Thornbury Family Dental is a departure from the traditional dental office, using architecture to challenge the perception of dental surgeries as places of fear, anxiety and pain.
The project incorporated methodology from the systematic desensitisation used in dentistry; a way of reducing patients’ anxiety through a gradual exposure to the dental procedure, presented through the architecture.
This was the main challenge, coupled with a small tenancy lot and the need to restrain the project to a conventional spatial configuration, dental procedural and technical requirements.
A sense of transition from the street to the surgery is achieved through an overly arched ceiling form at the building’s entryway. This is followed by a series of smaller curvatures that are strategically shaped to accommodate overhead services while subtly forming the space.
The reception table was lowered to foster a more engaging conversation between the nurse and patient when discussing treatment options, according to the architect.
The glass treatment pods were also purposely shaped in circular forms, creating open space between each pod. This allows for interweaving ancillary spaces, while the pods’ transparency allows natural light to penetrate the space.
