Title: Surgical Center for Dental Professionals (SCDP)
Location of Proejct: Raleigh, North Carolina
Project Completion Date: 2018
Firm Name: Andre Johnson Architect, PLLC

Short Description: The project is a 25,000 sq. ft. renovation of an existing office building, of which 9,000 sq. ft. houses the Surgical Center for Dental Professionals. The renovation presented a unique challenge as the basic character of the existing brick edifice needed to be largely preserved due to the restricted budget and project time constraints. The design focused on careful intervention of small additions and the complete interior modification to transform the dilapidated building into a state of the art dental surgery center.

Architect's Statement: The strategy was to modernize the building in the areas where visitors come into the most immediate contact with it, the entries. With this approach much of the design energy was focused on developing a language to stand in contrast to, while still complementing the existing brick envelope. The materials of choice were black composite metal panels, curtain wall and Trespa high pressure laminate panels. Niches in the footprint of the existing building were in-filled on both the front and back of the building in order to provide a needed additional program. These new program areas were also clad in brick and painted a medium gray color along with the existing brick, in order to provide a more neutral yet modern base upon which to build. The dark metal panel and insulated glass of the curtainwall pair well with the painted brick while the wood look Trespa panels provide a warm accent to the overall palette.
The southern facade serves as the main entrance into the surgical center. The entry is defined by a simple move that contrasts the other portions of the existing building facade. The entry is defined by the new form and improvements made. The majority of the southern facade had minimal intervention due to cost constraints.

The northern facade was designed to serve as the main entrance for the ground floor cafe (future project) and the second floor tenant space (future project). This was done to accommodate the strict isolation requirements for the surgical floor and other building functions. The design that defines the entry on the north facade slices into the existing “box” and terminates at the future cafe.

The forms were created to compliment the simple massing and to identify the building’s entries. The limited construction budget and schedule influenced the amount of existing building modification.

The entry at the south is simple and identifies the building entry and public spaces. The simple “fold” facing the access drive entry welcomes visitors.

The entry at the north is a bolder move. The “z” shape leads to the entry and is identifiable from various viewpoints. The entry at the north faces the main vehicular access from new bern avenue and is more easily identifiable but yet less bold in form.

The design focused on the introduction of natural light into as many interior spaces as possible. The waiting areas were all located to face south. The children’s waiting area is mostly glass allowing the children that come to the facility feel connected to the outdoors. Other spaces in the facility are also positioned to allow for daylighting and / or views. This was an important design approach for the patient care areas. The design allows for natural light to filter into the patient care areas including pre-op and post-op bays. The nurse’s stations benefit from natural light and views where possible.