A Fresh Perspective on Orthodontic Office Design
Orthodontics on Queens
Orthodontics on Queen is located in the Beaches neighbourhood in Toronto along Queen Street East. Dr. Jordan Seetner originally opened his office in 2019 and in 2023, he decided to lease the neighbouring unit to expand and double the space of his growing practice.
Orthodontics on Queen is not your typical office. The clinic is a state-of-the-art dental facility and features a kid friendly arcade game room where kids and parents can spend their time before and after appointments. They provide services that include Invisalign, Invisalign Teen, clear braces, ceramic braces, metal braces, adult braces, teen braces for early Phase I orthodontics..
Location: The Beaches, Toronto, Ontario
Type: Commercial | Orthodontic Office
Property Size: 3250 Square feet
Architecture and Design: Before and After
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Architectural Challenges
The greatest challenge in this expansion is connecting the existing clinic with the proposed design. The aim was to blend the existing aesthetic of the original clinic into a new and fresh design in the additional space. Another challenge was creating a staff and office space at the rear of the clinic where there are no windows with a lower ceiling height.
Connecting Adjoining Units
Running an existing practice while expanding into the neighbouring suite required a lot of planning and coordination with the contractor and staff during construction.
There was concern that the floor heights in the two units would be different and the unknown of what could be between the walls. There was the potential for columns, plumbing, or HVAC chases, or load bearing structure.
Space Challenges
While an expanded space meant that we could move the staff room and Dr. Jordan Seetner’s private office onto the ground floor (instead of the basement), the new space had no access to natural light and the ceilings were low.
Our goal with the staff room was to make it feel spacious and create a space where staff could relax and take their lunch breaks.
Our Approach
The goal was to make both units look like they always existed together as a cohesive whole. By doing research and requesting previous drawings from the property manager, we were able to understand where specific locations should be created to adjoin the two units without tearing down the walls and ceilings. The joining locations became the reception area and the orthodontics bay where functionally it would make the most sense.
In addition to the existing consult room, Dr. Seetner wanted to add an extra room for waiting patients. In order to maintain aesthetic coherence, we matched the millwork together with the design that was updated for the original room.
We also designed extended storefront signage that featured an angular design to tie in with the waiting area. As the clinic was originally opened four years before the expansion, previous materials were no longer available. We strategically allocated floor tiles and specified similar materials where possible to create a seamless design.
Orthodontic Practice Design
With an expanded storefront, Dr. Seetner wanted to draw attention of passers-by to the new arcade games room so we teamed up with graffiti artist Pascal Paquette to envision a design of the arcade room wall that transitioned into the waiting area.
Dr. Seetner coined the name Hy’s Arcade as a nod to his grandfather who was a dentist. The branding colours of blues and magenta carried through the spaces to maintain a lively and fun atmosphere.
Build
We worked together with Bellsam Contracting to carry out the construction of the project. The build was strategically carried out to ensure the continuation of daily clinic operations so that appointments did not have to be cancelled during the expansion.
They were careful to coordinate the details of the project with us and kept us informed of the progress.
The Final Result: A Unique Orthodontic Office Design
After completion, the clinic started turning heads and getting attention. The openness, graffiti art, and multi-coloured lighting all add to the attention and visually stimulating aesthetic of the space.
The functionality of the clinic also increased with the number of ortho bay dental chairs doubled, an additional consultation room, a new check-out reception desk, and an enlarged staff room and private office. The design from the original to the expansion have integrated seamlessly and patients have commented that they could not tell that the space was originally two units. The orthodontic office is now a visual icon along Queen Street East in the Beaches.
