EIR Healthcare, an industrialized construction consultancy specialized in highly engineered and patented modular construction solutions for the healthcare ecosystem, announces the groundbreaking of a new commercial property designed and built through modular construction techniques in Brooklyn, NY. The project is being built in partnership with general contractors Skylight Development, architecture firm New York based Coughlin Scheel Architects, and proptech partner Enlighted, a Siemens company. FullStack Modular is the manufacturer responsible for completing modules in an off-site factory before delivery to the project site fully completed.
Headquartered in Philadelphia, PA, EIR Healthcare conducted the modular feasibility study that led to the transition from traditional construction to modular techniques for this project. This industrialized construction approach was selected for its cost- and time-effectiveness. Furthermore, EIR was responsible for modular manufacturer vendor selection and design team assembly, including architects, structural designers and mechanical, electrical and plumbing vendors. The selection process is a rigorous evaluation of expertise, speed, and cost, that ensures the client is supported by best-in-class vendors suited to the project. As the modular integrator, the team behind EIR Healthcare is also driving technology architecture and project management.
“When kicking off plans for the 58 Grattan project, we immediately defaulted to traditional construction as the status quo,” said Keith Van Sise, Partner at Skylight Development. “As we dug in further with approved plans, we felt there had to be another option that got us closer to a cost and timeframe we felt comfortable with. EIR Healthcare’s team was invaluable in conducting a modular feasibility study that made off-site manufacturing the best option to significantly reduce the timeframe and costs.”
Modular construction projects are gaining steam in urban areas, although they remain relatively rare due to the complexities of building in regions like New York City Metro areas.
“Projects like 58 Grattan are an instructive proof-of-concept that modular construction is the future of solving both commercial and residential construction crises in urban infill areas,” said Grant Geiger, CEO of EIR Healthcare. “When done right, it’ll be difficult to ignore the time and cost-savings, as well as the advantage to build a technology-forward ‘smart building’ that best serves both the ownership and the tenants.”
The Brooklyn project will include ground floor retail space and three floors of up to five commercial office spaces, equating to a 10,000 square foot Boutique Class A office building. Modules will be built off-site in a factory in Connecticut, and then delivered on-site overnight for installation, causing minimum disturbance to the surrounding neighborhood and traffic patterns. The entirety of above grade construction for the building will be completed off-site, 80 percent of the entire structure when considering the concrete foundation and elevator.
EIR Healthcare first named Enlighted a strategic partner in 2019, integrating its innovative IoT platform into EIR’s suite of solutions for digitizing buildings. As such, the Grattan project will natively build in Enlighted’s technology for optimizing lighting and energy performance. The smart lighting controls use industry-leading, software-defined sensors to capture activities and combine multiple streams of data. A connected wireless network manages hundreds of sensors and smart devices that constantly monitors occupancy changes and adjusts the lighting and HVAC in real-time to save energy, enhance comfort, and productivity. With the valuable IoT insights and analytics, smart lighting solutions enable more intelligent decision making, drive sustainable innovations and are future-ready for occupants. By including smart lighting control and LED fixtures, the building will realize up to 90% energy savings, 35% savings on materials, and an average 15% of space usage reduction on average. Furthermore, the building data collected will feed into EIR’s continuous improvement model to design better, more efficient buildings.
“Through our long-standing partnership with EIR Healthcare, Enlighted has been committed to ensuring IoT integration as an integral part of the initial blueprint of a construction project, and not an afterthought”, said Stefan Schwab, CEO at Enlighted. “With this Brooklyn project, we’re building in IoT and SaaS capabilities right on the factory floor, custom-building this property to be a sustainable, human-centric space and deliver value for the owner and users.”
The 58 Grattan project is expected to be completed by early 2025, an estimated 5-month timeline for manufacturing, 60% faster, safer and more sustainable than if it were built by traditional construction.
About EIR Healthcare
EIR Healthcare is a recognized leader in modular technology implementation in the multi-billion dollar healthcare industry. The company is dedicated to bringing efficient industrial practices to the real estate industry with a focus on healthcare, hospitality, disaster response and others. Its flagship, award-winning product, MedModular, is the answer to the cost constraints and technological disruptions impacting the healthcare industry today. EIR delivered the first “hospital room in a box,” prefabricated based on recognized industry-best practices for on-site delivery. As the industry innovator in cost-effective, efficient, and state-of-the-art industrial practices, EIR opens the door for construction projects to incorporate more intelligent technology, while keeping costs and timelines to a minimum. The company is privately held and located in Philadelphia, PA. For more information, visit www.eirhealthcare.com.