Unique Design Solutions that Match Metrodora’s Unique Approach to Medical Care
Unique Design Solutions that Match Metrodora’s Unique Approach to Medical Care
An exceptional approach to healthcare requires headquarters that meet the needs of highly skilled staff while providing patient comfort. Metrodora Institute in West Valley City, Utah, is a national medical and research center focused on advancing care and accelerating cures for neuroimmune axis disorders, chronic illnesses that cause dysfunctional interactions across multiple body systems. Its facility is the first integrated multidisciplinary clinic in the nation dedicated to treating these conditions. Because its approaches to medicine stand apart, Metrodora’s founders knew they needed an interior design that strayed from the typical healthcare space.
The Design Challenge
The challenge for Denton House Design Studio, the design team chosen for the job, was to create a medical office that feels nothing like a medical office.
Metrodora founders, Laura A. Pace, MD, PhD and James Hemp, PhD, had strong opinions about what design aesthetic they hoped to achieve, having previously worked in medical facilities that missed the mark. When given the opportunity to offer input to a design, they knew they wanted their startup to be a beautiful place that could not only be enjoyed by patients, but also their coworkers.
“Dr. Pace would talk about how she would be in the laboratory in the depths of a hospital and she wouldn’t know the time of day or weather outside because there were no windows,” noted Matt Dickamore, VP of creative at Denton House. “She really wanted to change that medicinal feel. Plus she also didn't like how patients were going from one doctor to the next. She felt all medical offices felt the same, very clinical, so she really wanted to create a space that was different.”
Dialing in the Design
The interior design goal was for patients to feel comforted and confident in their health journey as soon as coming off the elevator into the Metrodora offices. The facility is a safe haven for patients who have been turned away from doctors, dismissing concern about symptoms and possible medical conditions. Also, with a patient base of mostly women, Dr. Pace wanted a feminine feel without presenting any female stereotypes; “women in power” is an overarching theme.
“The space has more of a welcoming, hospitality feel,” Dickamore added. “The lobby feels like a hotel entrance rather than a doctor’s facility where the chairs are just lined up and the interior is typically boring.”
In addition to paying homage to the surrounding mountainous landscape, curating pieces from local artists, and using light to evoke a positive emotional response, a major design element of the Metrodora offices is Fräsch acoustic solutions. Providing privacy, comfort, and quiet are paramount in the space and the Fräsch products installed throughout do just that.
The telehealth rooms, for example, are small offices that act as private phone booths for each doctor. Long, narrow hallways are lined with these rooms that have glass walls, allowing passersby to see Fräsch Diamond on the walls inside. “It’s really interesting visually when you walk down that hallway and see this beautiful product on the walls,” Dickamore said. “But it’s also very helpful for sound quality of the calls taking place. Diamond provides great acoustics and it’s interesting to look at.”
Metrodora opened its doors in April 2023 and in addition to being well-received by patients, its design quickly garnered industry attention, earning the Ceilings and Interior Systems Construction Association (CISCA) Gold 2024 Construction Excellence Award and being named Interior Design Best of Year 2023 Honoree in Healthcare. The facility aims to see 20,000 patients with neuroimmune axis disorders yearly and improve their treatment by bringing down barriers between medical specialists.
Additional project information is available on the Project Portfolio page.
Get in Touch
To request samples of SKINNY BAFL, STRATAWOOD, STRATAWOOD 2x2, or DIAMOND, the products featured in the Metrodora installation, or to get started on a project of your own, we welcome you to contact us.