PICTURE THE PRODUCT of a keen imagination and aesthetic expertise, put toward the goal of top-tier care and calming the anxieties of young patients. It’s Greater Houston Pediatric Dentistry, quite literally at your service.
This office, completed in October 2019, is the practice’s third iteration—and chances are it’ll be the last update for a while. Its construction was part of a new shopping center that represented one of the first major retail developments in some time in Conroe, a city of 90,000 about 40 miles north of central Houston. The surrounding area now sees considerable foot traffic—a beneficial thing for this corner-unit practice, especially at night, when pedestrians can’t help but look agog at one of its most eye-catching features: an immense, kaleidoscopic LED-lit central kiosk.
Those illuminated panels, whose flamboyant hues might put one in mind of Fruit Stripe gum or a bag of Skittles, have even reeled in some new patients and their intrigued parents. “We want kids from 1 to 18 years old to feel comfortable here,” Dr. Linh Luu says. “The colorful tiles create a joyful, fun environment for kids without alienating adults.”
If keeping the youngsters entertained is half the job for a pediatric dentist, Greater Houston’s interior—which totals 3,500 square feet all told—certainly helps. The reception area features a ball play pit (out of commission until after the pandemic, of course), an iPad station, a large movie projector with surround sound, plus bleacher-style seating whose inspiration came from the Apple Store on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile.
Dr. Linh Luu’s New-Construction Tips
Maximizing function and the ability to work comfortably—for the doctor, the assistants, the front-office staff—is crucial. This will lead to a successful workflow for the team, and a more comfortable experience for the patient.”
The imaginative, interactive feel of Greater Houston Pediatric Dentistry is thanks in part not only to Dr. Luu but to MC2 Architects, a Houston firm that also designed Sinada Dental, a co-winner of this year’s Best Repurpose award—a practice run by Dr. Luu’s husband, Dr. Ghassan Sinada. The doctor and the designers worked in tandem to showcase things like a testament to Dr. Luu’s love of art and art history on, of all things, the restroom doors—a blue angel and a pink heart done in the style of 1980s street artist Keith Haring.
Strikingly, Dr. Luu’s husband’s practice was the first nonresidential commission MC2 had ever taken on. The transition appears to have been seamless: Commercial spaces might once have been new territory for the firm, but it has now done five dental-practice designs for Drs. Luu and Sinada alone. The spectacular environs of Greater Houston Pediatric suggest that architects and doctor alike are fully in their professional groove.