Given the constant reality of rapid change, organizations should focus on real estate that can evolve and adapt to maximize long-term ROI. Before our team launched ModularDesign+, team members advanced the Universal Grid – an optimum set of vertical and horizontal dimensions for a building’s structural bay – that championed efficient and modular design. From this fundamental building block – vetted for engineering soundness and construction efficiency – health and research facilities can accommodate a wide range of potential uses.

Moreover, facilities leveraging the Universal Grid can reduce the typical 10-18 month span from facility planning to groundbreaking by up to 80%. The resulting speed-to-market has proven effective for organizations intent on quickly seizing new market coverage or responding to changing care models.

At Washington University Medical Center in St. Louis, groundbreaking for a new 750,000 sf biomedical research facility based on the Universal Grid occurred in less than five months from the start of design, fast-tracking the occupancy date, saving in excess of $5.5 million in planning costs and accelerating revenue capture.

The Kaleida Health / Gates Vascular Institute in Buffalo achieved a $10 per sf reduction across total HVAC, plumbing and electrical costs thanks directly to its reliance on the Universal Grid. The grid also contributed in numerous ways to the building’s overall $21 million cost savings.