A New Kind of Doctor’s Office: Inside 98point6
Discover an inspiring mix of bold colors, greenery, big windows, and modern architecture and furnishings in the 98point6 office refresh.
Who said healthcare offices are boring? Not the architects and designers at Best Practice Architecture. They are rethinking healthcare office design, epitomized in their latest client, 98point6. Inside the new office, you’ll find an inspiring mix of bold colors, greenery, big windows, and modern architecture and furnishings.
A New Kind of Healthcare
First, some background. 98point6 is not your typical doctor’s office. In fact, the company is a text-based healthcare app where certified doctors can diagnose and treat patients all through secure text messaging.
With such an innovative concept, 98point6 needed an innovative office design to match. Now, enter Best Practice Architecture, a Seattle-based A&D firm known for creating joyful, energetic spaces. They came prepared to create anything but your ordinary medical office.
A New Kind of Office
“Healthcare spaces are often mired in the contract furniture world. There is a sameness and a lack of design. And they [98point6] have a very diverse staff, like UX and designers, tech people, but they also have salespeople and doctors. They wanted to create spaces where everyone could enjoy amenities and feel like they were in an elevated space instead of just a doctor's office,” said Kailin Gregga, partner of Best Architecture.
Most noticeably, Best Practice used bold colors to define and energize the space. According to the project’s lead designer Kyle Keirsey, they created “hyper saturated zones” to distinguish the social, collaborative spaces from the more traditional workspaces which are outfitted in neutral colors.
In the orange zone, two long D-shaped wood tables sit atop coordinating orange carpet and custom orange Harper chairs. Best Practice refers to this space as the “library,” a flex space that’s evolving to the firm’s needs day by day. “It’s a space that supports multitudes of work styles. They have already turned that into the Covid-19 headquarter space. It’s flexible to use by anyone who needs to use it,” said Gregga.
In the blue area, you’ll find cool blue upholstered lounges and matching carpet, catering to even more collaborative moments. Color is not new to healthcare interior design, but the amount of saturated color in the 98point6 office is striking and unique.
“I think a lot of people are afraid to use bold colors in design. We always joke that we need to make a support group to guide people on use of color in architecture. It’s often when you use color timidly that it turns out badly. When you do it well, and do it boldly, it can be successful,” Gregga.
Plenty of greenery, neutral yet modern workspaces, and large windows balance and round out the space. Altogether, it’s a lighter, brighter, more joyful version of an office that’s typically quite the opposite.
Want more? Read our entire interview with the team from Best Practice here.
