SmithGroup planned and completed six urgent care clinics for privately-owned practice, Golden Gate Urgent Care, located in a variety of locations in the Bay Area.

Each clinic includes treatment rooms, exam rooms, X-ray, pharmacy, lab, physician offices, and support space. The first location, Lombard Street, was developed as a prototype for future clinics, all of which are located in dense urban retail districts. The design solution ensures high visual impact from the street. A very modern aesthetic, with a deliberate retail sensibility, demonstrates that efficient, creative use of inexpensive materials and the bold use of color can achieve stunning results. The bold, simple design has created a very distinct brand for the client.

The most recently completed clinic, Mill Valley, is the first within a uniform shopping center adjacent to Highway 101. In order to bring a strong street presence to the community, the team negotiated with the county to increase the amount of glass in the storefront. The glass, fusing with the existing timber frame, gives the interior a modern flavor still reflective of the locale. To this end, the design does not attempt to produce a hospitality-like environment, but rather a friendly and welcoming space inspired by transparency. To promote GGUC’s brand, their “signature wall” in the waiting area is painted a Golden Gate Bridge orange. The intensity of color evokes a sense of arrival —as if going over the iconic bridge. In clinical spaces, focal walls of blue and yellow reflect that of the sun and ocean, integrating rejuvenating features of the California Coast into the design.

Architect: SmithGroup
Design Team: Joyce Polhamus, Gabriel Fonseca, Diana Kissil, Richard Kirr
Contractor: Crux Subsurface, Inc.
Photography: Sharon Risedorph, Emily Hagopian, David Duncan Livingston