The city of Santo Domingo is home to Cemdoe, a Medical Centre for Diabetes, Obesity and Specialties founded by Mariela Vicini to improve the health and quality of life of its patients within the Integra health ecosystem.
Designed by the renowned American architecture firm Perkins+Will Miami, in collaboration with the local team of Moré Arquitectos, and COLECTIVO DISEÑO associated with the interior design, the building alternates exposed concrete façades with glazed planes that bathe the interior in abundant natural light and reduce the need for artificial lighting. The medical equipment guidelines were established by architect Kathylka Gonzalez, 1:1 Architecture SRL.
Inside, the programme places the more public uses, reception, waiting, cafeteria and meeting rooms on the ground floor, while the consulting rooms and offices occupy the first floor, and the dialysis area, the last floor.
Actiu has collaborated, together with its partner in the Dominican Republic, MODULOR, in equipping the centre to provide wellbeing with contemporary design furniture such as the Noom and Longo programmes. Both bring warmth and a friendly touch to the spacious and bright waiting areas open on each floor towards the large atrium. In addition, and to preserve health and hygiene, all the furniture is finished with antibacterial finishes and the sustainable production linoleum or vinyl flooring in the most public areas has been chosen in large formats to reduce the number of joints.
With three floors above ground and a basement, the interior opens onto a large atrium that opens up the most public spaces to the street. A triple-height space where art, through a large mural by the Dominican artist Fernando Varela and a sculptural staircase with marble cladding, plays a fundamental role in the well-being of patients. Art also takes centre stage in the cafeteria, with a mural painting by Nathalie Ramírez inspired by Haitian naïf art.
For the furnishing of the more operational areas, such as the offices, the offices and the meeting and training rooms, the furniture has been chosen according to the specific needs and character of each space.
Thus, while in the open space the Urban chairs are combined with Twist trapezoidal tables that enhance dynamism and communication between workers, in the offices a more ‘conventional’ aesthetic has been chosen.
With straight, pure lines and a minimalist aesthetic, the Vital Pro desk and the modular storage cabinets bring a touch of sobriety to the offices.
In the management office, and to add a touch of exclusivity, the elegant and avant-garde Arkitek desk has been combined with a TNK Flex chair that ensures ergonomics and total freedom of movement.
In the meeting room, simple and comfortable Stay chairs in black give way to the imposing Power table that dominates the space. Aesthetically pleasing and functional, it incorporates electrical connection covers that conceal cables and promote connectivity.
With their informal and trendy design, Whass chairs and Talent tables are perfectly adapted to the flexible and changing nature of the training space. Their super-stackable nature, which allows up to 10 units to be stacked vertically and 30 on a trolley, makes it possible to optimise space when not in use.
Careful signage and colour coding facilitate orientation, while the green tones chosen, in harmony with those of the plants that decorate some of the spaces, invite the patient to feel relaxed and in permanent contact with nature.
The relationship that contact with nature has on the health and well-being of patients also extends outdoors, where the parking area has been equipped with a natural green paving system that provides sustainable stormwater management.
