William

Wagner
ARC 188
Exercise 7

One space I would consider to be male-centric is the rec center at Miami. The Rec is

very utilitarian; its sole purpose is to provide areas to work out. Men typically are more
concerned with effectiveness and function, so most us dont care that the Rec often smells
unpleasant, has very dark colors, and is overall just has a hardened feel to it. The surfaces
in the Rec are all designed to be cleaned easily, which attributes to the utilitarian
atmosphere. As males, most us of dont mind this, but I can imagine that a lot of females
may find it unpleasant. Typically, females dont use the lifting equipment as often as males,
but they do use the cardio equipment. These two areas are separated by level cardio is on
the upper level, lifting is on the lower. This generally separates the two sexes. In other
areas, they mix together, such as the pool. Personally, I think that males find the rec to be a
social spot as well as a place to work out, but I think females are more inclined to use it
solely for the purpose of exercise. However, since I am not female, I cannot say for sure. I
assume that the creator designed the space to be more functional than aesthetic, which
would coincide with most males perspectives. I believe that this can very person to person
obviously some males arent going to enjoy the space as much as others it can be
assumed that a lot of us would prefer a more aesthetically pleasing environment. However,
as it is a gym, it is understandable why the materials incorporated in its design were used.