When venerated architectural firm Jensen and Halstead had a client who needed highly customized products, they came to Andrew Martinez, Director of Operations at Accelerate, and his team for a solution.
A new clinic on the North Side of Chicago offers several health services – primary care, OB/GYN, dermatology, cardiology, and more. Before opening in April, they were looking for a way to conceal a standard sharps container – receptacles that house needles, scalpels, razor blades, and other hazardous materials after use.
This modern clinic has a clean, elevated aesthetic, and wall-mounted, bright red sharps containers wouldn’t fit their sleek design. Accelerate’s job was to build an updated (and safe) solution.
A Brand-New Solution
Andrew’s team had previously worked on solutions for medical offices and immediate care facilities. But this time, they were building a brand-new solution from scratch.
To find the answer to this clinic’s dilemma, Martinez and Design and Account Manager Katelyn Stewart got to work creating the perfect prototype.
This wasn’t just about housing sharps container in a cabinet. It was about finding a way to shield the container from view while ensuring it was safe and followed OSHA standards.
When medical staff threw away needles or other items, there needed to be no chance that they wouldn’t be disposed of correctly. If needles are thrown away and miss the container, it puts medical staff at risk. Staff would also need to see the fill line of the container to know when it needs to be emptied.
Martinez and Stewart sketched and built four prototypes from scratch. “I was driving around with parts and pieces in the back of my car for months,” says Martinez.
But soon, they built a customized cabinet that would house the clinic's standard sharps container and reliably dispose of needles without any risk – precisely what the client needed.
Accelerate also provided the clinic with sleek solutions for keeping glove and paper towel dispensers out of sight.
Above and Beyond
Martinez and Stewart presented the clinic with their functional yet modern version of a sharps container cabinet before they were even awarded the job. Accelerate proved to Jensen and Halstead’s client that their team had more than just ideas. They could provide the client with a physical, customized prototype.
Accelerate’s specialty is going above and beyond for their clients, even when that means creating never-before-made solutions from scratch. Explore their prototypes and final installations below:
If you’re looking for a customized solution for your space, let’s talk! Contact us today.