Holistic design and architecture practice Mendil + Meyer, based in Arizona in the US, has introduced a new division called Lām Concepts to integrate and align wellness goals for projects before they reach the design stage.

Ben Meyer, architect and co-founder of Mendil + Meyer, told Spa Business exclusively about the new division: “Lām comes from the word loam, meaning fertile ground – the place where conditions are right for growth before anything is planted. That metaphor felt essential. 

“Most wellness-led projects fail not because of poor design, but because alignment comes after capital is committed,” added Meyer. “Lām exists to work upstream, creating the conditions for clarity, coherence and long-term success before design, branding or development begins. The macron over the “a” reflects intention, precision and a deliberate slowing down: a pause before action.

“Lām is built on a simple but often overlooked truth: wellness is not an amenity, it’s an operating system,” continued Meyer.

Lām’s focus will be to enable clients developing wellness destinations to develop a vision, strategy and establish feasibility early on to avoid common pitfalls. Clients can engage Lām independently or use it as the front end to a Mendil + Meyer project, translating the strategy into architecture and design. Meyer believes the separation between initial strategy and the design process creates better outcomes.

“Many of our clients come to us after experiencing friction, scope creep, or misalignment on past projects and want to avoid costly mistakes by getting the strategy right first,” added Meyer.

The division’s first projects are located in the US, with developments in Arizona and California, plus possible destinations in the Middle East.

“We’re particularly focused on destinations where wellness, hospitality and lifestyle intersect,” Anissa Mendil, interior designer and co-founder of Mendil + Meyer, added. “This includes resort communities, urban wellness hubs and mixed-use developments where wellness is being asked to do real work, not just add surface value.”

Mendil + Meyer

Mendil + Meyer’s portfolio has increasingly centred on wellness, designing spaces as systems that influence how people feel, behave and live.

One particular project the company is known for is Civana Wellness Resort and Spa. Read more about Civana here. 

Mendil + Meyer led the design and reimagining of the property, which opened in 2018 and has remained the property-wide architects and designers, recently creating a master plan for an expansion of the property. The new facilities will include a meditation garden, a new pool complex, a dining venue, a yoga pavilion and an outdoor fitness space.

Mendil + Meyer also worked on architecture and design for an urban wellness and longevity clinic called BluSonil, which recently opened in Scottsdale, Arizona. 

While Lām Concepts was not in use at the start of each of these projects, it will now offer support for clients seeking to expand and roll-out their concepts, including BluSonil – which hopes to open between 15-20 company-owned locations over the next five years.