GAP Australasian-Dentist-May June 2019

Category 120 AustrAlAsiAn Dentist dental FItouts & ConstruCtIon Dr Shujia Cheng fitout THE CHALLENGE: Conversion of an older domestic home into a working dental practice. Dr. shujia Cheng’s practice in Caulfield south, Victoria has been designed to give her patients and staff a warm, comfortable and inviting experience. After 15 years of practicing in premises that were mostly dark and out dated, shujia was ready to create a working environment that reflected her personality and the level of care she was providing. When an older home came up for sale in the area, shujia purchased the property and turned to Medifit to help realise her practice vision. As the project documentation progressed, extensive damage was discovered in the underlying structure of the house. Dry rot had compromised sections of the floor and supporting structure, and these sections had to be completely rebuilt. the end result is a complete transformation from tired and old to fresh and new. u REBUILDING BEGINS renovating an older house can present some interesting challenges. Dry rot in the existing structure required the demolition and substantial rebuilding of several sections of the floor and supporting walls. to make the driveway trafficable, the entire east wall of the building was moved by 400mm. this rebuilt wall including the entrance arch, blends seamlessly with the existing house ORIGINAL DOMESTIC HOME THE DESIGN RESPONSE the original home had a pleasant street frontage commensurate with its heritage and location. By preserving this frontage the building retains much of its external character. Access to the rear of the property was restricted to all but the smallest of vehicles by these imposing steel gates and a very narrow driveway. this Australian classic, the hills hoist surrounded by a sea of concrete was an early casualty of the redevelopment. the back yard was re-purposed to provide car parking for staff and patients. Medifit’s designers reviewed the site and were able to effectively space plan the layout of the new practice to accommodate 3 surgeries, a lab/steri, staff room, a generous reception and waiting area complete with a childrens play area and a disability access compliant toilet in just 102m 2 . ABOVE: Shifting the entire east wall. LEFT: The floor is rebuilt.