Stuart Eckblad, who has dedicated 18 years to successfully completing several UCSF Health major design and construction projects, will retire on July 31, 2024, as Vice President of Health Major Capital Projects for Real Estate at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Stuart is recognized for leading high-profile UCSF Health construction endeavors, including the UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay hospital, the UCSF Bakar Precision Cancer Medicine Building, and the Bayfront Medical Building, the University’s first all-electric outpatient center, opening in August 2024.
Stuart also made a significant contribution to the UCSF Health Helen Diller Hospital project, which is under construction through 2030 at Parnassus Heights. For the project, Stuart challenged the norms by introducing an Integrated Form of Agreement the project, which was a first in the University of California system. Prior to UCSF, Stuart had a full career in design and construction with Kaiser Permanente. Outside of work, Stuart has given his time to leading several design and construction organizations.
Stuart’s colleagues call him a changemaker. Those who have worked with Stuart say they learned early that the project – whether it was a hospital or a cancer center – was about more than the building. It was about collaborating to create a space at UCSF that would support advancing health through clinical care, research, and education.
Reflecting on his career, Stuart said he is particularly proud of the impact he has made on transforming project delivery in the health care sector. His efforts have been credited with saving millions of dollars on major capital projects, changing how project owners and design and construction firms collaborate, as well as how people come together to work toward a mutual purpose and to achieve extraordinary results.
Stuart says the secret to his success is “never say no” and “never give up.”
A Pioneer of Health Care Design and Construction
Stuart’s passion for architecture was ignited by his father, who was an inventor, electrical engineer, and builder, and by his mother’s passion for interior design. "Since first grade, I wanted to be an architect – and I became one," he said. Stuart graduated from Kent State University, followed by graduate school at the University of Wisconsin, where his thesis – revolutionary for its time – focused on using color and light to reduce patient recovery time. This early interest in the intersection of design and health care set the stage for his future contributions to the industry.
Stuart’s professional career started at Kaiser, where he created a planning department. Stuart developed the National Kaiser Alliance Program, a revolutionary model for integrated project delivery. His innovative approach involved pre-approving teams of architects, engineers, and contractors that agreed to shared accountability for design, budget, and schedule. The program fostered collaboration and innovations that became a benchmark for Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) in the industry.
Stuart introduced new concepts, including estimating first and designing second, which he said is best for patient-first decisions. Stuart also introduced collaborative decision-making, coined the concept of “big rooms,” and led collaborative contracts across all eight Kaiser regions. He later created “big rooms” at UCSF for projects.
"We made a huge impact on the industry by changing how people work together to build team cultures for extraordinary results,” he said.
Transformative Contributions at UCSF
Stuart started at UCSF Health in 2006. One of his most notable achievements was leading project delivery for the UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay, a 289-bed complex with three hospitals, specializing in serving children, women, and cancer patients. Stuart introduced a modified agreement for the project, using an integrated contract process that had never been used at UCSF. This method saved the University more than $200 million and helped deliver the $1.5 billion hospital project under budget and on time – a first for a project of its magnitude in the UC system. It also set the precedent for Stuart to suggest future alternative agreements at UCSF.
"It was getting UC and UCSF to think differently about how to do projects," Stuart said, highlighting the project's broader impact on the University’s approach to construction.
Stuart’s team says that Feb. 1, 2015, the day the hospital opened, will forever be etched in their lives. It is a rare opportunity to be a part of building an award-winning academic research hospital, but they say, the experience was especially unique because of Stuart’s innovative ideas, leadership, and the passion he showed for the work.
Stuart acknowledges that his vision extends beyond buildings. His goal is to build teams that have “their personal purpose” and “the project purpose” aligned to create places for healing. The Precision Cancer Medicine Building at UCSF exemplifies this approach.
During the interview process, Stuart would ask potential team members, “How will you cure cancer if you are selected for the project?” Stuart said the goal of asking that question was to select the team that really understood how to create a patient-centered place for UCSF, ensuring that every aspect of the building process was patient-centered, from design to completion, with one vision for the project.
Christine Buckley, who worked with Stuart on the Precision Cancer Medicine project, remembers Stuart encouraging his team by setting the vision for the building as curing cancer. His big thinking would trickle down into every detail. She remembers the project’s vision board with cancer stories and people’s names who had been impacted by cancer. It was placed where the crew could walk by it every day for inspiration.
"I'm really, really proud of that building,” said Christine. “Every time I look at it, I think of Stuart and what his vision was there.” Today, Christine is working as the Director of Medical Equipment and Technology for the UCSF Health Helen Diller Hospital.
Fred Whitney, who is Acting Leader of the UCSF Health Helen Diller Hospital at Parnassus Heights, said he learned a lot from Stuart. He began working with Stuart on the Mission Bay hospital project and then the Precision Cancer Medicine project.
“He taught me to think differently,” Fred said. “What’s best for patients is the priority.”
Ray Trebino, a Business Unit Leader at DPR Construction, worked on the Mission Bay project under Stuart’s leadership as a contractor. It was that project when Stuart first created a “big room” or Integrated Center for Design and Construction (ICDC). Ray helped turn Stuart’s idea of a “big room” into reality for the first time at UCSF.
“It’s about gathering as a team in a room for that one goal – and giving that room a name that demonstrated that we were working toward the same common goal. When we come to work, we're coming to work as this team, not as individuals,” said Ray.
Like his teammates, Ray also says that the Mission Bay hospital project was a poignant moment in his career. He still remembers seeing a patient using a 6th floor patient room that was previously mocked up for the team to decide on design elements before the opening. “That was personally a proud moment – ‘wow, we did it.,’” he said, reflecting on the opening of the Mission Bay hospital. “This is now a room that is providing space to care for somebody. We built a facility that was providing a level of care for the community that was desperately needed.”
Contributing to Health Care Design and Construction Nationally
Outside of work, Stuart also gave back to the health care design and construction industry by leading several organizations and initiatives. Stuart founded the Center for Innovation in Design and Construction (CIDCI), now known as the Center for Innovation. This nonprofit organization focuses on promoting innovative practices in the AEC (Architecture, Engineering, and Construction) industry. Through roundtable discussions, collaborations with organizations like NASA, and podcasts, the Center serves as a hub for sharing groundbreaking ideas and practices.
Stuart also founded the Collaborative Process Institute, a professional organization with more than 200 designers, builders, and owners, which promotes through conferences and seminars the adoption of integration and collaboration in design and construction. Stuart was inducted as a Fellow in the American Institute of Architects (AIA). In addition, he contributed his time earlier in his career as chair of the American Institute of Architects California Council Integrated Project Delivery Task Force.
That’s where Howard Ashcraft, who practices construction law, met Stuart in 2006 when he joined the task force. They both had a vision for how collaboration could increase creativity and support innovation, Howard said. Together, they developed the original theoretical foundation for what is now Integrated Project Delivery (IPD).
"To actually create built environments that are doing what they need to do, we need people who are committed to doing that. Stuart has been a truly unique individual in this area because he's had this constant focus on improving the industry, excelling in innovation, and using collaboration to the core," Howard said. “He's had a long-standing vision. He's stayed consistent with it, and he's made it happen.”
Continuing to Inspire Design and Construction
Stuart’s connection to advancing health care through building also is an important part of his home life. He met his wife, Joyce Polhamus, while working together at Kaiser. Joyce and Stuart, who are both architects, share a love for health care design and construction. Today, the couple has been married for 38 years. They have two children who also followed in their footsteps. Their son, Zander Eckblad, is a product designer, and their daughter Kendra Eckblad, is a project manager in construction.
Joyce said she is most proud of how Stuart is appreciated in the industry by colleagues and how he has impacted so many people. “He's a changemaker,” she said. “He has big ideas. He has a vision for how things can be made different.”
As he retires, Stuart leaves a legacy of innovation, collaboration and excellence. His contributions have reshaped both design and construction of health care facilities and the culture of project execution. “I am eternally grateful to have landed here.”
Stuart Eckblad Reflects on Key Lessons
Just Say Yes: Stuart believes it's too easy to just say no! Instead, he advocates a mindset of "let's figure this out." He emphasizes, "You can't innovate if you're going to say no."
Stay Curious – the Foundation for Innovation: Challenge the expression, "I don’t know what I don't know." He advises to be inquisitive. "I know that I don’t know,” I don't understand that, so tell me more. I still don't understand, so tell me some more."
Perfection Isn't Always Necessary: Recalling his early days, like most, Stuart often felt the pressure to deliver perfect answers. However, Stuart's approach evolved to, "I don't know if it's going to work, but if it can’t be any worse – try it."