Once again, JoeArchitect will be at this year’s Rocky Mountain Dental Convention. The convention hall will be open from Thursday, January 19th – Saturday, January 21st. Be sure to stop by booth 306 to say hello, and to see photographs of some of the projects we’ve recently completed.

JoeArchitect is currently interviewing entry level architectural and interior designers. Please send your resume and portfolio samples to studio@joearchitect.com.

In May, JoeArchitect exhibited at the 2011 AAO in Chicago.  It is an event that we participate in every year and a great opportunity to meet orthodontists from all over the world.  This year’s crowd included doctors from Australia, Panama, Newfoundland, Italy and Jordan just to name a few.

Whenever Joe Church and I travel for business we like to spend our limited free time soaking up the city.  For us, this usually includes food, drink, architecture … and more food.  Of course, it always helps to be prepped by someone who truly knows the city.  In the case of Chicago, that someone is John Bertagni with Henry Schein.  John is a Chicago native with deep roots in the region who recently joined the Denver dental community (our gain, their loss).  He also shares a passion for food and great restaurants.  He pointed us in the direction of 2 great spots, Club Lago and Le Colonial.  Club Lago is a little red sauce joint on the north side and Le Colonial is an elegant French/Vietnamese restaurant on Rush St.  Both were outstanding.

On the architecture front, we had the opportunity to tour a ground-breaking dental practice. Ora, Oral Surgery and Implant Studio is a 5,000 square foot, state-of-the-art facility located in Chicago’s South Loop, several blocks from the McCormick Center.  What makes Ora so unique is their commitment to environmentally sustainable design and Eco-Friendly Dentistry.  Steven Koos, DDS, MD is an oral and maxillofacial surgeon who is committed to the well being of his patients, community and environment.  This is evident in the design of the south loop office.  Through Steve’s leadership, the facility achieved LEED certification and is also a registered GGHC (Green Guide for Heath Care) project.  LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) provides building owners and operators with “a framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions”.  In addition, the studio is currently the only oral surgery practice in the nation powered entirely by sustainable, green wind energy, making the facility carbon negative.

The aesthetic that the office presents as you enter the facility proves that you need not sacrifice design quality for environmental sustainability.  The studio is a spa-like environment that is anything but clinical.  Natural beach pebble walls mix with warm wood veneers at the reception desk to welcome patients.  The use of woven vinyl is a unique but practical solution to flooring throughout much of the facility.  The sliding translucent panel doors to treatment rooms add a cool contemporary glow as you make your way from the waiting room to the clinical areas.  At every turn the design, furnishings and art reinforce the green message.

This message extends beyond the physical facility to the practice philosophy.  The Ora team is a leader in the newly evolving practice of Eco-Friendly Dentistry which “encompasses a simultaneous devotion to environmental sustainability, prevention, precaution, and a minimally invasive patient-centric as well as global-centric treatment philosophy.”  As if this were not enough, Ora takes this commitment to another level with their tree campaign.  As part of the tree campaign, Ora, in association with “Trees for the Future”, pledge to plant a tree for every tooth that they pull.  Talk about putting your money where your mouth is.

Give us a call at JoeArchitect and ask how you can use the principles of green design in your dental office.

You can learn more about Ora, Oral Surgery and Implant Studio and Eco-Friendly Dentistry at www.orasurgery.com.

References:

Ora, Oral Surgery and Implant Studio website (www.orasurgery.com)
USGBC website (www.usgbc.org)
The architect of record for Ora’s South Loop Office is Paula Feigum of PCF Design

When Richard Abrams selected JoeArchitect to design the new home for Little Britches Pediatric Dentistry it was quite clear that he expected it to be fun. Not only would the new office be a fun place for patients, their families, and the Little Britches staff, the process of designing and building the office would be fun too.

The building, a 5,000 square foot single story brick structure with a full basement, was most recently home to a podiatrist’s office. Aside from leaving the major structural elements and openings in place, we set out to create a lively, energetic environment complimenting the culture Dr. Abrams and his team have established and continue nurture through the years. Using the existing skylight locations as starting points, we developed a floor plan that allows for fluid patient and staff circulation throughout the office. With two paths to move between the east and west operatories, staff and patients are able to move around without congestion.

Designing the reception desk presented a very fun opportunity. Conceived and developed by Caroline Campbell, it combines wood and steel resulting in a visually engaging, durable, and practically functional hub of the office. One particularly fun feature is the floating pocket door that is used to allow ready staff access to the Waiting Room while maintaining a clear boundary for curious kids. You can click between the two images above to see the pocket door in both the open and closed position.

Of course the Little Britches and JoeArchitect team could only achieve so much without the involvement of the general contractor. In keeping with his commitment to a fun, collaborative process, Dr. Abrams selected BVB General Contractors early in the design process. This gave the team a chance to work through various configuration and system options in order to find a balance between feasibility, performance and price.

Once the ink dried and the dust settled, Little Britches Pediatric Dentistry moved into a building that had been transformed from a run-of-the mill podiatry office into a vibrant, energized professional home to one of the premier pediatric dental offices along the Front Range.

Interestingly, the photograph used in the article was selected from the second photo shoot. Apparently, the images provided by the first photographer (featured here) were deemed “too different”.