How long does the architectural process take?

Discovery through construction documents typically runs 10-15 weeks: 1-2 weeks discovery, 2-3 weeks concept, 3-4 weeks design development, 2-3 weeks construction documents. Variability depends on how quickly you can review and approve at each milestone, and on project size. Construction administration runs in parallel with the build itself, usually 3-6 months for a typical clinic fit-out.

What do we receive at the end?

A permit and bid set: floor plans at 1/4" scale, reflected ceiling plans showing lighting and HVAC, building elevations, wall-type details, door and window schedules, finish schedules, equipment plans with manufacturer cut-sheets, electrical and plumbing layouts, and construction details for any custom conditions. We also include 3D renderings of the key public areas. The drawing set is what your contractor builds from and what the building department reviews.

Will the documents work for permit submission?

Yes. The construction documents are prepared to local building code and dental health authority requirements — accessible routes, egress, mechanical and electrical loads, X-ray shielding, sterilization area ventilation. We coordinate with your local jurisdiction during the documentation phase so the set matches what the reviewer expects to see. If the building department comes back with comments, we address them and resubmit.

Can you work with an existing space or a rental fit-out?

Yes — most of our projects are fit-outs of existing shells or renovations of running clinics. We start with a measured survey of the actual conditions: ceiling height, structural columns, existing plumbing risers, electrical capacity, and any landlord work-letter restrictions. The layout is designed around those constraints, and we flag any items that would require landlord approval or a structural review before construction starts.

Dental Clinic Architectural Planning

What We Offer

Planning
Services

Planning work that covers the full clinic — from operatory layout and sterilization workflow to permit-ready drawings.

Space Planning & Layout

Layouts built around patient routing, staff circulation, and equipment placement. We map traffic patterns and adjacency requirements before committing to a floor plan, so the operatories, reception, sterilization, and admin areas land in the right relationship to each other.

Clinical Layouts

Treatment rooms sized for the procedures you run: general operatories, hygiene rooms, surgery suites, imaging. We position chairs, delivery units, X-ray heads, and cabinetry to give clinicians clean working triangles and proper infection-control zoning.

Code Compliance

Drawings built to the local building code, accessibility standards, and dental health authority requirements. That includes lead-equivalent shielding for X-ray rooms, ventilation rates for sterilization areas, GFCI/grounding requirements at chairs, and accessible routes through the clinic.

Permit & Construction Documents

Floor plans, elevations, sections, schedules, and technical specs at a level your contractor can build from. The same set goes to permitting and to the bid pool, which keeps pricing apples-to-apples and reduces change orders during construction.

Our Process

From Concept
to Construction

Five phases — discovery, concept, design development, construction documents, construction administration. Here is what each one looks like.

Discovery & Consultation

We sit down to understand how you practice: chair count, procedure mix, staff size, growth plans, and the equipment you want to keep or replace. We also walk the site and pull together the existing conditions — utilities, structure, ceiling heights, landlord constraints.

1-2 weeks

Concept Design

We produce 2-3 layout options with sketch-level plans, traffic diagrams, and a written rationale for each. You pick the direction that fits your practice. We do not design 8 alternates — three is enough to make a real decision.

2-3 weeks

Design Development

We refine the chosen concept into a coordinated design: cabinetry, finishes, lighting, mechanical zones, and equipment cut-sheets are pinned down. By the end of this phase the chair locations, plumbing rough-ins, and data drops are fixed.

3-4 weeks

Construction Documents

Permit-ready drawings: floor plans, RCPs, elevations, wall types, door and finish schedules, and technical specifications. The set is built to the local code and ready for both permit submission and contractor pricing.

2-3 weeks

Construction Administration

During the build we answer RFIs, review shop drawings and submittals, run site walks, and sign off on completed work. If the contractor hits a field condition we did not anticipate, we resolve it before it becomes a delay.

Project duration

Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Practical answers about timelines, deliverables, permits, and working in existing spaces.

Discovery through construction documents typically runs 10-15 weeks: 1-2 weeks discovery, 2-3 weeks concept, 3-4 weeks design development, 2-3 weeks construction documents. Variability depends on how quickly you can review and approve at each milestone, and on project size. Construction administration runs in parallel with the build itself, usually 3-6 months for a typical clinic fit-out.
A permit and bid set: floor plans at 1/4" scale, reflected ceiling plans showing lighting and HVAC, building elevations, wall-type details, door and window schedules, finish schedules, equipment plans with manufacturer cut-sheets, electrical and plumbing layouts, and construction details for any custom conditions. We also include 3D renderings of the key public areas. The drawing set is what your contractor builds from and what the building department reviews.
Yes. The construction documents are prepared to local building code and dental health authority requirements — accessible routes, egress, mechanical and electrical loads, X-ray shielding, sterilization area ventilation. We coordinate with your local jurisdiction during the documentation phase so the set matches what the reviewer expects to see. If the building department comes back with comments, we address them and resubmit.
Yes — most of our projects are fit-outs of existing shells or renovations of running clinics. We start with a measured survey of the actual conditions: ceiling height, structural columns, existing plumbing risers, electrical capacity, and any landlord work-letter restrictions. The layout is designed around those constraints, and we flag any items that would require landlord approval or a structural review before construction starts.

Consultation

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Our Process

From Concept
to Construction

Five phases — discovery, concept, design development, construction documents, construction administration. Here is what each one looks like.

Discovery & Consultation

1-2 weeks

Concept Design

2-3 weeks

Design Development

3-4 weeks

Construction Documents

2-3 weeks

Construction Administration

Project duration

Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Practical answers about timelines, deliverables, permits, and working in existing spaces.

Discovery through construction documents typically runs 10-15 weeks: 1-2 weeks discovery, 2-3 weeks concept, 3-4 weeks design development, 2-3 weeks construction documents. Variability depends on how quickly you can review and approve at each milestone, and on project size. Construction administration runs in parallel with the build itself, usually 3-6 months for a typical clinic fit-out.
A permit and bid set: floor plans at 1/4" scale, reflected ceiling plans showing lighting and HVAC, building elevations, wall-type details, door and window schedules, finish schedules, equipment plans with manufacturer cut-sheets, electrical and plumbing layouts, and construction details for any custom conditions. We also include 3D renderings of the key public areas. The drawing set is what your contractor builds from and what the building department reviews.
Yes. The construction documents are prepared to local building code and dental health authority requirements — accessible routes, egress, mechanical and electrical loads, X-ray shielding, sterilization area ventilation. We coordinate with your local jurisdiction during the documentation phase so the set matches what the reviewer expects to see. If the building department comes back with comments, we address them and resubmit.
Yes — most of our projects are fit-outs of existing shells or renovations of running clinics. We start with a measured survey of the actual conditions: ceiling height, structural columns, existing plumbing risers, electrical capacity, and any landlord work-letter restrictions. The layout is designed around those constraints, and we flag any items that would require landlord approval or a structural review before construction starts.

Professional
Architectural Planning