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Gone are the days when a trip to the orthodontist was a cause for trepidation. Today's dental practices make for a stress-free experience. However, beyond modern orthodontic techniques, a thoughtful practitioner will ensure that even the architecture contributes to a patient's sense of serenity and wellbeing.
The practice shown here is a case in point. The female practitioner asked architectural firm Forma Design to create a serene, light-filled environment that would be soft and feminine. Project designer Andreas Charalambous explains various elements that contribute to the resulting space.
"An appropriate analogy for this design is the effect of being up amongst the clouds," he says. "Soft curves, overlapping layers, and levels of translucency help achieve this effect. The orthodontic practice is also on the 12th floor of the building, literally set amongst the clouds."
While the soft curves allude to the shape of clouds, they also evoke the touch of femininity that the dentist desired.
"The majority of the space is a white shell, allowing light and shadow to emphasise the curves and to serve as a neutral backdrop to strategic areas of colour that animate the space," he says.
The white tones contribute to a serene feel and also fulfil another of the client's requirements – to bring a sense of spaciousness to the modestly sized 140m2 interior.
The layout consists of a reception area that looks through to the four treatment bays, all occupying the same open-plan space. Across the open corridor from the treatment bays, through glass walls, are ancillary storage and sterilization rooms. The other two spaces are a small office – the only completely private area – and a consultation room. This room also has a glass wall so the practitioner can look through to her clinical staff and their patients.
The open-plan design, along with the use of transparent walls, means the entire space, apart from the office, is visually open.
"This adds to the feeling of roominess and also literally frees up floor space that might have been consumed by solid interior walls and closed corridors," says the architect. "The design also allows light to flood from the exterior glazing right through to the reception desk. The openness and light combine to enhance a reassuring feel for patients."
A relaxing ambience was central to the clinic's design and is addressed in another way, too. The minute people enter the reception areas they encounter layered colourful ceiling panels, which create a playful, lively, but not cartoonish, feel.
"In a subtle way, these colour panels also direct the flow of the space," says Charalambous. "A blue panel curves over the reception area, while another flows overhead above the waiting area – between the two lies the path to the treatment bays."
Many visitors to the practice are children, so small stools are dotted around the reception and treatment bays to allow either a child or a parent to perch on them. In the reception area there is also a low-set bench and drawing materials.
At the heart of the practice lies the treatment bays. While together in one space, they are visually separated by more cloud-like overhead panels. These forms are echoed by blue panel inlays in the rubber flooring. Equipment tables are on wheels, allowing for speedy access to orthodontic tools.
An ergonomic layout ensures treatment times are minimised, but patient serenity is paramount.
"The views, on a clear or cloudy day, are spectacular and the layout, right down to the direction of treatment chairs, maximises this," he says. "Space, light and splashes of colour make older patients feel as relaxed as the younger ones. The design gives new meaning to the phrase ‘open wide'."

Location : Jill Bruno Orthodontics, Bethesda, USA

Architect : Forma Design (Washington DC). Design team – Andreas Charalambous, AIA, IIDA, Laurence Koehrsen

Main contractor : Kfoury Construction Group

Mechanical and electrical engineer : Allen & Shariff

Lighting designer : D Gilmore, Lighting Design

Lighting : Lightolier; Plexneon iLight from Alger Equipment

Door hardware : Hiawatha; Schlage

Tiling : Keystones floor tile from Daltile

Flooring : Johnsonite Roundel rubber tile

Ceiling : Grid-USG; Donn Fineline; Tile-USG; Olympia Micro Clima Plus

Laminates : Nevamar

Solid surfacing : DuPont Corian

Paints : Duron

Bathrooms : Kohler

Graphic design : Glass Film graphics by Forma Design

Dental equipment : Benco Dental

Reception seating : Custom millwork; upholstery from Design Tex