ELMAU Dental Clinic: The Integration of Historical Roots into A Modern Context

A modern clinic of the new generation called ELMAU is an awesome project by AR ARCHITECTS. This project aims to integrate the Tatar into a stylish, comfortable, and technological space by combining the historical and cultural components with advanced technologies.

Here are the details of this awesome dental clinic project.

Brand

In ELMAU, patients can enjoy a comprehensive range of dental services, unwind with a cup of coffee while waiting for their appointment, and bring their children to the playroom.

The architect team from AR Architects used the clinic’s name and location to start creating the design concept. They combined the historical and cultural components with advanced technologies.

Cooperation

The dental clinic project emerged from a collaborative effort with the client. When the couple, who own the ELMAU clinic, initially contacted AR ARCHITECTS, they lacked a clear idea of what they wanted to get as a result. However, their partnership yielded outstanding outcomes: in the initial meetings, the bureau’s designers and the clients agreed on the overall concept. This concept deviated from the classic blue-and-white clinic design, instead emphasizing ethnic identity.

Idea

ELMAU means “smile” in Tatar. The national language is one of the key design tools reflected in the rooms’ names. For instance, the X-ray room is named КОЯШ, meaning “sun,” and the children’s room is called ЯРАТУ, or “love.” Each room in this clinic features a unique Tatar name along with its Russian translation. This helps to integrate the historical roots into a modern context seamlessly.

Interior

The dental clinic’s three-story building is situated near Kazan’s historic center, close to Lake Kaban, a site renowned for its unique legends and fairy tales. This rich cultural backdrop significantly influenced the ethno-filling of the design project.

The mythological dragon Zilant is a symbol of Tatarstan. This symbol is incorporated into the design, featuring a long LED strip that illuminates the patient’s path on all clinic floors continuously. The dragon’s energy is also personified by the curved furniture that repeats the Zilant’s smooth movements.

All furniture pieces work together to create a distinctive and authentic atmosphere. The architect team selected upholstered sofa transformers from the furniture brand Mass Furniture to enhance the design’s mobility. The reception area features the modular gray CHU’BAKKA sofa while the 20-meter KOLBASA sofa aligns perfectly with the main design concept with its smooth, movable forms and rich green color.

Green serves as the clinic’s central accent color, appearing in the color scheme, decorative elements, and textures. Each design element carries its own significance while contributing to the general perception of the interior. Transparent glass in the central area references Lake Kaban’s water surface, plants symbolize the city’s natural environment, and gray shades allude to the materials used in the Old Tatar Sloboda’s embankment and pavements.

Materials and Furniture

Brands used in the project:

FURNITURE: Armchairs and sofas – https://massfurniture.ru/
TILE: Tile – https://kerama-marazzi.com/
PLUMBING: Custom sink – https://petrobeton.com

Everything else is made to order.

Conclusion

The team at AR ARCHITECTS created a distinctive dental clinic with a meticulously crafted concept in just two months. They redefined traditional medical facility design by emphasizing the comfort of both doctors and visitors by integrating modern-adapted motifs of Tatar identity.

Ruslan Aibushev, co-founder of AR ARCHITECTS, encourages his peers to embrace color in commercial projects, stating “Because it can become a direct association with a brand and make it stand out from the competition.” This is how green, which is an unconventional choice for a dental clinic, helped ELMAU stand out not only in Kazan but across Russia.

ELMAU Dental Clinic Gallery

AR ARCHITECTS | Project: ELMAU Dental Clinic
Contacts: pr@ar-architects.ru
Boutique: ELMAU Dental Clinic 500 m2
Location: 18 Gabdulla Tukai Street, Kazan, Russia.
Style: Modern minimalism
Photographer: Vyacheslav Fleor, Krasyuk Production Studio.
Interior designers: Azat Khanov, Ruslan Aibushev, https://ar-architects.ru/