Specialist periodontists Paul McHugh and David Drew are now at home in their brand new practice in the Adelaide CBD. The two partners had run out of room in their existing practice some time ago, so they then started to look for a new location that could accommodate their expanding practice.
"Our old rooms had become too small," Dr McHugh said, "so we identified a new site within the CBD in which to relocate. We commenced the project by contacting some architects but early into the planning process, we were disillusioned with the ‘feel’ of what was being proposed."
"We’re specialists and we felt we needed specialist advice on how to achieve exactly what we wanted," said Dr Drew. "A colleague had mentioned Medifit and then Paul met Geoffrey Raphael at a dental meeting. We arranged an inital meeting in Adelaide and a few weeks later, I was in Perth for a meeting and Sam Koranis picked me up for a guided tour of their operation which was expansive and I knew they were serious about what they were doing."
"We invited Medifit to provide a concept plan for the new premises," Dr McHugh said. "We were impressed with this and felt Medifit were the team to help us achieve our goal. We wanted to have rooms which reflected our commitment to providing high quality periodontal and implant services to the Adelaide community and for our referring dentists. We wanted a practice which our staff and we, the principals, would feel proud of and also make the workplace enjoyable. As dedicated practitioners, we spend many hours working and living in the surgery environment and it was important to make it as enjoyable as possible."
The new premises chosen by Adelaide Periodontal Professionals was also a step up or rather down from their old place. The existing practice was located on the fourth floor of an office building; their new home would be at street level in a building located at 186 Putney Street.
The building had recently been extensively revamped and is part of an up-and-coming area within Adelaide’s CBD. Originally divided into six separate offices, these were demolished as part of the fit-out and combined into a single space for the periodontal practice.
Due to the odd shape of the tenancy, the entry doors were relocated to be more visible to people entering the building. After walking though the building foyer, the entry doors now face clients rather than being accessed from a long side corridor. The offshoot of this too is that separate access is now available for staff and doctors to enter and exit without needing to go through the reception area.
"Our requirements included a patient reception area which gives a feel unlike a typical dental waiting area, where patients have an opportunity to relax before their appointment," Dr McHugh said. "We also had some 16 structural structural columns which initially presented itself as a New home for Adelaide Periodontal Professionals problem but Medifit were able to turn them into a feature or cleverly disguise them into the walls. We were also looking for something stylish, and state of the art and yet something which would not date.
"The five dental surgeries required two different designs: one for our hygienist services; the other as periodontal surgeries where surgical procedures including dental implants and intravenous sedation would be carried out. These needed to accommodate two assistants, the operator and the anesthetist as well as the patient comfortably. We also wanted to allow other technologies to be incorporated into the rooms over the coming years. A large sterilisation area, a suitable staff room, lockers and bathroom, a practice manager’s office and recovery/discussion room were also planned in along with room for two more surgeries at a later date."
Rich chocolate tones are offset by the starkness of the white walls and tempered with the honey timbers and linear carpet. A concealed lighting track system was installed in the new flush plaster ceiling and combined with a gallery-style picture frame hanging system that runs the length of the reception walls. The real stars of the reception are the artworks themselves.
The columns that pepper the reception and entry were unable to be removed and ended up becoming part of the overall aesthetic being clad with feature glass mosaic tiles and highlight lighting.
The reception counter provides room for up to three staff members and full height cupboards both screen the administration area behind from view and hide one of the columns that was exposed as part of the demolition. The administration area caters to the needs of the busy practice with benching and overhead cupboards for a further three staff and all of this is kept under watch by the separate practice manager’s office across the hallway. Patient records line the full length of the glass hallway that leads to the doctors’ private rooms.
With three periodontal rooms, two treatment surgeries and space for a further two treatment rooms yet to be fitted out, the tenancy has room for growth built-in for the future.
The periodontal rooms are expansive and all have natural light, catering to the needs of the dentists as well as other consulting specialists that take part in the surgery. Some procedures require up to five people to be in the room at the same time.
A large recovery room sits between the periodontal rooms and the waiting area allowing patients time to recover and relax before leaving the practice. It also doubles as a large meeting room for consultations.
A large sterilisation room is accessed without the need for doors and the entry way is screened by a full height additional storage bay and surrounded by cabinets. The effect is that the room is screened from scrutiny but offers casual views of what lays beyond as well as providing staff the need to never touch a door going in or out.
Located at the rear of the building and away from the treatment rooms to screen off the noise, a fully enclosed lab area sits adjacent to the shower and staff powder room.
"A large staff area was a must for Paul and David," said Mr Sam Koranis Managing Director of Medifit. "It needed to be able to cope with their future staffing levels as well as be used for a training and meeting area. The projector screen and whiteboard lines the wall adjacent to the interlocking staff lockers. A kitchen area runs off the staff room."
Due in part to the size and extent that the tenancy takes up in the building, lots of natural light from three sides was allowed to spill into the interior. The access corridor that leads from the practice manager’s office and administration area through to the doctors’ private rooms and staff area has full height glazing which was then brought into the rooms with further glass partitioning. Both specialists have their own private rooms in which to review cases and consult.
"The planning of the new practice was a long and sometimes painful process but once we decided to go ahead, things happened fairly quickly," Dr Drew said.
"The initial concept was to create the feeling of walking into an art gallery rather than a dental surgery. It is particularly pleasing to have several patients suggest that they felt they were in an art gallery so I have no doubt Medifit has delivered on that original concept.
"We continually get positive comments from patients and referring dentists. The entire staff also enjoy working in such a pleasant space. Thanks go to Sam, Grant and the entire network that is Medifit."
"We have been very happy with the design provided and love the workspace we have moved into," Dr McHugh said. "We have received a lot of positive feedback about the rooms since we moved in and we cannot believe how we managed to function in our previous rooms now. It has made such a difference to every aspect of our practice and Medifit should be congratulated on making it happen.”
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