Office Design

Your medical practice is likely your most valuable and most important asset. Next to the  quality of patient care, the design of your office is perhaps the most important feature when you are considering starting or building a new practice. It has been well documented that by creating an environment that is welcoming, refreshing, and relaxing, anxiety levels are reduced, patient recall is improved, and staff efficiency is enhanced.

So what exactly is design and how does it benefit your practice? 

One might look at the work of a designer as encompassing the juxtaposition of art and function. This is an extremely simplified definition, considering the complicated results. Art, and thus design, is the only paradigm in which the subject matter starts with nothing and ends up with something. In order to get results from nothing, designers employ method (or a defined process) to their design.

The process of creation or design process can be defined as the management and implementation of constraints. For each and every new project, two types of constraints must be identified, negotiable and non-negotiable. Designers use those requirements to formulate a set of boundaries or governing principles by which they can manipulate the project design (i.e., budget and doctor requirements). The manipulation of those constraints, enhanced by negotiable elements (i.e., building materials, color, and texture), will then enable the designer to adapt and manage those constraints.

Great designers do not allow non-negotiable constraints to overwhelm the design process.

Perhaps the best way to create guidelines for designers is to understand our clients. As designers, we find that it is extremely important to create a relationship, dialogue, and partnership with each and every new client, and by utilizing the overall project requirements, together we can achieve great project results that accomplish the following goals: