Ippolito Fleitz Group – Identity Architects

Dr. Matthias Fiebiger has opened a new dental practice in Munich’s Neuhausen-Nymphenburg district, an area characterised by its historical building fabric. Ippolito Fleitz Group and Skalecki Marketing & Kommunikation were commissioned to name the dental practice, design the interior and develop visual communication measures as part of an holistic concept. The overriding aim was to do justice to the practice’s specialisation in aesthetic dentistry and dental surgery, as well as to its positioning as »your local dentist«.

The new name »weissraum« (white room) appeals to both patient target groups simultaneously. »weissraum« represents first-class dental services, conjuring up associations of purity and natural beauty, and underscoring the relationship of mutual trust between patient and dentist. White also represents the ideal healthy tooth. Attaining this ideal is both the objective and the pledge of the dental practice. Because even a great image of a perfect healthy tooth makes patients smile with confidence.

The dental practice occupies the belle étage of an art deco residential building with impressive ceiling heights and magnificent stucco ceilings. The interior design was careful to treat the historical substance of the building with respect, while at the same time meeting the demands of a modern clinical practice. The idea was to translate the word »weissraum« into a corresponding interior design concept. And your first impression upon entering the practice is indeed one of white architecture. All the walls and ceilings are resplendent in bright white. The newly integrated units have been treated to a coat of this eponymous colour. Expanses of gold are added here and there as additional opulent accents. The wall units form a homogenous band running through the entire practice: from the staircase, along the hallway and into the waiting area. A second homogenous element is the oak parquet floor. The floor is equally stained white, giving it a lightweight, almost floating character. The wooden floor also gives the rooms a very natural feel, thereby avoiding all traces of artificiality and sterility, characteristics that are often associated with the colour white.

The layout of the former apartment was completely reorganised to house the new dental practice. The former hallway now contains the reception desk and staff WC as a single unit. Behind this unit is an x-ray room and a third treatment room, set apart by a side hallway. The stretch of wall that once separated the hallway from a row of rooms has been replaced by right-angled units, which contrast clearly and concisely with the striking historical ceiling. They encompass one flank of the redesigned hallway, which is given an additional rhythm by means of vertical light strips in the unit fronts. The opposite flank of the hallway hides a prophylaxis room and the two principal treatment rooms. The former living rooms are now dissected by a continuous glass façade, which divides the space afresh into treatment rooms and hallway. The glass front traces the contours of the stucco ceiling with great precision. A mirrored grid is printed onto the glass as a gradient and carefully overprinted in white on the inner side. The matrix of dots becomes more dense in the centre and gradually dissolves away towards the top and bottom of the glass. As a result, events in the dental rooms are kept discreetly hidden away behind the mirrored surface of the central area, and the width of the hallway is also expanded as a nice secondary effect. At the same time, the superb stucco ornamentation of the rooms and the continuous oak flooring remain completely visible from the hallway, giving the entire space its flowing character. The gilded HPL rear wall of the row of treatment rooms guarantees acoustic discretion at all times: A black fleece occupies the space behind a perforated floral motif.

The row of treatment rooms lead to the waiting room that occupies the former salon, the most beautiful room in the apartment. White curtains filter the daylight here, while the purple upholstered seating area sets a strikingly colourful accent, giving the room a lounge-like atmosphere. This room is also the perfect environment for training courses. The staff room, plaster lab and sterile room are all located in the redeveloped souterrain, which can be reached from the practice floor down a flight of stairs.

»weissraum« dental practice displays a distinct, modern interior architecture, which is both natural and warm, while honouring the historical building substance in a very special way. Although the rooms appear transparent, great emphasis has been placed on discretion, thus counteracting a possible threshold fear on the part of the patient.

Client
Dr. med. dent. Matthias Fiebiger

Size
208 sqm

Team
Peter Ippolito, Gunter Fleitz, Sherief Sabet, Axel Knapp, Frank Faßmer, Liang LinAMIng, Skalecki Marketing & Kommunikation, Frankfurt

General Contractor
Riedl Messe-/Laden- & Objektbau GmbH, Pfaffingen