QD Design is a HUB-certified architecture and MEP engineering firm in Cypress, Texas that designs medical offices, dental suites, veterinary clinics, med-spas, and clinical facilities across Houston, Cypress, Pasadena, and the Texas metros — architectural drawings plus sealed mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering under one contract. Medical occupancies carry ventilation, power, and plumbing demands that ordinary office design misses; we design them in from the first sketch.
What a Medical Clinic Permit Set Includes
Cities review medical buildouts as business occupancies with elevated systems requirements. A complete clinic permit set from QD Design covers:
- Architecture: exam-room and treatment-area space planning, occupancy and egress analysis per IBC 2021, patient-privacy layouts, finish documentation, and TDLR/TAS accessibility registration — mandatory in Texas for projects over the state threshold.
- Mechanical: HVAC sized per IMC 2021 with the ventilation rates clinical spaces demand — exam rooms, sterilization, labs, and imaging each behave differently. Humidity control for wet treatment areas; odor and infection-control-aware air distribution where the program calls for it.
- Electrical: dedicated circuits for imaging, sterilizers, chairs, and medical-grade equipment; panel schedules and one-line diagrams per NEC 2023 where adopted; lighting designed to IECC 2021 with exam-room task levels.
- Plumbing: hand-wash stations at the counts health reviewers expect, medical-gas coordination where required, vacuum and compressed-air rough-ins for dental, and sanitation-focused drainage per IPC 2021.
Why One A/E Firm Beats a Separate Architect and Engineer
Clinic floor plans are dense. Every exam room needs supply air, return path, dedicated receptacles, data, and often a sink — and the ceiling above is full of duct, conduit, and vent piping fighting for the same nine inches. When the architect and engineer work at separate firms, that fight happens through email, in revision cycles, after plan review flags it. At QD Design one team lays out the rooms and routes the systems together. On our 17,000 SF clinic campus, six disciplines — architecture, civil, structural, and MEP — ran under a single contract and a single permit strategy.
Medical Projects We’ve Completed
- 17,000 SF medical clinic campus, Houston — full A/E across three buildings on Bellaire Boulevard: a 4,000 SF front building with a 1,000 SF expansion, a garage, and an 11,500 SF rear building, with IECC/IMC compliance documentation through City of Houston review.
- MedSpa & wellness center, Cypress — architecture, civil, and MEP plus Harris County review and TDLR coordination; humidity-controlled HVAC across sauna, shower, and treatment areas with medical-grade equipment power.
- Veterinary clinic, Pasadena — 3,000 SF animal hospital with healthcare-grade air-change and odor control, diagnostic equipment power, and sanitation plumbing, carried through multiple review cycles including NEC 250 grounding comments.
- Pharmaceutical cleanroom, Houston — 4,000 SF facility with precision temperature/humidity control, HEPA filtration, redundant power, and sealed drawings answered through City of Houston permit issuance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a medical office need special ventilation?
Usually, yes. Exam rooms, sterilization areas, labs, and procedure rooms carry ventilation and pressure-relationship expectations beyond standard office IMC rates, and veterinary and spa treatment spaces add odor and humidity loads. We size the HVAC for the actual clinical program — not a generic office template — so the space works and the reviewer signs off.
Do I need TDLR accessibility review for my clinic?
In Texas, construction projects above the state cost threshold must be registered with TDLR and reviewed against the Texas Accessibility Standards (TAS). Medical projects get particular scrutiny on exam-room clearances, accessible routes, and restrooms. We handle TDLR registration and coordination as part of the design contract — we did exactly that on our Cypress med-spa.
Can you design a dental or veterinary buildout, not just medical?
Yes. Dental adds vacuum, compressed air, and chair utility rough-ins; veterinary adds air-change rates, odor control, and washdown-grade sanitation — our 3,000 SF Pasadena clinic is a built example. The common thread is equipment-driven MEP, which is our core discipline.
How long does clinic design take?
A typical medical tenant improvement runs 3–5 weeks from contract to permit submittal. Larger or multi-building work runs longer — our 17,000 SF Houston campus coordinated new construction, renovation, and retained systems in one permit strategy. Send your floor plan and we’ll give you a schedule with the fee proposal.
Send us your floor plan — you’ll have a fee proposal within one business day.