Contract - March 2015 - 56

Studio Dental Mobile Unit
Architect Montalba Architects
Client Studio Dental
Where San Francisco
What 230 total square feet
Cost/sf $1,304
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utting patients first, the concept of a clinic
on wheels that delivers dental care to the
workplace fits in perfectly with on-the-go
tech workers and their lifestyles. Dr. Sara
Creighton, who cofounded the Studio Dental practice
in San Francisco, found she had to open early and stay
late to accommodate patients who couldn't take time
off from work. Her solution: a mobile clinic arrives at a
company's doorstep.
"Tech companies are very receptive to new ideas,
so they were quick to try it, and they have pools of people
with the same health benefits," she explains. "When we
park outside Yahoo, we benefit from word of mouth. And
everything is done online, which eliminates paperwork."
Other clients include Google, Dropbox, and Facebook-
companies that deliver information to peoples' screens.
It's a perfect marriage of service and need.
Los Angeles-based Montalba Architects, which
had designed Studio Dental's storefront clinic in North
Beach, created the prototype mobile unit. "It was like
building the Space Shuttle-who do you go to?" says
David Montalba, founding principal at Montalba
Architects. "We had never designed a movable structure
before, but discovered there were far fewer regulations
than are required for a building, and no need for a permit."
After considering many types of trucks-and even
streetcars and shipping containers-the architects
selected a trailer that is used to transport racing cars.
"We asked the manufacturer to supply an empty shell,
26 feet long, and had a versatile builder install a custom
interior," Montalba says. The interior accommodates two
treatment cubicles, a sterilization room, a waiting area,
and mechanical services. For Montalba, the challenge
was to fit these program elements within 230 square
feet without making patients feel cramped. "I've always
chosen high ceilings over large footprints; here, there's
a generous 11 feet of headroom," he says.
Montalba and his team worked closely with their
client to mock-up different configurations and consider
alternative materials and graphics. The result is a matte
black box with a jutting prow that ensures privacy,
security, and cleanliness within. Skylights over the

treatment rooms pull in natural light. Silver decals
on one side evoke the play of light through foliage,
a concept that is carried through the interior in patterns
of pixelated openings. Patients enter from a side door
and can rapidly check in on a touch screen, swiping
credit cards to pay their bills.
Resembling a yacht, the interior features many
elements that are built in, and every inch of space is put
to use. As Montalba notes, the treatment rooms are only
half the size of those in a conventional dental office, but
they exceed the expectations set up by the compact
trailer. The combination of materials, patterns, and varied
textures provide a crisp-yet-welcoming atmosphere that
allays anxiety, and ensures a pleasant work environment.
White oak floors and millwork add warmth; Corian
panels and ceilings suggest a sleek cleanliness. Black
Richlite-a composite of recycled paper (seen on
page 54)-and a black mesh privacy curtain on an
undulating track add contrast. Mirror glass allows spaces
to feel larger than they are and provides depth and
sparkle when glimpsed through openings in the Richlite.
Beveled cabinets below the skylights filter natural light
and incorporate both LEDs and down-facing video
screens that can be used to display X-rays, promote
health products, or provide soothing images of nature.
Small, pixelated openings in the cabinets, walls, and
ceilings animate the otherwise smooth surfaces and
mask speakers and acoustic foam.
"Looking forward, we see [our dental practice as]
a combination of mobile clinics and fixed offices, which
will always be needed for complex procedures that
require repeated visits," says Dr. Creighton. Montalba
Architects has designed a new Studio Dental clinic to
open this year on Market Street near downtown. When
that is complete, Studio Dental will add mobile units to
cover the entire San Francisco Bay region. However,
a major obstacle is cost. "We've had a lot of enquiries,
but this first unit cost half a million dollars," explains
Montalba. "There aren't many firms that can fabricate
the entire interior and guarantee it against wear and tear
and heavy use." Standardization would reduce the cost;
the concept is too good to be limited to just a few units. c

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