RIVERWALK FAMILY DENTAL

This new dental office is situated on a high-profile corner lot of a downtown Illinois Suburb. With size limitations due to available footprint and fire safety, the 4,300-square foot building maximizes program efficiency by doubling the operational programming within a footprint only slightly larger than the previous space. An atrial void in the second floor is strategically implemented to comply to occupiable space limitations while creating a double height space at the front entry that gives it a grand, spacious quality. This strategy also allows for proportion to be maintained in the exterior massing and the scale to fit in with the neighboring context. The scale of the atrium is dramatized by a south-facing double height bay window, soothing its inhabitants with a cascade of natural light. The main staircase in the void is layered with an elongated slat wall to create a sculptural silhouette as the centerpiece. The transparency levels created maintains visual privacy as doctors and employees circulate. The detail, pattern, and materials of the interior elements are tied together with a neutral color palette to cohesively merge the contemporary and traditional aesthetic desires of two doctors, creating a calming experience for an environment most associate as cold and sterile.