Listen-first consulting engineering
MEP Engineering.
Designed for Your Goals.
From our offices in Iowa and Maine, MODUS partners with architects, owners, and facility leaders on projects across the country. We bring mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and technology engineering together to create safe, sustainable, high-performing buildings.
Featured project
WCCx
Hands-on learning environments supported by flexible, coordinated building systems.
Market / location
Career + Technical Education
Waterloo, IA
Design team partner
For Architects
Listen-first MEPT coordination, clear documentation, and engineering decisions that support the design intent and the client's objectives.
- Design intent supported
- Early coordination
- Responsive consultant partnership
Operational reality
For Facility Leaders
Infrastructure planning, studies, phasing, safety, energy, and lifecycle thinking for buildings people need to operate every day.
- Maintainable systems
- Lifecycle cost clarity
- Practical operations
Construction certainty
For Construction Managers
Field-aware engineering, responsive coordination, and practical documentation that helps teams protect schedule, budget, and constructability.
- Constructable details
- Clear answers
- Budget-aware solutions
Company profile
Meet the practice behind the building solutions.
Since 1963, MODUS has paired technical expertise with a listen-first approach to design building systems that support clients, facility staff, and the people who use each space every day.
Our people. Our practice.
Six-time Iowa Top Workplace.
A culture worth building a career around.
Featured markets
Building types where objectives, systems, and people meet.
MODUS work sits where architecture, infrastructure, occupant experience, and operations meet. These markets need careful coordination, practical innovation, and systems that keep serving people after opening day.
Education K-12 Education
Safe, comfortable learning environments supported by coordinated systems, maintainability, and long-term value.
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Higher Education, Sports Higher Education
Campus work that balances performance, budget, phasing, sustainability, and daily use.
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Government, Healthcare Healthcare
Reliable clinical environments shaped around patient comfort, staff workflow, safety, and maintainable infrastructure.
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Government, LEED, Libraries Civic / Government
Public-sector systems for community anchors, civic facilities, essential services, and long-term public value.
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Commercial, LEED Commercial
Adaptive, efficient workplaces and mixed-use environments shaped around client goals and occupant experience.
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Government, LEED Industrial / Infrastructure
Infrastructure-minded engineering for facilities where safety, maintenance, and uptime carry real consequences.
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Services
Technical depth connected to client value.
MODUS connects each discipline to the larger outcome: safe, sustainable, innovative buildings that are clear to design, practical to build, and easier to operate.
01
Mechanical Engineering
HVAC, ventilation, controls, and central systems shaped around comfort, efficiency, safety, and maintenance access.
02Electrical Engineering
Power, lighting, life safety, distribution, emergency systems, and capacity planning tied to client objectives.
03Plumbing Engineering
Domestic water, sanitary, storm, specialty piping, and coordinated infrastructure for dependable, maintainable operation.
04Technology Engineering
Telecommunications, security, audiovisual, and technology pathways integrated early with the building design and user needs.
05Lighting Design
Architectural lighting, controls, exterior lighting, and energy-aware strategies that support safety, comfort, and experience.
06Sustainable Engineering
Energy strategy, geothermal, solar, LEED support, and performance decisions grounded in practical operations.
07Facility Planning
Existing-condition studies, system roadmaps, capital planning, and scope definition that make early decisions clearer.
08Arc Flash Studies
Electrical safety documentation and field-informed studies that help owners explain risk, compliance, and next steps.
09Mission-Critical Systems Engineering
Coordinated cooling, resilient power, controls, and technology infrastructure for data centers and facilities where uptime is essential.
Proof of practice
60+
Years
11,000+
Buildings
$5B
Construction Cost
4
Offices Iowa + Maine
Process
Listen first. Engineer with clarity. Support what comes next.
Strong systems work starts before drawings get crowded. MODUS works to understand the people, goals, budgets, schedules, and operational realities behind the project before shaping the engineering solution.
- 01
Listen first to the client, architect, owner, facility staff, and end users
- 02
Clarify objectives, constraints, budget, schedule, and operational realities
- 03
Engineer MEPT systems around performance, safety, comfort, and maintainability
- 04
Coordinate with architects, owners, contractors, and facility teams through construction
- 05
Support long-term operations after the building is occupied
Featured work
Project stories with human, operational, and community impact.
Education
Denver High School CSD
Denver, IA
A new district campus shaped around comfort, daylight, and long-term operational value.
Mechanical Engineering / Electrical Engineering / Sustainable Engineering
Government, Healthcare
Decorah VA Clinic
Decorah, IA
Integrated building systems support accessible care, dependable clinical operations, and long-term flexibility at this 17,500-square-foot VA clinic.
Mechanical Engineering / Electrical Engineering / Sustainable Engineering
Education, Higher Education
Waterloo Career Center
Waterloo, IA
Technical learning spaces coordinated for flexibility, durability, and future workforce pathways.
Mechanical Engineering / Electrical Engineering / Sustainable Engineering
Commercial, LEED
Market One
Des Moines, IA
Commercial engineering that supports adaptive reuse, workplace quality, and efficient systems.
Mechanical Engineering / Electrical Engineering / Sustainable Engineering
Higher Education
NIACC Solar Project
Mason City, IA
Campus-scale renewable infrastructure connected to education, cost, and energy performance.
Mechanical Engineering / Electrical Engineering / Sustainable Engineering
Government Libraries
Fayetteville, AR Fall 2020
Fayetteville Public Library
The City of Fayetteville voted in 2016 to expand what was already a pillar in the community. The approval resulted in a $50 million dollar effort to effectively double the size of their existing library building.
Briefings / technical guidance
Useful thinking before scope hardens.
MODUS Briefings help owners, architects, and facility leaders turn technical questions into clear next steps they can explain to boards, staff, clients, and project teams.
Facility planning
Guidance for design teams and owners making early systems decisions.
Sustainable systems
Guidance for design teams and owners making early systems decisions.
Energy studies
Guidance for design teams and owners making early systems decisions.
Technology infrastructure
Guidance for design teams and owners making early systems decisions.
Electrical safety
Guidance for design teams and owners making early systems decisions.
Renovation phasing
Guidance for design teams and owners making early systems decisions.
Four offices. One connected practice.
Rooted in Iowa.
Connected Nationwide.
Our Iowa and Maine teams work together with architects, owners, and facility leaders across the country. Local relationships and shared engineering expertise connect every project to the wider MODUS practice.
Next step
Start with the objectives. Build with clarity.
Early engineering perspective can clarify cost, phasing, performance targets, sustainability goals, and the systems decisions that shape the building long after opening day.