The University of Alberta Hospital Dental Clinic at the Walter C. Mackenzie Health Services Centre in Edmonton provides general dentistry to 11,000 patients per year. Patients range from medically compromised to general public and from infants to the elderly. Some of the medical conditions of patients include trauma, bariatrics, and head and neck cancer. Many of the patients arrive at the clinic in wheelchairs and some in stretchers. Since the clinic was providing services out of a space which had become overcrowded and inefficient, additional adjacent space was acquired to expand and upgrade it.

Our design for the new 3,000 ft² clinic space maximizes operational efficiency, clear circulation and way-finding, privacy, confidentiality and dignity. With many of the patients in wheelchairs and stretchers, ease of mobility and accessibility was a chief concern in all areas. To address this, corridors and doors are wide, the operatories are large. Noise reduction strategies include full height walls, acoustic ceilings and barn doors. These work to prevent adverse effects for patients. The materials chosen for the space incorporate low maintenance, durability and aesthetically pleasing qualities.

Included in the selection of building materials are “DIRTT” moveable walls, chosen for their superior quality barn doors which include a high degree of acoustics, and aid with mobility issues by sliding out of the circulation area completely without any incumbrances. This installation is the first in Alberta to employ “live” medical gas valves in DIRTT walls.