and yoga studios, lockers, showers and changing facilities. A spacious café and social space on the second floor is used throughout the year for a range of community and pop-up events. 

VITAL Lower East Side completed and opened to the public in late 2024.  The gym now operates on a 24/7 basis and supports wider plans to bring new affordable dining, entertainment, and communal facilities to the neighborhood.