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Dental Office Design Team
Katie E. Korogi
Project Manager
13 Years Experience
Feasibility Assessment
Agency Approvals
Schedule & Budget Control
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When a dentist calls to ask about our services, I am the person who answers. After more than a decade of managing dental office projects, I have become familiar with the design and construction process – how it works, how long it takes, and how much it costs. The first step is to assess feasibility. I evaluate space requirements, schedule, and costs based on experience with similar projects. Design and construction questions I refer to Diane, Jim, Nathan, or Bill.
Starting a dental office building can be daunting because of increasingly complicated approval processes. Federal, state, county, and city agencies might be involved. Our dentists rely on me to manage the approval process; this takes clear communication and persistence. With the help of our staff, I assemble packages of drawings, specifications, and reports that obtain approvals necessary for successful start-up. |
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James A. Strapko, NCARB
Architect
Licensed 35 States
30 Years Experience
Site Planning
Space Planning
Architectual Design
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I have been a licensed architect for more than twenty years. When I started as an intern in a health care architecture firm, I was paired with a highly productive person to design large projects. Later that person, Diane Pahl Strapko, and I started our own architecture and interior design practice. One of our first clients was a dental equipment company with whom we produced hundreds of office plans for dentists all over the country. As we began working directly with dentists, I took responsibility for designing sites, buildings, and preliminary dental office layouts.
When a dentist explains his or her ideas during an initial consult, I listen for key criteria that will become our “program”. Drawing on experience with relatively large projects, I manage the design process and measure progress based on that program. Design is a creative endeavor, not a strictly step-by-step procedure; however, it can be managed if everyone involved understands the program.
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Diane Pahl Strapko
Interior Designer
28 Years Experience
Dental Office Planning
Interior Design
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I started my career as an office planner for a dental equipment supplier. After planning hundreds of dental offices, one thing has become clear: there is no design concept that fits every practice. I do not propose “canned” solutions; I tailor designs to unique individuals with unique practices. That does not mean reinventing the wheel. It does require taking time to find out how a particular dentist wants to practice and adapting proven ideas to that vision.
Many dentists have ideas about their practices that go beyond issues of dental equipment and room layout. Some describe their ideas in words, others with photographs and drawings. However they are expressed, my job is to translate those ideas into reality. My goal is always to design an office that is functional, beautiful, and perfectly matched to a particular dentist’s vision.
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Nathan Rauner
Space Planner
15 Years Experience
3D Drawing
Code Analysis
Construction Documents
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Offices for general dentistry and specialties are far more complicated than other office types. To obtain tight bids and accurate construction, an architect must produce a highly detailed, well-coordinated set of drawings and specifications. This is my job.
Unlike other firms, we do not have a staff of intern designers and drafters; instead, I work with Jim and Diane to complete drawings and specifications. Together, the three of us make good use of computer productivity tools to efficiently complete our work. Detail and coordination can be maintained at a high level when only experienced people are involved in production.
Federal, state, and city regulations have become more restrictive; agencies have become more demanding. In response, I include a comprehensive code analysis on the front page of every set of permit documents. The analysis explains our approach to compliance and expedites the permit process. Where renderings are required, I incorporate computer generated color images that offer a preview of exterior and interior spaces.
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William A. Kranz
Construction Coordinator
30 Years Experience
Cost Estimating
Bidding/Negotiation Assistance
Construction Administration |
As a construction professional with 30 years experience I have learned that a well managed design process and a good design gets you only part of the way to a successful project. My job is to get you the rest of the way.
Bidding and construction phases demand clear and prompt communication between architect and contractor. Even experienced contractors need help from the architect to properly execute a design – for a variety of reasons they do not always get the help they need. Our answer is to offer my involvement during bidding and construction. Coming from a family that has been in the construction business for four generations, I know how to communicate with contractors, subcontractors and suppliers.
Where an owner cannot find the right contractor, I can manage construction with the same attention to detail and commitment to excellence as the rest of our staff devote to design.
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