Fairmont Medical Clinic & Pharmacy

Fairmont Medical Clinic & Pharmacy is a 7,630 sq. ft. tenant improvement in Lethbridge that brings a wellness clinic, a pharmacy, and a medical clinic together as one cohesive environment. For Silver Ridge Construction and Greenwood’s multi-disciplinary physician group, the aim is a calm, contemporary experience that serves a broad community while meeting rigorous healthcare and pharmacy standards. Aray’s scope spans programming and test fits through detailed documentation, with tight M+E coordination to future‑proof systems, enable staggered operating hours, and support growth in physician capacity.

Challenge

With three parallel programs - wellness clinic, pharmacy, and medical clinic - housed across newly leased bays, the challenge was to unify them into one elevated, welcoming environment that serves a broad community without the sterility of a typical clinical fit‑out.

Operationally, the space needed to work harder than most - private staff circulation without public exposure, security zones for staggered operating hours, and room capacity to recruit additional physicians - while meeting healthcare and pharmacy regulations, barrier-free access, and a pragmatic budget.

The developer and contractor sought an interiors partner who could bring clarity to complexity, aligning aesthetics, compliance, and constructability from day one.

“The developer and trades have praised the clarity and completeness of our drawings, which has reduced friction, supported timely tendering, and kept milestones on track.”

Approach

We began with listening. Through a visioning workshop, a “day-in-the-life” mapping session, and Culture Card exercises, we translated the team’s  inspiration into concrete spatial principles: calm, clarity, and flow. Programming and test-fit refinement followed, massaging the initial plan to optimize adjacencies, back-of-house routes, and patient pathways.

From the outset, we coordinated closely with Smith + Andersen on mechanical and electrical strategy - routing new rooftop units through a two-storey shell, planning dimmable and task-appropriate lighting, and future-proofing the pharmacy for a potential compounding room. We documented in disciplined phases, resolving City queries promptly and maintaining clear communication with the trades.

Design Response

The design language is intentionally quiet and confident. A looped circulation strategy separates public and clinical movement, while curved forms - at reception and through softened transitions - lower perceived stress and make wayfinding intuitive. We prioritized natural light along primary public routes and used ceiling hierarchy to support neurological comfort: open structure in public areas to relieve compression; lower, more contained ceilings in treatment rooms to encourage ease.

Materials are durable and hygienic - light, earth-toned laminates with room for biophilic accents - delivering an elevated feel without excess cost. Lighting is predominantly indirect and dimmable in wellness rooms, with higher illuminance calibrated for clinical procedures. Security gates and controlled thresholds allow the pharmacy or clinics to close independently after hours, maintaining cohesion without compromising safety. Barrier-free requirements, stretcher-friendly corridors, and pharmacy college expectations were integrated from the start so beauty and compliance move in lockstep.

Results & Impact

While construction is underway, several outcomes are already evident. The refined plan accommodates more treatment rooms than initially programmed without compromising spaciousness or privacy - supporting physician recruitment and operational flexibility.

The developer and trades have praised the clarity and completeness of our drawings, which has reduced friction, supported timely tendering, and kept milestones on track. Internally, teams report confidence in the lighting, routing, and security strategies, and stakeholders feel the design reflects an “elevated medical” experience that welcomes a diverse patient base.

Post-occupancy evaluation will measure patient anxiety, staff flow, and wayfinding clarity, but the groundwork - neurological comfort cues, standardized room planning, and future-ready infrastructure - positions the clinic for strong performance from day one.

Key Takeaways

No two clinics are the same; the most effective healthcare environments are tailored to the precise ways physicians and staff move, treat, and collaborate. Early, deep coordination with M+E and the contractor safeguards timelines and budgets while giving the design room to breathe. Neurological design principles - curves, daylight, and ceiling hierarchy - aren’t decorative. They’re behavioral tools that shape how people feel and function, lowering anxiety by effecting how we physically respond to a space. And finally, cohesion can coexist with flexibility: three programs now read as one place, with clear security zoning and independent hours, proving that calm, contemporary healthcare design can be both human-centered and rigorously compliant.

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