Despite the continued growth of online retailing, the commercial team at Cornerstone Architects has witnessed a steady flow of optometrist and eye care projects within our medical interiors projects list. Though every practice and every space is unique, we continue to notice a few consistent hot buttons for most of our clients:
1. Retail WOW is critical. From dense specialty lighting and unique shelving to fully branded displays, a memorable retail space is at the top of every doctor's wish list. We often find it advantageous for our architectural and interiors teams to collaborate with vendors who specialize in display design and retail furnishings. In our experience, the average optometrist devotes approximately 25-30% of the program area to retail space.
2. Exam room efficiency. We know from past projects that a repeated exam room layout creates efficiencies, however we dug a little deeper during the design phase for Lamm David Eyecare in San Angelo, Texas. Upon collaborating with Dr. Ashley Lamm David regarding exam room millwork design, it became clear how frustrating something as simple as a misplaced keyboard could be after years of use.
“I spend 8-10 hours a day in my exam rooms taking care of patients and after 11 years in a small, poorly designed space I started having neck and back issues. It made me realize how important ergonomics can be, and we took a lot of time designing my exam rooms to accommodate my practice habits.” Dr. Ashley Lamm David
3. Flow is in the Details. The patient flow from initial greeting to check out is often overlooked once the initial space is laid out on paper. This is true for all medical space planning. Thinking through the location and privacy of children’s areas, the financial and education suite proximity to work area, and patient check-in and check-out separation all need to be executed through the design development phase. This planning ensures that function is carried out for each step of the patient experience AND ties the aesthetics together into one welcoming and comfortable design for the patients and staff.
For more information on medical office design, please contact the commercial team in our office at 512-329-0007.