SDI Canada has delivered a prefabricated Modular MRI Cassette™ to Upper River Valley Hospital, marking a key step in the facility’s plan to add magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) services. The unit arrived after a week-long transport from Ontario and is scheduled for installation on Wednesday, November 19, when crane crews will position it on a reinforced foundation adjacent to the hospital’s diagnostic imaging department.
The arrival of the Cassette represents a growing trend in healthcare infrastructure toward modular, pre-assembled buildings that can be integrated into existing hospital environments with less disruption than traditional construction. For Upper River Valley Hospital, the unit provides a faster pathway to expanding diagnostic services in a region where access to MRI imaging has historically required significant travel for patients.
A prefabricated approach to MRI infrastructure
The delivered building is a single prefabricated module designed specifically for MRI use. It was constructed off-site to meet the technical requirements associated with MRI environments, including magnetic shielding, room dimensions, equipment layout, and workflow configuration. Because the interior and exterior finishes were completed prior to transport, much of the remaining work involves crane placement, utility connections, and installation of the MRI system.
Over the coming days, the building will be secured to the foundation and integrated with the existing hospital structure. Once in place, a Siemens Healthineers MRI scanner will be craned into the unit. A team consisting of architects, engineers, and contractors will oversee the installation to ensure safety, compliance, and operational readiness. The Cassette is classified as a permanent relocatable building and complies with CSA A277-16 standards for factory-built construction.
A cross-provincial transport effort
The delivery required notable logistical preparation. The module weighs approximately 110,000 pounds and travelled roughly 2,400 kilometres on a 130-foot super-load truck and trailer. To accommodate the building’s size and weight, the route relied heavily on secondary roads. The transport occurred during the season’s first snowfall in parts of the region, adding to the complexity. Once on-site, a 250-ton crane will lift the unit into place in a process expected to draw interest from staff and observers.
The installation marks the first deployment of this type of modular MRI building in New Brunswick. Hospital officials anticipate that the addition of MRI services will help reduce wait times and improve access to advanced diagnostic imaging for patients in the area.
Minimizing disruption and shortening timelines
Modular construction allows hospitals to add or upgrade clinical spaces while maintaining ongoing operations. Because prefabricated buildings are produced in controlled environments with consistent oversight, they often achieve accelerated timelines and predictable quality standards compared to conventional builds. In this case, the design contract for the MRI Cassette was awarded in late January, and the building arrived on-site less than 10 months later. The MRI suite is expected to be operational within a year of the contract award.
This timeline is significantly shorter than what is typical for similar projects relying entirely on traditional construction, which can require extended periods of on-site work and may affect hospital operations.
A growing role for modular solutions in healthcare
As healthcare systems look for ways to expand diagnostic, surgical, and treatment capacity, modular and prefabricated solutions have emerged as an option for reducing construction impacts and controlling project timelines. These approaches are increasingly used for imaging departments, clinical expansions, and temporary or permanent infrastructure needs.
SDI Canada works with hospitals across the country on construction, infrastructure, and specialized equipment installations. The company has been involved in a range of projects including MRI room redesigns at Toronto Western Hospital, the installation of a 7-Tesla MRI system at the Montreal Neurological Institute, and the first modular MRI department installed in Canada at Winnipeg Health Sciences Centre.
With the Cassette now on-site at Upper River Valley Hospital, work will continue through the winter to connect the building, complete the equipment installation, and prepare the new MRI suite for patient use. Once operational, the suite is expected to support improved access to diagnostic imaging for communities across the region.
