The Challenge: Building Healthcare Facilities Faster

Healthcare projects face consistent pressure to deliver more — faster. Rising patient demand, limited budgets, and complex facility requirements often make traditional delivery methods difficult to sustain. For healthcare owners and design teams, every month saved in construction translates directly into operational value.

Modular construction has become a proven approach to meeting these demands. By fabricating structural and architectural components offsite while site work progresses, modular delivery reduces overall schedules and minimizes onsite disruption — without compromising structural integrity or performance.

Why Modular Design Works in Healthcare

Healthcare buildings aren’t typical commercial projects. They require precise coordination between disciplines, strict code compliance, and adaptable design for future needs.

From a structural engineering standpoint, modular design introduces key efficiencies:

• Standardized Structural Bays: Repetition of framing modules simplifies analysis, detailing, and fabrication.
• Prefabricated Connections: Consistent joint geometry reduces field welding and bolting, improving installation speed and quality.
• Controlled Fabrication: Structural components manufactured in factory environments maintain tighter tolerances and reduce field variability.

The result is a more predictable build process, fewer change orders, and reduced exposure to weather and site-based delays.

Case Study: MLK Jr. Medical Campus – Child & Family Center

At the MLK Jr. Medical Campus in Los Angeles, ISE’s structural team designed long-span framing systems compatible with modular construction to meet the project’s aggressive delivery schedule.

Prefabricated elements were engineered for rapid onsite assembly, improving alignment between trades and minimizing field labor. This approach enabled the facility to open earlier than traditional construction would have allowed, providing critical healthcare access to the community sooner and at a lower overall cost.

Case Study: UCLA Medical Care Village

At the UCLA Medical Care Village, ISE provided structural design for two-story modular medical buildings constructed over slab-on-grade foundations. The use of standardized framing spans allowed flexibility in interior planning and simplified coordination between modules.

By designing systems that met both modular manufacturing requirements and long-term structural performance criteria, ISE helped the project team achieve faster erection, lower material waste, and adaptable infrastructure for future expansion.

The UCLA Medical Care Village and MLK Jr. medical Campus projects showing the use of modular construction.

Quantifying the Benefits

• Reduced Schedule Duration: Offsite fabrication proceeds in parallel with foundation and utility work, shortening total delivery time.
• Lower Construction Costs: Efficient repetition of modules reduces labor hours, field conflicts, and material waste.
• Enhanced Quality Control: Factory-built components allow consistent inspection, improved precision, and better long-term performance.
• Future Flexibility: Modular systems simplify future renovations or additions, extending the facility’s useful life.

The Engineer’s Role in Modular Delivery

Effective modular construction depends on structural systems designed for both precision and constructability. Engineers play a critical role in coordinating between the manufacturer, architect, and contractor to ensure the design supports transportation, lifting, and assembly requirements without compromising performance.

At ISE Structural Engineers, our approach integrates modular design principles early in the process — balancing efficiency, safety, and adaptability. By aligning engineering with fabrication and construction workflows, we help healthcare providers deliver facilities that are both structurally sound and rapidly deployable.

Summary

Modular construction continues to prove its value in healthcare delivery. Through deliberate structural design and coordination, ISE helps project teams meet compressed schedules, manage cost, and maintain quality.

It’s not about building faster — it’s about engineering smarter.