Spodak Dental Group’s new building in Delray Beach, Fla. is an 18-operatory comprehensive dental care facility. Design began in June 2012, construction started in April 2013, and the entire project was completed in December 2013. The 13,000-square-foot, biophilia-inspired facility is LEED Gold certified. It includes patient care suites, laboratory space, offices, gathering spaces, six healing gardens, learning center, waiting area, and support spaces.

The Michael Singer Studio team partnered with Richard Jones Architecture, Practice Design Group, and Studio Sprout to draft and deliver the project. The primary goal was to blur the line between interior and exterior space through the use of abundant natural lighting. This is accomplished through  expanses of floor-to-ceiling glass walls and the use of nine tubular daylighting devices that provide natural light to enclosed indoor spaces. Healing gardens of native and tropical vegetation surround the building, offering a quiet area of respite for patients.

The design was intended to allow for a growing practice, including general and restorative dentists, endodontists, periodontists, a pediatric dentist, and oral and maxillofacial surgeons and anesthesiologists. Additionally, the facility houses one of the nation’s only in-house dental laboratories, allowing for all restorations to be made on premises.

Precise measures were taken to ensure compliance with LEED certification and Spodak Dental Group’s vision of building an environmentally sound facility. Sustainable wood and recycled plastic slats were used in the construction of the outdoor trellis, which provides shade for patients in the healing gardens. Storm tech vaults were placed under the entire parking lot to mitigate storm water drainage and filter out harsh oils and contaminates before they can be leeched back into the surrounding environment.