Haskell invests in BLOX, creator of modular-based delivery method

AEC firm Haskell says it has made a strategic investment in BLOX, creator of what it calls “the Design Manufacture Construct (DMC) delivery method.”

“DMC is an emerging movement that combines vertically-integrated, innovative design with modular construction, ultimately delivering manufacturing efficiency and customer value,” according to a Haskell news release.

“DMC represents an important part of Haskell’s future strategy, as we progress from pioneers in the Design Build (DB) delivery method to Engineer Procure Construct (EPC) and now DMC where we can control as many design and construction variables as possible,” says Jim O’Leary, president and CEO of Haskell. BLOX’s modular design, installation, and full construction capabilities include standard modular components – operating rooms, exam rooms, bathrooms and head walls – and large-scale modular delivery of ambulatory and acute care facilities.

“The manufacturing precision and speed of delivery DMC affords has potential for many buyers, but the immediate opportunity is in the healthcare market and with our customers who require consistency across diverse project locations,” adds Brad Slappey, Haskell’s chief financial officer.

New York City has two very large buildings dedicated to answering the 911 calls of its five boroughs. With more than 11 million emergency calls annually, it makes perfect sense. The second of these buildings, the Public Safety Answering Center II (PSAC II) is located on a nine-acre parcel of land in the Bronx. It’s an imposing 450,000 square-foot structure—a 240-foot-wide by 240-foot-tall cube. The gleaming aluminum cube risesthe equivalent of 24 stories from behind a grassy berm, projecting the unlikely impression that it might actually be floating. Like most visually striking structures, the building has drawn as much scorn as it has admiration.