The Ocean Dental clinic in Cancún is conceived as an immersive spatial metaphor of the sea, translating waves, currents and transparency into built form. The design uses continuous flowing lines to guide users from the street into the treatment areas, evoking a calm and fluid journey that counteracts the anxiety often associated with healthcare environments. The architecture aims to merge branding, spatial orientation, and emotional comfort into one coherent, ocean-inspired narrative.
The overall composition is based on the repetition and deformation of horizontal bands that behave like abstracted wave fronts. These bands shape the façade, define ceilings and walls, and visually connect circulation spaces, creating a strong identity that is instantly recognizable from the public realm.
The main façade is a fully glazed plane behind a field of slender horizontal fins that undulate across the entire front. These white linear elements act simultaneously as sun-screening louvers, visual filters and a dynamic graphic layer that communicates movement and depth. The louvers thicken and compress near the stair area, subtly announcing the vertical circulation behind the glass and drawing the eye inward.
Transparency is carefully calibrated: the public can visually access the lobby while interior users are protected from direct street exposure. The Ocean Dental logo and signage are integrated into the glazing and fin system, reinforcing brand visibility without adding clutter to the composition.
Upon entry, visitors encounter a double-height reception space dominated by a sculptural wave wall in deep blue tones, traversed by illuminated curvilinear lines. This element anchors the interior and visually continues the façade language, creating a sense of continuity between outside and inside. Indirect LED lighting traces the curves, producing a tranquil, aquatic glow that defines the clinic’s atmosphere.
The reception desk, with its soft, carved geometry in white and light wood, recalls a boat hull resting on the shore. Seating areas are organized to maintain clear visual axes to the desk and vertical circulation, simplifying wayfinding. Surfaces in neutral grays and whites are contrasted with warm timber elements, balancing a clinical perception of cleanliness with a more residential sense of comfort.
Circulation corridors extend the motif of parallel bands, now rendered as semi-transparent wall cladding and glass partitions. This strategy generates a rhythmic perspective, elongating the space and visually unifying different functional zones. The linear LED lighting and circular ceiling fixtures provide both orientation and visual punctuation along the corridors.
The layout separates public waiting, administrative areas, and treatment zones while keeping them visually connected through glazed partitions. This promotes staff efficiency and passive supervision while preserving acoustic privacy in clinical rooms. Vertical movement through the stair is highlighted by clear balustrades and continuous handrails, reinforcing the light, floating character of the interior.
The material palette is intentionally restrained: glass, painted plaster, white solid surfaces, and warm wood floors. The high reflectance of finishes enhances the penetration of natural light and reduces the need for artificial lighting during the day. Soft blue accents, integrated into feature walls and light strips, reintroduce the marine concept without overwhelming the neutral clinical base.
Lighting design is predominantly indirect, avoiding glare for patients and staff. Recessed linear fixtures wash walls and ceilings, while pendant luminaires above the reception and seating areas create more intimate, human-scaled zones within the larger volume.
Sustainability is approached through passive and active strategies embedded in the architecture. The external horizontal fins act as shading devices, limiting solar gain on the fully glazed façade and reducing cooling loads in Cancún’s warm climate. High-performance glazing and airtight framing systems contribute to thermal efficiency and acoustic comfort.
Inside, the extensive use of glass partitions maximizes daylight penetration, decreasing reliance on artificial lighting and supporting circadian well-being. Energy-efficient LED fixtures with controlled color temperature ensure low consumption and visual comfort. Durable, low-maintenance materials are selected for high-traffic healthcare use, minimizing replacement cycles and associated environmental impacts. The biophilic integration of plants in the lobby completes the experience, providing natural reference points that reinforce patient relaxation and enhance indoor air quality.
The Ocean Dental clinic in Cancún is conceived as an immersive spatial metaphor of the sea, translating waves, currents and transparency into built form. The design uses continuous flowing lines to guide users from the street into the treatment areas, evoking a calm and fluid journey that counteracts the anxiety often associated with healthcare environments. The architecture aims to merge branding, spatial orientation, and emotional comfort into one coherent, ocean-inspired narrative.
The overall composition is based on the repetition and deformation of horizontal bands that behave like abstracted wave fronts. These bands shape the façade, define ceilings and walls, and visually connect circulation spaces, creating a strong identity that is instantly recognizable from the public realm.
The main façade is a fully glazed plane behind a field of slender horizontal fins that undulate across the entire front. These white linear elements act simultaneously as sun-screening louvers, visual filters and a dynamic graphic layer that communicates movement and depth. The louvers thicken and compress near the stair area, subtly announcing the vertical circulation behind the glass and drawing the eye inward.
Transparency is carefully calibrated: the public can visually access the lobby while interior users are protected from direct street exposure. The Ocean Dental logo and signage are integrated into the glazing and fin system, reinforcing brand visibility without adding clutter to the composition.
Upon entry, visitors encounter a double-height reception space dominated by a sculptural wave wall in deep blue tones, traversed by illuminated curvilinear lines. This element anchors the interior and visually continues the façade language, creating a sense of continuity between outside and inside. Indirect LED lighting traces the curves, producing a tranquil, aquatic glow that defines the clinic’s atmosphere.
The reception desk, with its soft, carved geometry in white and light wood, recalls a boat hull resting on the shore. Seating areas are organized to maintain clear visual axes to the desk and vertical circulation, simplifying wayfinding. Surfaces in neutral grays and whites are contrasted with warm timber elements, balancing a clinical perception of cleanliness with a more residential sense of comfort.
Circulation corridors extend the motif of parallel bands, now rendered as semi-transparent wall cladding and glass partitions. This strategy generates a rhythmic perspective, elongating the space and visually unifying different functional zones. The linear LED lighting and circular ceiling fixtures provide both orientation and visual punctuation along the corridors.
The layout separates public waiting, administrative areas, and treatment zones while keeping them visually connected through glazed partitions. This promotes staff efficiency and passive supervision while preserving acoustic privacy in clinical rooms. Vertical movement through the stair is highlighted by clear balustrades and continuous handrails, reinforcing the light, floating character of the interior.
The material palette is intentionally restrained: glass, painted plaster, white solid surfaces, and warm wood floors. The high reflectance of finishes enhances the penetration of natural light and reduces the need for artificial lighting during the day. Soft blue accents, integrated into feature walls and light strips, reintroduce the marine concept without overwhelming the neutral clinical base.
Lighting design is predominantly indirect, avoiding glare for patients and staff. Recessed linear fixtures wash walls and ceilings, while pendant luminaires above the reception and seating areas create more intimate, human-scaled zones within the larger volume.
Sustainability is approached through passive and active strategies embedded in the architecture. The external horizontal fins act as shading devices, limiting solar gain on the fully glazed façade and reducing cooling loads in Cancún’s warm climate. High-performance glazing and airtight framing systems contribute to thermal efficiency and acoustic comfort.
Inside, the extensive use of glass partitions maximizes daylight penetration, decreasing reliance on artificial lighting and supporting circadian well-being. Energy-efficient LED fixtures with controlled color temperature ensure low consumption and visual comfort. Durable, low-maintenance materials are selected for high-traffic healthcare use, minimizing replacement cycles and associated environmental impacts. The biophilic integration of plants in the lobby completes the experience, providing natural reference points that reinforce patient relaxation and enhance indoor air quality.
Our offices are located in Barcelona, Cancún, Chicago and Santo Domingo, but thanks to technology we can do projects on all over the world.
Barcelona
Bac de Roda 136
08020, Barcelona
Spain
Madrid
Av. de Buendía 11
19005 Guadalajara (Madrid)
Spain
Chicago
373 Hazel Ave, Apt A1
60022, Glencoe, Illinois
United States