Classy Airline Design Defines First Aviv Clinic in U.S.

Located at the Villages, it revolves around oxygen therapy and a streamlined aesthetic

At the Villages, the massive 55+ retirement community in central Florida that spans three counties over 32 square miles organized into neighborhoods, health and wellness services abound for its more than 135,000 residents. In addition to the six healthcare centers operated by community-based system the Villages Health, there is now the 29,400-square-foot Aviv Clinic, an addition to the Center for Advanced Healthcare at Brownwood (CAHB) in the Brownwood neighborhood.

A showcase for the intense, Israeli-founded Aviv Medical Program, it offers a personalized regime of nutritional coaching and cognitive and physical training that centers on hyperbaric oxygen therapy, a treatment in which clients enter a chamber of pressurized air to breathe in pure oxygen.

David Globig, CEO of Aviv Clinics, says the Villages was a natural fit for a U.S. Aviv outpost because “the Villages is an entire system that is designed to help individuals enjoy retirement and live a happy, healthy, active lifestyle.”

Nashville-based architecture firm ESa worked with both Tel Aviv firm Studio Gad and the Aviv Clinics team to design a facility, points out Globig, that lets clients feel they are on a journey to better health. “[We wanted] to create an environment that provides a feeling of science, technology, and luxury integrated into every aspect of care,” he says.

Melding upscale hotel and first-class airline vibes, the clinic has an ambience that is “clean, high-tech, and contemporary—but not cold,” as ESa principal Sam Burnette puts it.

Past the front lobby, with its warm wood tones, cream-colored surfaces, and healthy brain scan etched into the curved wall behind the reception desk, there is a zone dedicated to diagnostics and screening services to ensure that residents are physically able to partake of the two-week treatments. Then there are the stars: the two pressurized chambers, each about the size of a shipping container.

With its glass walls, clustered seating, and wood detailing, the chamber waiting area truly feels like an airline club lounge, while the actual shell of each chamber resembles the smooth, rounded shapes of an airliner and the ergonomic seating inside them, bolstered by faux aircraft windows and built-in lighting, calls to mind a first-class cabin.

 

The entry lobby and reception area is designed to resemble an upscale hotel, with warm wood tones and cream-colored surfaces. The colorful image etched into the curved wall behind the reception desk is a thermal scan of the healthy brain.

 

The sub-waiting area inthe oxygen therapy treatment area provides seating where clients can relax and socialize comfortably while waiting for their appointment.

 

Once inside the HBOT chambers, clients continue experiencing the first-class airline ambience with comfortable seating, the appearance of aircraft windows, and a combination of built-in lighting sources to give the chamber a glow, creating the impression of extensive space outside the capsule.