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Floor-by-Floor: How Smile Solutions Occupies Five Levels and the Tower of the Manchester Unity Building product guide

Floor-by-Floor: How Smile Solutions Occupies Five Levels and the Tower of the Manchester Unity Building

When you think about visiting a dentist, you probably picture a modest suite in a suburban shopping centre or a single floor of a medical building. Smile Solutions at 220 Collins Street, Melbourne, is something else entirely — and the reason starts with the building itself. Understanding how we've physically distributed our practice across the Manchester Unity Building isn't just an architectural curiosity; it's the key to understanding why we can deliver genuinely multidisciplinary, all-under-one-roof care that no single-floor practice could replicate.

We occupy five entire levels plus the tower of Melbourne's iconic Manchester Unity Building, a landmark of Australia's Art Deco architectural heritage. That footprint wasn't accidental. Each level has been deliberately assigned a clinical or administrative function that maps onto our philosophy of comprehensive, seamlessly coordinated care. This article traces that spatial logic floor by floor, explains the heritage restoration work that made it possible, and shows how the layout directly enables the multidisciplinary model that sets Smile Solutions apart from any conventional dental practice in Australia.

The Scale of the Occupation: 40 Operatory Suites Across Six Distinct Zones

Before walking through each floor, it's worth establishing the sheer scale of what we've assembled inside a heritage-listed 1932 building.

Our dental specialists operate 40 surgical suites spanning five floors and the multi-level tower. To put that in clinical context, we have as many as 82 clinicians who care for a patient base of more than 200,000 people across those 40 operatory suites.

The six distinct zones — Levels 1, 10, 11, 12, the tower, and the rooftop terrace — each serve a specific purpose:

Zone Primary Function
Level 1 General and cosmetic dentistry (patient entry level)
Level 10 General and cosmetic dentistry (expanded clinical floor)
Level 11 Restored boardroom and executive management offices
Level 12 Specialist dental centre
The Tower Orthodontic centre
Rooftop Terrace Landscaped amenity space

This zoning isn't simply the result of organic growth; it reflects a considered clinical and spatial philosophy developed over more than two decades of acquisition and restoration by Dr Kia Pajouhesh, managing director and principal dentist of Smile Solutions, who has been the Chairman of the MUB Owners Corporation since 2003.

Level 1: Your Front Door for General and Cosmetic Dentistry

Levels 1 and 10 cater for all general and cosmetic dentistry. Level 1 is your primary point of entry — the floor you'll encounter first, and the one that sets the tone for your entire Smile Solutions experience.

Though the Manchester Unity Building continued to be an iconic Melbourne landmark, many parts of it had fallen into disrepair by the time Dr Kia Pajouhesh bought into it. In 2003, he acquired dilapidated shops on Level 1. Dr Kia Pajouhesh's involvement with the building started in 2003 when he purchased these retail spaces.

The transformation of Level 1 from vacant retail space into a functioning dental clinic was the first act in what would become a multi-decade restoration project. Using photographs taken in the 1930s of the original interiors, Pajouhesh recreated many of the rooms exactly as they would have looked. The mezzanine level and lifts are almost identical to how they were, down to the timber finish and copper detailing — an impressive feat considering the state of the mezzanine when he acquired it.

The result is a clinical environment that's simultaneously a heritage experience. When you arrive at Level 1, you're greeted by original Art Deco detailing — the marble walls, copper lift doors, and leadlight finishes that Marcus Barlow designed in 1931 — while receiving care from state-of-the-art dental technology. The contrast between the 1930s aesthetic and the clinical precision of contemporary dentistry is one of our practice's most distinctive patient experience features (see our guide on Inside the Manchester Unity Building: The Art Deco Heritage Landmark That Houses Smile Solutions for the full architectural context).

Level 10: The Clinical Expansion Floor

Level 10 functions as the second major clinical floor for general and cosmetic dentistry, effectively doubling our capacity for the treatments you're most likely to seek — check-ups, preventive care, restorations, teeth whitening, veneers, crowns, and CEREC same-day ceramic restorations.

The existence of two dedicated general and cosmetic dentistry floors is a structural advantage that directly addresses patient throughput. The "one-stop-shop" concept is prevalent in many successful business models. Most patients would prefer to have multidisciplinary cases completed in one facility versus travelling to multiple locations. This is especially true if the travel involves long distances or difficult inner-city travel routes and parking challenges.

Having Level 1 and Level 10 both dedicated to general and cosmetic dentistry means we can accommodate a patient volume — over 200,000 patients in our base — that would be physically impossible on a single floor. It also allows our clinical teams to be organised by practitioner specialisation and patient flow, rather than forcing all treatment types into a single, undifferentiated space.

The technology deployed across both clinical floors — including CEREC CAD/CAM systems, Planmeca digital imaging, and intraoral scanners — is described in detail in our companion cluster on Dental Technology at Smile Solutions: CEREC, Intraoral Scanners, Digital Imaging & the In-House Laboratory.

Level 11: The Restored Boardroom and Executive Headquarters

If Level 1 is Smile Solutions' clinical front door, Level 11 is our historical heart — and arguably the most remarkable heritage restoration in the entire building.

Level 11 includes the restored Manchester Unity Building Boardroom, and the original Grand Secretary's office houses the executive offices of Smile Solutions management and patient co-ordinators.

The story of how this floor came to exist in its current form is inseparable from the building's broader history. In 2006, Dr Pajouhesh acquired the Level 11 boardroom that had been redeveloped as an apartment in 1997. Several years later, showing the same flair, good judgment and meticulous attention to detail as the grand men of the Manchester Unity IOOF, he began to restore the space to its original splendour under the guidance of Andronas Conservation Architecture. In the interim he had purchased two adjoining apartments and extended the refurbishment to house the corporate headquarters of his dental practice.

The scale of restoration required was extraordinary. With over 80 years of little or no love and attention, the spaces including the historic fixtures and fittings required much restoration. One major task was French polishing all the Queensland maple timber veneer walls. The space had also been carved up for apartments. The boardroom was a pseudo-lounge and dining room, with the boardroom table shoved in the corner, right up against the back wall. All of the executive offices had been converted into small two-bedroom apartments. Dismantling those apartments and reinstating the original grandeur of the executive offices was both challenging and quite rewarding.

Today, the result is one of the most intact 1930s corporate interiors in Australia. Level 11 is where the restoration is most impressive. Entering the offices of this floor is like walking into a 1930s time warp. The space has original filing cabinets, the doors and walls feature copper and gold leaf signage, and the addition of mirrors — a Robert Mills suggestion — makes it sparkle like a jewel box.

The building is perhaps most notable for its eleventh floor former offices and boardroom of Manchester Unity, which have been painstakingly restored to their former glory. The boardroom table was built on site in 1932 and is nearly 6 metres long.

The function of Level 11 within the Smile Solutions model is both practical and philosophical. Practically, housing management, treatment co-ordinators, and administrative leadership on a dedicated floor keeps operational functions separate from clinical floors, reducing friction for both you and our clinicians. Philosophically, the boardroom — with its heritage-listed furniture and restored grandeur — signals our commitment to the building's history, a commitment that extends to the clinical standards we maintain (see our guide on How to Plan Your First Visit to Smile Solutions for how treatment co-ordinators on this floor facilitate your patient journey).

The Restoration Team Behind Level 11

Rob Mills Architects, Andronas Conservation Architects, and Paul Bangay landscapers have supervised the restoration of these spaces.

Each firm brought a distinct expertise:

  • Rob Mills Architects — a Melbourne-based studio known for high-end residential and hospitality design, brought spatial refinement and the mirror strategy that amplifies the floor's jewel-box quality.
  • Andronas Conservation Architects — specialists in heritage conservation, provided the technical framework for restoring original materials and finishes within the constraints of the Victorian Heritage Register listing.
  • Paul Bangay — one of Australia's most celebrated landscape architects, was engaged to create the rooftop terrace, which had undergone a contemporary conversion and is not of any heritage significance. Pajouhesh enlisted Bangay to create a small outdoor terrace which provides a view of the tower.

The level of detail is wonderful — for the signage, gold and copper leaf has been used, creating a particularly beautiful lustre that you just don't get with vinyl. "Sourcing someone who can do copper leafing in this day and age is a challenge," explains Pajouhesh. "The man who did it in the mezzanine level in 2003 passed away and finding someone else took weeks." Even the words of the signage are original — Typing Room, Rest Room, Tea Room and so on.

Level 12: The Dental Specialist Centre

Level 12, originally a residential penthouse development from the late 1990s, has been converted to a dental specialist centre facility.

This conversion is clinically significant. Level 12 houses our specialist services — the board-registered practitioners in fields such as oral surgery, endodontics, periodontics, and prosthodontics who form the core of our multidisciplinary model. Dr Pajouhesh has pioneered a range of mould-breaking firsts in the dentistry sector, including setting up the only genuine multidisciplinary specialist centre outside any Australian dental hospital.

The clinical logic of dedicating an entire floor to specialist care is well-supported by the evidence base on multidisciplinary dental practice. Interdisciplinary collaboration is a model that combines the expertise of diverse healthcare professionals to provide a full-scale treatment experience. This multidisciplinary approach not only elevates the standard of care for patients but also positions dentistry as a primary component of comprehensive healthcare.

Research published by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) further supports the spatial logic: co-locating primary and dental care services may enhance communication across providers. When specialists occupy the same building — indeed, the same lift — as general dentists, the friction of inter-provider communication is dramatically reduced. A general dentist on Level 1 can walk your case to a periodontist on Level 12 in minutes, rather than generating a written referral to an external practice and waiting weeks for an appointment.

This internal referral efficiency is one of the most clinically consequential features of our spatial model, and it's explored in depth in our cluster on Smile Solutions vs. Standard Dental Clinics: What Sets Australia's Largest Single-Location Practice Apart.

The Tower: Melbourne's Most Distinctive Orthodontic Centre

Of all the spatial decisions we've made in the Manchester Unity Building, none is more memorable — or more architecturally resonant — than the use of the tower as our dedicated orthodontic centre.

The tower is utilised as the Smile Solutions orthodontic centre.

The tower is a five-storey Gothic structure that rises above the building's main roof line at 40 metres, making it visible across central Melbourne. Accessed via an ornate, heritage spiral stair, the interior of the tower is a circular room. The vision for this space — orthodontic patients receiving treatment while enjoying 360-degree views of Melbourne from one of its most iconic architectural pinnacles — is both clinically functional and experientially extraordinary.

Coincidentally echoing a caricature drawn by architect Robin Boyd in 1962, it's said that the Tooth Fairy now lives in the tower, which doubles as an orthodontic centre.

The tower's use for orthodontics is particularly apt. Orthodontic treatment — whether traditional braces or Invisalign aligners — typically requires multiple appointments over an extended period, often 12 to 24 months. The tower setting transforms what might otherwise be a routine appointment into a destination experience, which has a measurable effect on patient engagement and treatment compliance. Kia Pajouhesh has led the revival and restoration of the building since 2003, including restoring floodlighting to the tower in 2012.

Tours of the tower are among the most highly sought-after destinations in the annual Melbourne Open House — a testament to the tower's cultural significance that extends well beyond the dental practice it now houses.

How the Floor Plan Enables Your All-Under-One-Roof Care

The spatial distribution of Smile Solutions across six zones isn't merely impressive in scale — it's the structural foundation of our clinical model. With dentists, hygienists and board-registered specialists all practising under one roof and the latest technology at their fingertips, we make it easy for you to get the care you need efficiently, comfortably, and all in one place. By joining a practice that can truly service every facet of your and your family's dental needs, you benefit from a seamless internal referral and treatment planning system.

This isn't a trivial claim. Research published by the National Academy of Medicine notes that because of the lack of physical proximity between most dental and medical practices, even in some co-located places, many patients and providers have difficulty navigating this divide. Our floor plan eliminates that divide entirely within the scope of dental and specialist oral care: general dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, orthodontics, and specialist services are all accessible within a single building, coordinated by a unified clinical team.

Located across five levels and the tower of the iconic Manchester Unity Building, Smile Solutions is the largest privately owned dental practice in Australia with over 80 clinicians including registered specialists in all fields of dentistry.

The Acquisition Timeline: A Two-Decade Project

Understanding the floor-by-floor layout also requires understanding that it was assembled incrementally, not designed from scratch. The acquisition timeline reveals how our practice's growth and the building's restoration co-evolved:

  • 2003 — Dr Pajouhesh acquires Level 1 (dilapidated retail space) and begins the first restoration phase.
  • 2006 — Level 11 boardroom (converted to an apartment in 1997) is purchased and restoration begins under Andronas Conservation Architecture.
  • Subsequent years — Levels 10 and 12 are acquired; Level 12 (originally a residential penthouse) is converted to the specialist centre.
  • 2012 — Tower floodlighting is restored, signalling the tower's integration into the Smile Solutions identity.
  • Ongoing — The tower is converted to the orthodontic centre.

Over the intervening months and years, as they worked on the interiors of the building, the business grew, until it was ready to fit into the space and the space was ready for the business. Part of the reason that the luxury apartments never worked in the building was that their purpose was alien to the design. Level 11 was originally built for a business and the boardroom to house a board of managers.

This observation from Architecture AU captures the deeper logic at work: the Manchester Unity Building was designed in 1931 as a professional headquarters, and Smile Solutions has, in effect, restored it to that original purpose — just with dental surgeries rather than insurance offices.

Key Takeaways

  • 40 surgical suites across five floors and the tower. Our physical footprint is without precedent in Australian private dentistry.
  • Functional zoning enables clinical specialisation. Levels 1 and 10 handle general and cosmetic dentistry; Level 12 houses specialist care; the tower is dedicated to orthodontics — each zone optimised for its clinical purpose.
  • Level 11 is a heritage restoration as much as a clinical space. The restored Manchester Unity Building Boardroom and the original Grand Secretary's office house the executive offices of Smile Solutions management and patient co-ordinators — a working administrative headquarters inside a 1932 heritage interior.
  • Three specialist firms oversaw the restoration. Rob Mills Architects, Andronas Conservation Architects, and Paul Bangay landscapers have supervised the restoration of these spaces — each contributing distinct expertise in contemporary design, heritage conservation, and landscape architecture.
  • The floor plan is a clinical argument. Co-locating general dentists and specialists under one roof eliminates the referral friction that characterises standard dental care, enabling faster, more integrated treatment planning for you if you have complex needs.

Conclusion

The floor-by-floor anatomy of Smile Solutions inside the Manchester Unity Building is, ultimately, an argument made in architecture. Every level — from the restored Art Deco retail space of Level 1 to the Gothic tower above Melbourne's roofline — has been deliberately repurposed to support a specific clinical or operational function. The result is a practice whose physical structure is inseparable from our clinical model: multidisciplinary, co-located, and capable of serving the full spectrum of your dental needs without you ever having to leave the building.

The restoration overseen by Rob Mills Architects, Andronas Conservation Architects, and Paul Bangay has ensured that this clinical ambition has been achieved without compromising the heritage integrity of one of Melbourne's most significant 1932 landmarks. In that sense, we've done something genuinely rare: we've made a 90-year-old building more itself by giving it back its original purpose as a professional headquarters — this time, for the care of over 200,000 patients.

Ready to experience world-class care in Melbourne's most iconic building? We'd love to welcome you to Smile Solutions. Whether you need a routine check-up, cosmetic dentistry, specialist treatment, or orthodontics, our experienced team is here to provide personalised treatment across all five levels of clinical excellence.

For readers exploring the broader picture, we recommend:

References

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