Header: Delfino Sisto Legnani
OTTAGONO Wellness Gym is a free-standing octagonal column with a complete Technogym-powered gym on the inside, holding a myriad of equipment in a footprint of under one square metre. It was designed by Italian architect Giulia Foscari, founder of UNA/UNLESS, for Cassina Custom Interiors, in collaboration with Technogym, and debuted in 2025. The project was previewed during Milan Design Week and has since been installed as a permanent fitness unit at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc on the French Riviera.
Just a column?
When closed, OTTAGONO stands 1.9 metres tall and looks like a simple (even if huge) monolithic object. The outside is faceted (like the name suggests, in an octagonal form) and finished in a glossy, hand-lacquered ombré of green or blue. At the top, a ring of recessed LEDs washes the ceiling in light, with lighting strips providing illumination on the inside, all of which can be remotely controlled.
“On its summit, a lighting system transforms OTTAGONO into a light that shines upwards as a floor lamp, combining and merging in a single object furniture design and a lighting system.”
Giulia Foscari
Nope, it’s a compact gym
Opening the unit reveals the compact training setup. The doors swing out to reveal a full-height mirror on one panel and a mounted vertical screen of 32 inches, pre-loaded with Technogym workout programmes and connected to Technogym’s virtual platform.
Inside, the equipment can be packed away in individual places after use, with the options including adjustable dumbbells that let users choose weights from 2 to 24 kg (with built-in sensors that track the setting), fixed-weight kettlebells, resistance bands, mobility sticks or bars, foam rollers, small massage balls, a jump rope and a foldable exercise mat.
The idea behind OTTAGONO is simple: unlock and open the column, roll out the mat and follow sessions on the screen using the equipment stored inside. When finished, each item returns to its place, the doors close, and the column returns to its unsuspecting form.
A solution for tight rooms
OTTAGONO is manufactured by Cassina in Italy, more specifically by Cassina’s Custom Interiors division alongside Technogym. Cassina presents the column as the perfect solution for small spaces where having a traditional gym room is simply not possible, such as homes, boutique hotels, and superyachts.
“In times when spaces are increasingly fluid and multifunctional, opening OTTAGONO is like opening a room within a room.”
Giulia Foscari
OTTAGONO distils a familiar contemporary challenge into a single, striking object: how to make space for wellbeing when space itself is limited. More than a clever compact solution, OTTAGONO reflects a broader shift towards flexible, discreet design that adapts to modern ways of living—where even a square metre can become a room of its own.
