MEDIFIT CASE STUDY
Booragoon Dental
PROJECT TYPE: Dental LOCATION: Western Australia MEDIFIT SERVICES: Design & Construction
After 10 years practicing at Garden City House in the Perth suburb of Booragoon, Dr Russell Fine finally outgrew his 3-chair practice and decided it was time for a change.
“The building we were in was 38 years old and housed a number of professionals but was looking old and tired,” Dr Fine said. “I work with a full time hygienist and in January 2008, I also took on an associate, Dr David O’ Dowling, who had recently transferred from Brisbane. Over the next two years, Booragoon Dental Clinic grew substantially to the point where 96 square metres and three chairs had become inadequate."
“As the lease was coming up for renewal, I felt we should look for a new location with more space but still in the same vicinity. A unit almost twice the size in the new Gateway Building on the other side of Garden City shopping centre became available, so we decided to relocate.”
The new premises were ideal, being only 200m from the existing practice and a prosthodontist and an orthodontist were already tenants of the building.
Dr Fine next went in search of a company to design and construct the new practice and after negotiating with several medical fitout companies, he commissioned Medifit for the project.
“After chatting with Sam Koranis from Medifit, I felt they offered the most honest and upfront ideas regarding planning the new practice and the fees they proposed for construction.
“Subsequent to that, we discussed the project in detail with Medifit’s Brenda Mullins who started to work on the initial design concept. The brief was well interpreted by Brenda and after a second round of modifications, we arrived at exactly what we wanted."
“I was very impressed on the speed of delivery of the final floorplan and they then created 3D computer models to help us visualise the finished design. These were again completed very quickly, delivering the perfect solution in an expedient manner. Uncannily, the final outcome is very accurate in comparison to those initial 3D images.”
Medifit then completed detailed documentation which they used to accurately price the project. Once the plans were reviewed and approved, construction commenced on 19 October 2009, with completion in just 9 weeks.
The general design philosophy of the new practice was to create a warm, classic interior using natural elements and with timber accents. The emphasis was to maximise the use of natural light and so all surgeries benefit from the large windows. Where possible the outlook to the landscaped exterior needed to be retained.
Dr Fine wanted the space to take on the feel of a day spa more than that of a traditional dental practice and the colour scheme was enhanced with warm coffee tones and creams with some feature walls integrating the existing logo.
The design was to include three surgeries plus a hygiene room, a central sterilisation area, separate lab, a patient refresh area, practice manager’s office, a filing/store room, room for an OPG, combined consultation room and doctors’ office, reception and waiting area plus a staff kitchen and bathroom.
The surgeries are large, with neutral-coloured benchtops and cabinets of warm hues and timber grains. The oversized rooms not only maximise the use of the natural light but also enable each to feature its own consult desk.
The open plan reception and waiting area is welcoming and looks out onto the landscaped exterior while the corridors feature highlight windows and openings to filter light through to other areas within the practice.
Staff amenities include a central kitchen and breakout area, a feature that they had sorely missed at the old location.
Once the cleanup was finished and the dental equipment and computer network installed, Dr Fine and his staff were in the new practice and open for business on January 6, 2010.
“Medifit did an excellent job and we couldn’t be happier. The turnaround time was extremely fast considering the amount of demolition work required before the fit-out could even commence.
“It was refreshing to know that we were entering the new year with a new practice and a new approach to our business. The staff are now highly motivated and we all love the great new facility. Our patients can’t believe the difference as well and we’re continually being complimented on how great it looks.
“Medifit were a pleasure to deal with at every level and have provided an excellent end result in minimal time and right on budget. We recommend them highly and commend them on their honest and straightforward approach.
