Westlake Dermatology is a full-service dermatology clinic and spa, including two surgical rooms. While the project is Westlake’s sixth medical facility in the region, Westlake’s founder, Dr. Gregory Nikolaidis, charged Jaklitsch / Gardner to elevate the design quality for their first facility in Austin’s downtown. With the belief that access to daylight and psychological, as well as physical, comfort are key to patient recovery, he wanted the facility to serve as a model for patient treatment with two primary directives – create a healthcare clinic that felt more residential than institutional, and provide visual screening for privacy while still allowing daylight deep into the clinic. Semi-public rooms such as a waiting room, retail area and a staff lounge were organized around the perimeter of the corner site to take advantage of daylight, while medically-programmed spaces, that required greater levels of privacy, were positioned around a central medical prep area. These spaces included a consultation room, medical examination rooms, a recovery room and two surgical procedure spaces. Material selection, a key component of the design brief, sought to balance the needs of a hygienic medical facility with the emotional needs of patients. Extensive use of stained wood as well as selective applications of glass, natural wool carpets, veined marble, raw concrete and upholstered seating contributed a sense of residential character and emotional warmth. Brass hardware was specified primarily for its hygienic qualities but also for its ability to convey a non-institutional character.