Sonoran Gastroenterology Associates

The ‘big box’ convenience typology, hollowed out by online convenience and subsequent habits following the modern pandemic, has left carcasses of commercial real estate. The consequence is a highly economized vacant container. Structural components are engineered for precise use with little margin for additional loads and openings or more demanding mechanical systems. Considerable floor area and ceiling to floor height permit a myriad of superficial reconfigurations but entertain a limited range of alternative specialized uses. The transition from the transactions of convenience, in this case, a neighborhood Walmart, to various forms of medical care, introduces attentiveness to a dignified experience. Procedural constraints, and experiential considerations, fenestrations, and material depth were proposed at elevation and roof.

The project sits within Provinces Masterplan, a (PAD) 420-acre suburban plan established in 1983, including 2,200 homes, Shumway Elementary School, and the commercial intersection of Ray Road and McQueen Road, established as the cornerstone of neighborhood identity. This masterplan stipulates architectural materials, colors, and details including the use of river rock wainscot, gabled forms, shaped cornice, wood covered entries, and four-sided architecture.

This project took to interpreting and reimaging the formal characteristics of the Provinces architectural stipulations by introducing greater material depth and durability. The sculpted building cornice is a tapered blade, animated with sunlight’s tonal differences against the sky. Gabled forms and their accompanying visual hierarchy are achieved by bringing the building surface towards the viewer creating a perceptual gable. The neutral color attempts to convey a healthy and sterile medical environment, while providing a place for the varying colors of daylight. A gabion screen wainscot establishes an eight-foot horizontal register on all four building elevations, bridging the commercial scale to the planned area development themes of town, village center, and neighborhoods.