Dragani Martone Studio transformed a previous auto dealership into a new dental clinic for Chestnut Hill Dental located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The broad spans, and high bays of the existing 1960s building are integrated in the design of the new dental clinic envisioned as an ensemble of discretely programmed color-coded pods situated under the canopy of the vast existing roof structure. The design aims to create, through the use of materials, colors and natural light, a calm and elegant environment where patients can feel at ease.

The public zone of the dental clinic, which houses the waiting area, takes advantage of the high volume of the existing shell to expose and conceal elements of the steel frame through the placement of canted planes of wood, and undulating plaster ceilings.

The waiting area is envisioned as a day lit gallery. Tasked with the challenge of relocating and storing expansive archives of dental x-rays during the latter stages of the design process, the architects worked with the dentists to repurpose the x-ray artifacts into a mural for the waiting area. The whimsical mural also acts as a diaphanous screen, introducing borrowed daylight and a pixelated view of the x-ray design to the pediatric treatment rooms.

The craft of dentistry is a theme that is woven into the planning and architectural detailing of the project.

Architect: Dragani Martone Studio
Contractor: Penntex Construction
Photographer: Halkin Mason Photography