If you're planning to build or renovate a dental office, you may be wondering what exactly you're getting when you work with Design Ergonomics.

We provide specialized dental office planning and concept design, but we don't produce the full architectural plans or construction documents (CDs) required to build your practice.

So, what's the difference? And why would you need both a dental office designer and an architect?

Design Ergonomics develops the layout of your dental practice around your clinical workflow, business goals, and budget. Your architect then uses that design to develop the technical construction documents needed to bring your project to life.

Let's walk through what that process looks like and what you can expect to receive.

What Does Design Ergonomics Do?

Design Ergonomics specializes in designing dental offices that support efficient clinical workflows, productive teams, and long-term practice growth. Rather than starting with the building itself, we start by understanding how your dental practice needs to operate.

Before developing your floor plan, we look at three important areas.

1. Your Practice Goals

Every dental practice is different, and your office design should reflect the type of dentistry you provide and how you want your practice to function.

We start by asking questions like:

• What type of dentistry do you perform?
• How much space do you have available?
• How many treatment rooms do you need?
• What are your goals for the practice?

These answers help us determine how your space should be organized to support your clinical needs.

2. Your Financial Expectations

We consider the financial goals behind your project, including:

• How much can you reasonably invest in the project?
• What does your practice need to produce to make this investment worthwhile?

By understanding your financial expectations early, we can develop a design that balances your vision with the practical realities of running a dental practice.

3. Your Current Workflow Challenges

If you're already operating a dental practice, we also want to understand what's working and what isn't.

Are your team members constantly walking back and forth for supplies? Does sterilization struggle to keep up with patient flow? Are certain areas of your office creating bottlenecks?

These may seem like small inconveniences, but over the course of a day, they can cost your practice valuable time and money.

We evaluate your existing systems to identify inefficiencies that may be affecting your productivity.

Understanding these challenges allows us to develop a floor plan that addresses the problems rather than carrying them into your next office.

What Do You Receive From Design Ergonomics?

Once we understand your practice goals, financial expectations, and workflow requirements, we develop a floor plan around those needs.

The result is a detailed plan that gives you a clear picture of what your practice can look like when it's designed intentionally around efficiency, budget, and your business model.

Depending on your project and the services you select, Design Ergonomics may also provide information and plans for the interior design of your practice.

But there's an important distinction between the plans we provide and the architectural drawings needed for construction.

What's the Difference Between a Dental Office Floor Plan and Architectural Construction Documents?

Our floor plans are not intended to replace your architect's construction documents. Our plans communicate design intent.

They establish how your dental practice should be laid out based on the way it needs to operate.

Architectural construction documents translate that design into the technical information needed for permitting and construction.

Here's how the responsibilities generally compare:

Can an Architect Design an Efficient Dental Office?

Architects play an important role in bringing your dental office to life, but designing a practice that supports efficient clinical workflows requires specialized knowledge of dentistry.

Read Why Your Architect Can't Design a High-Performing Dental Office to understand why specialized dental office planning matters and how the right design can impact your practice's productivity and efficiency.

Why Work With Design Ergonomics Before Your Architect?

Think about what happens when you hand an architect an empty building shell and ask them to put a dental office inside it.

An architect understands buildings, construction requirements, and how to develop a buildable space. But dental practices have specialized operational requirements that go beyond traditional space planning.

The positioning of treatment rooms, the relationship between sterilization and operatories, equipment placement, and the movement of your clinical team can all affect how efficiently your practice operates.

That's where specialized dental office planning makes a difference.

Instead of handing your architect an empty shell and saying, "Put a dental office in here," you're giving them a plan that's already been developed around the way your practice needs to function.

Your architect can then take that concept and develop the technical drawings required to build it.

This approach helps establish important clinical and operational decisions before the project moves into detailed architectural planning.

Does Design Ergonomics Work With Your Architect?

Yes. Our involvement doesn't end when we deliver your floor plan.

We work alongside your architect and project team to help ensure the original design intent is carried through the development process.

As your architect develops the construction documents, our team remains available to answer questions, provide recommendations, and help address design considerations related to the dental practice.

Your architect remains responsible for the technical and regulatory requirements of the building, while Design Ergonomics provides specialized dental planning expertise throughout the project.

The goal is to make the process easier for everyone involved and help preserve the clinical efficiencies built into the original design.

Do You Still Need an Architect if You Work With Design Ergonomics?

Yes. Design Ergonomics does not replace the architect responsible for your project's construction documents.

Your architect will still need to:

• Determine the structural requirements of the project.
• Coordinate mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems.
• Address applicable building codes.
• Develop the construction document (CD) set.
• Handle the other architectural technical requirements necessary for construction.

How Do Design Ergonomics and Your Architect Work Together?

The process generally follows four steps.

Step 1: Define your practice goals.

We learn about your clinical needs, financial expectations, available space, and any operational challenges you're currently experiencing.

Step 2: Develop your dental office design.

Our team creates a detailed floor plan that organizes your practice around efficient workflows, available space, and your business goals.

Step 3: Coordinate with your architect.

Your architect takes our design concept and develops the technical drawings required to build it. This includes determining structural requirements, coordinating mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, addressing building codes, and preparing construction documents.

Step 4: Support the project through development.

Design Ergonomics remains available to answer questions and provide recommendations as your architect and project team move the design toward construction.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Design Ergonomics provide the architectural plans needed for construction?

No. Design Ergonomics provides specialized dental planning and concept design, including a detailed dental office floor plan. Your architect is responsible for developing the construction documents needed to build your practice.

Does Design Ergonomics provide interior design services?

Yes. Depending on your project and the services you select, Design Ergonomics can also provide information and plans for the interior design of your dental practice.

Will Design Ergonomics help if my architect has questions?

Yes. Our team remains available throughout the project to answer questions, provide recommendations, and support the development of the dental office design.

Should I hire Design Ergonomics or an architect first?

Developing your dental office concept with Design Ergonomics before the architectural construction documents are created gives your architect a plan based on your practice's operational needs. Your architect can then use that concept to develop the technical drawings required for construction.

The timing of architectural involvement may vary depending on your project.

So What Am I Getting From Design Ergonomics?

You're getting a dental office design developed around how you practice dentistry, how your team works, and what your business needs to achieve. We provide the specialized dental planning and detailed floor plan. Depending on your project, we can also provide interior design plans and recommendations.

Your architect takes that concept, develops the technical construction documents, and addresses the requirements needed to get your office built.

We develop the dental office concept. Your architect develops the construction documents to bring it to life.

Planning a new dental office or renovation? Schedule a meeting to learn how we can help you develop a floor plan that supports your practice goals.