Designing for Dentists
I have designed numerous dental clinics over the course of my 42-year career as an architect. Every one of the dental building projects is different from the others. There are similarities of course, but every project is unique. Some have a very contemporary nature which utilizes large amounts of glass, brick and sleek horizontal lines. On the other end of the spectrum, I have designed some that are very cozy using stone, siding and traditional residential styling. The reason for this is that every dentist has his or her own vision for the patient’s experience. Every dentist also has an expectation for the image that they desire to project to the prospective patients that drive by every day. When you start out to design a dental clinic there are a set of steps that must be accomplished to arrive at the best design for a particular dentist.
iKids Pediatric Dentistry. Cedar Hill, TX
Matlock Dentistry. Mansfield, TX
Designing a dental clinic can be achieved by following a series of important tasks.
Let’s take a look at each one with a brief explanation.
It is imperative to meet with the dentist numerous times with a goal of understanding completely the vision and expectations that they have for the building. The architect must listen fully to the information that is transmitted as regards to the function and appearance the dentist desires for the project
The dentist will engage a dental equipment company as the supplier of the dental chairs, cabinets and other similar technical elements on the interior. Most dentist trust this supplier to give them exact directions for room size, placement, MEP connections and other related requirements. They will produce a set of dental equipment plans that must be synchronized to the architectural and MEP plan sets.
A complete study of the latest city planning guidelines is critical in order to comply with the city ordinances for size, shape, materials, glass percentage, parking, landscape and exterior lighting. The plans must conform to these guidelines in order to get a building permit.
A consultation meeting with the building official and the fire marshal is essential. The building plans must be in compliance with all the current building codes and fire codes in order to receive a building permit
Most dentists will engage an interior designer to assist them in the selection of interior materials and colors. Some may attempt to make the selections themselves or have a family member do it. Regardless, the building plans need to be coordinated to indicate all these selections properly to a contractor.
Each dental project will need to blend all these elements and requirements into a cohesive whole. The final design needs to be the product of a well optimized process that meets the dentist’s vision, requirements and code compliance. In the end it also needs to be a very beautiful solution so that patients and their families will have a very pleasant experience when “going to the dentist.”
Fred Ballinger, RA
Great post Terry. Brought back some previous dentist office memories for me.
Congratulations on your new architectural endeavors!