Designing a diagnostic centre within a fitness environment required a different appraoch. Project Ago Palace, located inside I-Fitness facility combine diagnostics services with a wellness-focused setting, challenging conventional expectations of what a healthcare interior could feel like. Positioned within the daily routines of health conscious individuals, the centre introduced a more focused wellness offering alongside traditional diagnostic testing.
For designers John Ogbete and Abu Yusuf Ibrahim, co-founders of AA Design & Development, this relationship between fitness and healthcare became the project's conceptual foundation. Their challenge was to create an interior where diagnostic care felt like a natural extension of self-care rather than a departure from it.
Their solution was to infuse warmth, familiarity and comfort into a setting often associated with apprehension. This approach builds on AA Deisgn & Development's previous work with the brand, where they have developed a warmer interpretation of Synlab's interiors. A traditionally white, functional palette has evolved through the deliberate use of brand colors, warmer materials, original artwork and comfortable furniture. At Ago Palace, these elements establish a welcoming identity while meeting the practical demands of a diagnostic facility.
Within the compact footprint, every square metre was carefully considered. Reception/Waiting Areas, Specimen collection, and phlebotomy rooms needed comfortably accomodate patients, staff and support spaces. AA team meticulously planned the layout, prioritising efficient circulation, intiutive wayfinding and access to natural light while mainting the operational requirements of a clinical environment.
The reception area serves as the centrepiece, anchored by a contemporary desk in a brushed silver metallic finish which anchors the space. Defined by clean lines, rounded edges and a minimalist form, with original artwork by Chika Idu and Chief Muraina Oyelami introduces colour and character to the walls, offering visitors a moment of visual egagement beyond the immediate purpose of their appointment. The brand's signature colours particulary the feature wall behind the reception desk, are sublty intergrated throughout the interior reinforcing brand identity without overwelhimg the space. Material selection, plants and lighting further strengthen this approach. Warm finishes soften the clinical atmostphere, while carefully considered lighting creates a calm and reassuring environment. Comfortable seating completes the transformation, bringing the interior closer to the character of a contemporary wellness space than that of a conventional diagnostic centre.
The design acknowledges that even routine screenings can carry emotional weight. Visitors arriving directly from a workout may still experience anxiety about a test or its results. Ogbete and Ibrahim considered this emotional journey alongside the operational brief, using the interior as a means of offering reassurance from the moment patients arrive.
AA Design & Development, Ago Palace reflects the studio's continuing commitment to redefining healthcare interiors within Nigeria's bult environment. Although modest in scale, the project demomstrates how thoughful planning and carefully considered design decisions can significantly influence the pateint experience. By situating the diagnostic centre within a gym healthcare becomes part of a broader conversation about preventive care and everyday wellbeing. The interior reinforces the conncetion through an approachable atmostphere and a layout that supports both pateints and staff with equal consideration. Through project Ago Palace the team demostrated that even a compact diagnostic centre can possess a distinct architectural identity while remaining highly functional. The project successfully balances the technical demands of healthcare with the human experience of recieving it, creating a space where clinical excellence and everyday wellness naturally coexist.
