Since the founding of Meza Dental Care, the intention has been to do dentistry differently, in a way that is more human, more welcoming, more accessible to the ordinary person, and ultimately more enjoyable.
It’s a vision that permeates every aspect of the Meza Dental experience, from the moment you pick up the phone to the moment you set down your things after a life-changing travel experience. A massive part of achieving that vision is where all of the magic happens—the Meza Dental offices.
With the recent grand opening of Meza Dental Cancún, we sat down with the project’s lead architect, Haik Muñoz, from MFA Arquitectos, to discuss how he and his team brought this beautiful new office to life!
An Introduction to Haik and MFA Arquitectos
Arquitectos MFA is a Mexican-based firm specializing in commercial space design. These spaces range from highly functional amenity areas like gas stations and convenience stores to more social spaces like restaurants, office buildings, and retail shops.
As lead architect Haik Muñoz explains, the exciting part of each project has been creating a unique visitor experience each time. The intersection of being welcoming and vibrant and being a place of business takes a delicate touch.
But Haik and his team are up to the challenge. They use natural materials, a modern influence with striking lines and geometry, and thoughtful lighting design to create spaces full of energy and life and offer a refreshing and new take on familiar concepts.
The Lead Architect Haik Muñoz
Leading the way on MFA’s projects, including the recently-opened Meza Dental office, is lead architect Haik Muñoz. Haik lived in Costa Rica while growing up, where he was a long-time friend of Marcelo Meza before setting off to university in México to learn the trade of an architect.
After years of training, Haik settled in Mexico to help build MFA into the architectural firm it is today. Years later, when it came time for the Meza team to consider partners to design their new office, Haik was an obvious choice.
Combined with his skill, experience, and excellent artistic touch, Haik’s familiarity with the Meza family, their values, and their vision for dentistry helped bring this beautiful new office to life.
The Meza Dental Vision
As Haik explains, the design process with a client is sometimes straightforward. The space’s purpose, dimensions, and functions are laid out—clients may even come with references they’d like to base their space on—and then the design team brings the project to life.
But sometimes, the process involves a bit more creativity and care. The Meza team and MFA wanted to do something a little different with their Cancún office and make a statement about what a dentist’s office can be that aligns with the Meza Dental vision for care.
When you think of the typical dentist’s office from popular culture, it often ranges from sterile, dim, and drearily lit entirely in blue light to outright scary (cue thunder and evil laughter). While modern dentists work to change that perception, old design habits for dentists’ offices still hamper a dental office from being genuinely welcoming.
MFA and the Meza team wanted to flip that script and create a space that was welcoming even from the outside, invited curiosity, and made people happy to sit down and stay a while rather than anxious to leave.
The Challenges to Consider
It wasn’t necessarily going to be easy. Creating a fun, welcoming space that feels professional, sterile, and safe is no small task. A particular trust comes from the formality and atmosphere of a typical dentist’s office, and there were other considerations.
Within the comparatively small footprint of the office, you also had to have space for equipment, lab work, a back office, and storage — all keys for a dental team to work smoothly — without clients feeling cluttered, cramped, or uncomfortable.
Another factor requiring a delicate touch is the breathtaking views from the treatment areas out over lush greens towards the beach. Enjoying the beauty of your surroundings throughout your trip—even while in the dentist’s chair—is a big part of why Meza has chosen such beautiful locations for its offices. However, expansive windows and views can come at the cost of reduced privacy. After all, very few people want an audience of strangers while getting their teeth work done!
But MFA had an answer for each of these questions, and the result is a beautiful home for Meza Dental in the coming years!
The Key Elements of the Design
Three critical design elements stand out in Meza Dental Cancún’s architecture: light design, the use of materials, and the subtle yet effective partitioning of spaces.
Even before you walk in the door, the waiting area beckons with abundant natural light, supported and enhanced by light woods, a bright wall color, and plant life that complements the classic Meza Dental green as an accent.
This creates an atmosphere that is naturally inviting but results from carefully considering light and the materials involved. Tracking down stray shadows, balancing tones and shades, and making an interior space feel like a beautiful indoor-outdoor lounge is an involved process, but MFA Arquitectos did so superbly.
From the moment you first glance at the office down the hall, your eyes are drawn towards the natural glow that fills the reception area, like a clearing in a forest. But the journey continues as you arrive, with the lighting instinctively drawing you through the office towards the patient areas, which open up to expansive views across the rolling greens of a local golf course towards the ocean.
The average person doesn’t even notice the lab, backroom, and storage areas along the way since your eyes are drawn towards the light at the end of the hallway, almost like the lights guiding an airplane into landing. However, these spaces are there and just as beautifully done in softer tones, so they’re as enjoyable a place to work as it is to visit.
This emphasis on brightness and light creates a vastly improved customer experience but takes care. Bright light and colors require extra effort to be kept clean, so places like bars, restaurants, and the like often choose a darker ambiance.
After all, when every spot, speck, and scrap of paper stands out clearly, it takes discipline and a concerted effort to ensure that the Meza space is as flawless as the work inside.
But the team is ready to take on that challenge, and the benefits—an office that feels fresh, lively, and undeniably aligned with the Meza Dental identity—far outweigh the costs.
Final Thoughts From Haik
As we wound down our interview with Haik, his final thoughts on the space were filled with pride and confidence.
“Working with a team like Meza Dental to create their office is exciting because you can help build that identity and bring it to life in a new space. And it’s been fun! We got to try new things, experiment with gorgeous materials, and fine-tune the use of light, and the result was fantastic.
When you talk to Meza and their team, they’re passionate about changing dentistry. They want to make it welcoming, affordable, and accessible without compromising beauty and quality, and we did our best to do the same in their office. Can’t wait to see people visiting their new location and enjoying it!”
