Summit Dental Lab: An Energy-Efficient Expansion

In 2003, Summit Dental Lab had outgrown its 5,000-sq.-ft. facility in Waco, Texas. Owners Hal and Glenda Jones decided to gut and renovate the existing building and also build an addition. After 26 months of planning and construction, the lab expanded to 11,000 square feet and today has 38 employees.
Hal Jones sent blueprints of the lab to the Dental Art team in Italy, and it gave the laboratory several different options for bench layouts. U.S.-based Dental Arte's Massimo Sasso then worked personally with Summit to refine the final look, including meeting one of his special requests: incorporating marine edges--raised lips around the edge of a countertop to prevent spills--in the model room benches.

The lab also worked closely with Zahn in selecting equipment, including handpieces, steam cleaners, porcelain ovens and Renfert sandblasting units.

Summit features an open-air, octagonal design to maximize workflow and communication. The lab's...