Photo: An emergency department designed with adaptable low-acuity zones can flex between triage and treatment functions depending on demand. | Photo Credit (all): DIRTT
by Benjamin Urban
Healthcare leaders are navigating a landscape defined by relentless change and rising complexity. Surging patient volumes, crippling staffing shortages, rapidly changing technological demands and tightening capital budgets are putting unprecedented pressure on health systems. Compounded by mounting inflation costs, these pressures are eroding margins and making it even harder for hospitals to invest in the infrastructure they need to keep pace.
Beyond the operational strain lies another reality: Hospitals are businesses. Every day a space is offline, it’s not just a disruption to care—it’s lost revenue.
Inpatient rooms, emergency departments, and outpatient clinics are core operational units. When renovations drag on or new construction is delayed, those spaces generate zero income while overhead costs persist. Meanwhile, problems caused by deferred maintenance and aging infrastructure continue to pile up, pushing facilities further behind.
Outdated Methods, Expensive Consequences
Traditional construction methods lack the speed and flexibility needed to meet today’s healthcare demands. Drywall is rigid, messy and time-consuming. Every upgrade requires demolition and rebuild. That means taking critical spaces out of commission for weeks or months, disrupting care and draining revenue.
Facilities that once operated on decades-long planning and build cycles are now expected to evolve every few years (or even faster) to accommodate new technologies, care models and patient expectations. The result is costly renovations, extended downtime, and reactive strategies that put unnecessary strain on both operations and capital planning.
In this environment, a static building is a liability.
Operational Efficiency Starts at Design
Forward-looking healthcare systems are shifting from building for what’s known, to preparing for what’s next.
That means designing with flexibility in mind: interchangeable room types, designed for disassembly, integrated technology infrastructure and modular building systems that allow healthcare environments to adapt in place rather than be rebuilt.
Healthcare design goes well beyond branding and aesthetics. It’s about how the space itself performs under pressure. The best healthcare environments are now being built like systems, not static structures. They anticipate change, minimize disruption, and make it easier to respond to real-world needs as they arise. In this context, design becomes a tool for resilience, speed, and smarter care delivery.
For example, an emergency department designed with adaptable low-acuity zones can flex between triage and treatment functions depending on demand. Behavioral-health rooms that convert into medical-surgical beds provide surge capacity without the need for major retrofits. These types of environments aren’t just cost-effective—they’re clinically responsive.
A Case for Adaptability
In fast-paced care settings, change is inevitable. The real question is how quickly and effectively a facility can respond. Facilities that can respond in real time to unexpected needs or equipment changes can maintain their continuity of care.
Imagine a scenario where new surgical beds arrive at a hospital, only for the team to realize that they block access to critical systems like medical gases and nurse call buttons. In a traditional build, fixing this could take months, cost tens of thousands of dollars in change orders and delay essential procedures. But in a more adaptable environment, the issue could be resolved in a matter of days without significant downtime or added cost.
This kind of agility must extend beyond the walls to the technology that powers care. Digital tools are now central to diagnosis, treatment, and patient engagement. Yet many healthcare spaces are built with rigid IT infrastructure that makes it difficult to implement and scale new innovations.
As hospitals adopt smart monitoring and connected care platforms, they need digital infrastructure that can evolve as quickly as the technology itself. Integrated technology infrastructure designed with built-in pathways for power, data and devices eliminates this bottleneck. It allows systems to scale, adapt and respond without tearing down walls or shutting down rooms. In an industry where both precision and speed matter, this level of integration is essential.
Looking Ahead
The integration of adaptable, agile design in healthcare infrastructure is not just a trend, but an operational necessity. Agile, responsive facilities give healthcare leaders the tools to manage uncertainty without compromising patient care, budgets or long-term strategy.
As the industry continues to evolve, so must the environments that support it. From modular construction to integrated technology infrastructure, future-ready design offers a path forward—one that supports clinical agility, protects revenue and strengthens the foundation for continuous improvement.
Benjamin Urban is chief executive officer of DIRTT, a global leader in industrialized construction operating in the workplace, healthcare, education and public sector markets.
