Architect: archimania Location: Memphis, Tennessee, USA Project Team: Todd Walker, FAIA; Barry Alan Yoakum, FAIA; Tim Michael, AIA, Matt Seltzer, RA, LEED AP; David Pang, Greg Price, LA; Scott Guidry, CSI, Kayce Williford, Assoc AIA; Todd Steele, LEED AP; Andrew Parks; Stephanie Wexler Malone IIDA Consultants: Dalhoff Thomas Daws, landscape architecture; Sheridan Structural Solutions, Structural Engineering; Shapply Design Consultants, M/P Engineering; Constance Hickey Scott, P.E., Electrical Engineering; Montgomery Martin Contractors, Contractor Project Area: 5,226 SF Project Year: 2006 Photographs: Jeffrey Jacobs Photography
The Tennessee firm, archimania, have designed an accessible, retail inspired dermatology clinic for their forward-thinking client. Set in a “sea of retail”, the clinic had to be warm and inviting, while still being uniquely modern.
Fixed in a mundane suburban context, the design team aspired for a strong artistic statement that breaks the cold, hard stereotype of medical architecture. The exterior of the clinic can be broken down into four parts. These parts are what compose the two functional components of the plan. The first two, a simple mass clad in stone and a sloped glass and wood form, divide the waiting area into a private space for employees and public seating area.
Stainless steel panels forming the clinic itself and the rear seminar room also clad in wood and glass, relating to the public waiting area, make up the other two sections. The clinic is situated on a site between two car dealerships. The client found it important that the clinic not get lost in its busy, superficial environment.
While the clinic provides the necessary privacy for exam rooms, it also maintains an open and friendly environment on the interior. The nurses station and waiting areas are each spacious, welcoming, and comfortable with an abundance of natural light. Due to the material choice, systems, and layout, a level of comfort and understading is expressed both inside and outside the building.
