By Michael Gillespie and Jared Mason, Contributing Writers

Healthcare master planning is often viewed as a roadmap for space and growth. However, the most successful plans go further to unlock smarter investments, improve resilience and enable better patient outcomes. 

Across recent hospital planning projects, one theme is clear: when engineers are brought in early, master plans become more strategic, more flexible and ultimately more valuable. 

These are five ways engineering transforms healthcare master planning into a powerful driver of long-term success. 

1. Turning master plans into long-term infrastructure strategies 

Engineering brings a systems-level perspective that extends beyond buildings to include utilities, energy and infrastructure performance. 

At Banner University Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona, early master planning helped guide not only immediate facility expansions but also years of phased development and future tower additions, shaping a long-term vision for the campus rooted in holistic building knowledge. 

Additionally, engineering assessments identified critical infrastructure vulnerabilities — such as electrical systems located in a flood-prone basement — leading to a long-term replacement strategy in safer locations. 

With this type of approach, master plans become living strategies that support growth over decades, not just initial construction. 

2. Unlocking hidden capacity in existing assets 

A common assumption in healthcare is that aging infrastructure must be replaced, but engineering analysis often proves otherwise. 

For example, at Jersey City Medical Center, a master plan revealed that existing systems had the capacity to support a new hospital addition, which avoided unnecessary replacement and enabled faster expansion.  

Additionally, at Banner University Medical Center, an older, architecturally significant tower is being repositioned for flexible support uses rather than patient care, preserving value while adapting to modern needs. 

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Multidisciplinary master planning can help hospitals balance preservation, adaptability and performance to maximize the value of their portfolios. Simply put, with the right strategy, existing assets can play a meaningful role in future plans. 

3. Redirecting capital to what matters most — patient care 

Engineering insight doesn’t just reduce costs — it can help reallocate capital toward revenue-generating clinical space. 

During the master planning effort for a new tower at Chandler Regional Medical Center in Chandler, Arizona, our engineers began by rethinking the need for a new central plant, a significant cost for the owner.  

We performed evaluations that showed that, with some innovative engineering solutions, the existing plant would still meet the owner’s needs. This decision saved an estimated $15–20 million, allowing the owner to add an additional patient floor as a direct result. 

4. Challenging assumptions to find better solutions 

At Mount Sinai South Nassau (MSSN) in Oceanside, New York, engineers challenged the original phased infrastructure replacement strategy and instead proposed a new standalone central utility plant (CUP).  

Further, by relocating the CUP to a nearby parking area rather than attaching it to the existing hospital, the team freed up valuable space for future clinical expansion. The standalone CUP also simplified phasing, reduced construction costs and accelerated the schedule, as work could proceed without the constraints of operating around an active hospital. 

While requiring more upfront investment, the solution delivered greater flexibility and long-term efficiency. Outcomes like this one can happen when a master planning team collaborates to develop stronger, more future-ready solutions that outperform the original plan. 

5. Driving smarter decisions with data and analytics 

From energy studies to system modeling, engineering brings advanced tools that help owners visualize the long-term impact of decisions. During design for a new replacement hospital and cancer center in Flagstaff, Arizona, the owner decided to leverage the new hospital planning efforts as an opportunity to delve deep into resilience for healthcare in the area.  

Our healthcare systems engineers responded by providing greenhouse gas inventory, resilience planning and digital innovation planning for the new facilities. These insights enable a more holistic understanding of performance, cost and sustainability across an entire campus over time, and allow owners to make more informed, confident decisions backed by data. 

Better plans, better outcomes 

Healthcare master plans are no longer just about where buildings go — they’re about how systems perform, how investments are prioritized and how hospitals evolve over time. 

By integrating engineering expertise early, owners and architects gain a deeper understanding of possibilities, often uncovering opportunities to save money, improve resilience and expand care. Learn more about WSP’s healthcare capabilities. 

Michael Gillespie and Jared Mason are both senior vice presidents of mechanical engineering at WSP in the U.S.