work /
Tumi Clinic
work
architecture
entrepreneurship

A bespoke neighborhood clinic in Conroe, TX.

context /

Liang Taplet Design - 2009

team /

Justin Taplet

Scott Liang

"Tumi" is a small clinic designed and documented by Justin Taplet and yours truly. Located in a lower-income hispanic neighborhood in Conroe, TX, it was an attempt to balance the client's preferences with the unique needs of their patients in a thoughtful way.

A number of key design points:

  1. The children's room is framed at the entry to make the image of laughter and play a central part of the experience.
  2. The clinic is meant to be an important locale of the community; thus it's wrapped around a central courtyard where social events can be held. Additionally, it allows for a greened area where waiting patients can dwell and brings additional sunlight into the clinic.
  3. The main corridor is unusually wide—frequently, patients' families insist on accompanying them into the treatment area so space is provided for them to stand.
  4. The surgery room is as far as possible from the waiting area in response to some patients' propensities to scream.
  5. The doctors' offices are particularly generous, given how long they spend at work.

Notice how the kid's room is integrated with the entry and waiting experiences