MEDIFIT CASE STUDY
Wired Orthodontics
PROJECT TYPE: Dental LOCATION: Queensland MEDIFIT SERVICES: Design & Construction
Wired Orthodontics is the brand new, stylish practice of specialist orthodontist Steven Smith in the Brisbane suburb of Sandgate.
Dr Smith graduated with first class honours from the University of Queensland in 1991 and after working for the School Dental Service in Charleville, southwest Queensland and in private general practice in a group practice in Brisbane for four years, he returned to the University of Queensland. There, he studied for a further three years full-time to obtain his Masters Degree in Orthodontics and subsequently obtained specialist registration.
After graduating, he moved to Victoria together with his wife, Helen, who is a vet and worked in a specialist orthodontic practice in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne for five years. Following the birth of their son, they decided to return to Queensland to be near family. After initially obtaining locum work for other orthodontists, Dr Smith then bought a practice of his own in Caboolture.
“After working at Caboolture, I could see that the Sandgate, Brighton, Deagon, Boondall and Bracken Ridge areas further south, closer to Brisbane, were not adequately serviced orthodontically and so I decided to build a second practice in Sandgate,” Dr Smith said.
“In a growing profession of delegation to auxiliaries, I prefer to keep a very personal touch. As a result, I find that I have better control in obtaining excellent results and running on time during the course of the day and also treatment duration. I also find that my patients, parents and families appreciate this immensely.
“I wanted the new practice, Wired Orthodontics, to reflect my style of practice, to be classy, yet welcoming and family-friendly as 75% of our patients are children,” Dr Smith said. “The Sandgate area is currently undergoing a transformation of late from a sleepy retirement village to a booming contemporary seaside village with an influx of young families, escaping the inner city so it has great potential.
“The practice sits as one of two tenancies on the main street of Sandgate below a 3-storey apartment block which was built following the demolition of the old ambulance station. Whilst there were certainly some hiccups with the overall building and the plumbing, I feel we have certainly maximized every square metre in our compact yet special practice to its full potential.
Dr Steven Smith approached Medifit to design and build the new home for Wired Orthodontics and after initial consultations, the next stage was to discuss their exact design requirements with their appointed Medifit designer to create a tailored design brief to make their dreams a reality.
The general design philosophy was to create a modern, friendly, high quality interior that would emulate the service that this practice provides to its clients. In addition to standard requirements, Dr Smith specifically required an open surgery with two chairs, a consult room, sterilisation/laboratory area, practice manager’s office and staff kitchen.
As the client was already in the process of developing a new logo, the colours from this were used as an inspiration for the interior which was a combination of rich browns, greys and blue. The finishes selected were modern and sleek and colour was introduced through the upholstery and graphics.
Upon entering the practice, a long chocolate wall with bench seating and overhead feature lighting leads down the length of the waiting area to the reception desk. The opposing side is less structured with patient seating in the form of upholstered chairs that provides an alternative form of seating.
The reception area is simplistic but modern, focusing on finishes rather than form to create visual interest, through the use of materials such as Corian and Zenolite. As one turns into the central corridor located behind the column is a patient refresh alcove which is finished in similar materials.
Staff amenities include a small kitchenette and breakfast bar style bench.
The treatment area is open and orientated towards the windows to maximise the full height window frontage. A double sided island bench divided with a Zenolite partition services both operatories as well as a centralised rinse area.
Directly opposite the treatment area is a small consult room for private patient/client discussion as required.
“I have been very happy with the experience of working with Medifit and their help to create our dream practice. Whilst it is early days, we have had a significant number of new patients generated as a result of the external appearance alone.
We had a family photographer contracted to do the artwork for the waiting room and surgery which has complemented the already impressive interior since the artwork was of our family at the beach at Sandgate.
“We were very happy with the service and attention to detail from the interior designer at Medifit and whilst they are located on the opposite side of the country, it has not affected the overall result and quality of the finished product.”