A minimally designed specialty clinic in Mumbai

The choice of simple materials, indirect lighting and recurring geometry instills a sense of calm and harmony in this specialty clinic designed by Rubel Dhuna Architects.

Curated by: Deepa Nair
Photographs: Sameer Tawde; courtesy Rubel Dhuna Architects

Rubel Dhuna Architects was approached by a family of doctors (who specialise in four different branches of medicine), to design a specialty consultation clinic in Mumbai. Rectangular shaped and spread across 1,300 sq ft, the site is part of a commercial building which overlooks the 100-year-old Church of OLPS in suburban Mumbai. “It is not uncommon to feel anxiety while visiting a specialty healthcare clinic. Therefore, the design intent was to create a sense of lightness and calm using a restricted material palette, all interwoven together to create an experiential narrative,” says Rubel Dhuna, principal architect, Rubel Dhuna Architects.

The layout is planned in response to the natural light streaming in through the large windows overlooking the church. The plans allows all spaces, including the consulting rooms, reception and waiting area to maintain a visual connection with the outside. “A major challenge was to draw in light from one end of the project all the way to the entrance, such that every single person visiting the clinic can experience the iconic view,” says Rubel. Two consulting rooms are flanked on either side of a jagged corridor by translucent screens. All the consulting room has a doctor’s desk, with an inbuilt glass panel to check X-rays and examination bed with storage for medical supplies.

The choice of materials was minimal and simple. The ash wood narrative begins at the entrance and envelopes the entire project. The use of ash wood gives the space a sense of lightness while the translucent glass filters light into the central corridor. The rhythmic use of timber joists gently interspersed with glass forms the central core which leads to a conference room at the far end. The proportions of the timber joinery and lighting design have been integrated and detailed out in a way, so as to hide the source of light and give the translucent partitions a sense of floating cubes. The ambient light in the consulting rooms adds a glow to the corridor.

Fact file

Project: Dr Gore’s Clinic
Client: Adwait Gore and Gouri Gore
Location: Mumbai
Area: 1,300 sq ft
Principal architect: Rubel S Dhuna
Design team: Parvez Khan and Harman Singh