In the latest move for budget club operator énergie Fitness, the company has opened a new headquarters that puts employee wellness, productivity and the needs of franchisees centre-stage.

The design and free-flowing workspace of the new £1m, 15,000sq ft facility in Milton Keynes – dubbed ‘énergie Central’ – takes its inspiration from Silicon Valley tech giants like Google.

The open-plan office has been designed to encourage collaboration – a key component of énergie's corporate culture. énergie Central includes a running track connecting the reception to the offices, high-standing communal workspaces, “hot desks" (where employees can choose to work wherever they want), "hot boxes" (where employees store their equipment for the hot desks), quiet pods for concentration, and a full-scale on-site énergie fitness franchise within the same building.

The 5,000sq ft on-site franchise is a key component of the space. This is not only to benefit employees – who receive a free gym membership – but also for franchisees and prospective franchisees.

The énergie Central facility is also designed with a large training room for franchisees, and now they also have the added benefit of using the on-site gym.

“In terms of the training, having the franchise on-site is essential,” said CEO Jan Spaticchia. “It’s immediate – you can go and actually touch and feel and go in a working énergie facility.”