Plymouth, MA Despite its past as a medical office, the soon-to-be new home of a medical opioid and alcohol addiction treatment center was anything but uplifting and healing. “The layout was a perfect fit,” said Robin Willcox, a designer with Ebbrell Architecture + Design, a certified Woman-owned Business Enterprise. “But the space left a lot to be desired and needed a complete cosmetic renovation before our client could move in and utilize it,” she said.

Working closely with their stakeholders, Ebbrell transformed the dated tenant suite into a bright and welcoming space that supports CleanSlate’s medical group outpatient clinic’s staff and patient needs. Ebbrell’s work included the addition of a phlebotomy lab, provider offices, and staff support space. The real transformation came by way of the cosmetic updates, which transformed the dated, dark space into a clean and warm environment for patients and staff.

The Ebbrell design team, led by Willcox, aligned the look, and feel of the space with the client’s comforting palette of warm neutrals and natural wood tones. “A lot of design has moved from warm colors to cool palettes, but that doesn’t work in this setting,” said Willcox. “It was important to create a calm and therapeutic environment for both the patients and the staff.”

Willcox said one of design team’s main goals was to use and move as much natural light as possible into the interior. “We really utilized the natural light in the two patient waiting rooms and the staff break rooms – two areas where it’s important for people to feel relaxed and comfortable,” Willcox said.

Votze Butler & Associates was the general contractor on this 3,800 s/f project that was completed in April. Miika Ebbrell, principal of Ebbrell Architecture + Design said working with the project team was a real pleasure. “The three of us – the client, the contractor and my team – all worked efficiently to bring this project to completion. We appreciated everyone’s efforts to make this important and healing space as wonderful as we envisioned it.”

Jeanette Bogart, the director facilities management of CleanSlate said, “CleanSlate Centers has been working with Miika Ebbrell [and her team] for several years. They understand the requirements for our outpatient centers to have a workflow and standards.”

Speaking of flow, Willcox noted the layout of the center is a loop. “Patients enter and are welcomed at the front desk. Then there is a natural progression for them to see their treatment providers without ever having to circle back. The convenient, simple layout and clear wayfinding make it easy for patients to navigate through the facility,” she added.

Bogart also noted, “Miika listens, absorbs the clients’ needs and then creates. Therefore, we look to Ebbrell Design for our architectural and design projects.”