Parnassus Heights Monthly Construction Update | June 2025

May 31, 2025

About This Monthly Construction Update

UCSF Real Estate shares Parnassus Heights construction updates monthly. Updates will be sent to the UCSF Parnassus Heights community on the Monday following the first of each month and will be posted online. Dates and details are subject to change.

UCSF Health Helen Diller Hospital

Construction site of UCSF Health Helen Diller Hospital as of May 2025.
Construction site of the UCSF Health Helen Diller Hospital as of May 2025.

To serve the city with world-class care for the next century, UCSF is constructing the UCSF Health Helen Diller Hospital (HDH). The 15-story hospital at the Parnassus Heights campus is being constructed on the former Langley Porter Psychiatric Hospital site through 2029, with the new hospital expected to open in 2030.

Expect Noise During Construction for Future Connections to Long Hospital, Starting June 2 through August

Construction is scheduled to create openings on the east side of Long Hospital in preparation for future connections to the new hospital.

This work, which is expected to start on June 2 and run through August 2025, includes chipping the wall, saw-cutting, and drilling. This work must be completed before structural steel erection begins at the end of 2025.

Timeline 

  • June 2: Saw-cutting and drilling start. Minor noise is expected. 
  • June 11: Chipping activities start. You can expect noise impacts. 
  • The UCSF Community can read more about this work and its expected impacts for the existing Long Hospital and the UCSF community in the Manager Toolkit. (UCSF MyAccess required).

Foundation Concrete Placements Underway Overnight

As part of the next phase of foundation work for HDH, UCSF has begun a series of 20 concrete placements required to occur overnight on the weekends, from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m. Due to the heat generated during concrete curing, these pours must take place overnight during cooler weather conditions to ensure structural integrity. 

The work will be spaced out over the coming months throughout 2025. Concrete trucks are scheduled to arrive on site around 1 a.m. for each pour. 

UCSF Barbara and Gerson Bakar Research and Academic Building

Bakar Research and Academic Building (BRAB) construction site as of May 2025.
Bakar Research and Academic Building (BRAB) construction site as of May 2025.

Construction is underway at Parnassus Heights for the UCSF Barbara and Gerson Bakar Research and Academic Building (BRAB), a state-of-the-art building that will create a vital collaborative space that drives innovations in scientific research and education. BRAB will house the UCSF School of Nursing and research programs for cancer, microbiology, diabetes, immunology, and cell biology. BRAB is expected to be completed in 2027.

Expect Noise and Vibration from Exterior Wall Demolition in Clinical Sciences Building on Level 7 for BRAB Connection 

Demolition of a small section of the exterior wall on level 7 on the west side of the Clinical Sciences Building (CSB), 521 Parnassus Ave., is scheduled for June 16 - 27, 2025. The demolition will prepare the site for the installation of a steel bridge walkway that will connect CSB to the new UCSF Barbara and Gerson Bakar Research and Academic Building (BRAB). The installation of the bridge, new windows, and other construction is expected in the same area later in 2025. 

During the demolition starting the week of June 16 - 27, 2025, building occupants can expect enhanced noise and vibrations, especially from chipping concrete and saw cutting. During select periods, one of the two elevators may be temporarily taken out of service. When this occurs, the timing of the shutdown will be communicated. Please contact your manager/supervisor to discuss any desired accommodations.  

‌Later in June 2025, construction is scheduled on level 6 of CSB to build a mockup for lab casework. Demolition and installation will run concurrently. 

The bridge will support creating a connected Research Artery between the new BRAB, CSB, and the Medical Sciences Building (MSB), providing additional collaboration space for the Research Program. Plans are underway for the future interior design of CSB Level 7 north. 

Steel Work Progressing to Construct BRAB Levels  

Construction momentum continues at the BRAB project site, with major progress visible both structurally and logistically. 

In total, it is estimated that the crew will complete the building’s structural steel and metal decking in eight weeks for the 8-level structural steel beam erection. Construction is being finalized for levels 6 and 7 during the week of June 2, 2025, with work for levels 9 and 10 underway in late June. The expected structural steel top-out is expected around mid-July 2025. 

Behind the site, Koret Way is under 24/7 access control with the addition of a vehicle gate. Deliveries for the Koret Vision Building are coordinated, with access between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. controlled by the delivery coordinator located at the control gate. A gate access code is required for all off-hour deliveries. The School of Nursing building is closed to all pedestrian and delivery access through Koret Way. 

On the northeast portion of the site, workers are completing the installation of a hoist along the building. The hoist will support workers walking between floors and transporting welding equipment, and is being raised incrementally as construction progresses, eventually tying into the structure at level 6. This work is scheduled between 3 – 8 p.m., with minimal construction noise expected during this period. 

Weekend work may occur on an as-needed basis, and the hours of work will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., within the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) requirements.  

Parnassus Central Campus Site Improvements

Parnassus Central Campus Site Improvements (PCCSI) project site as of May 2025.
Parnassus Central Campus Site Improvements (PCCSI) project site as of May 2025.

UCSF is embarking on an important endeavor to create a welcoming space that will lead to the “heart of campus” at Parnassus Heights. The Parnassus Central Campus Site Improvements (PCCSI) program will provide extensive site improvements in the central core of the Parnassus Heights campus, where the School of Nursing building currently exists. 

Ladle & Leaf Temporarily Closing June 11, Reopening Mid-August in Millberry Union as SON Building Closes 

In support of the PCCSI project, the Ladle & Leaf restaurant in the School of Nursing (SON) building is scheduled to temporarily close on June 11, 2025, and is expected to reopen in mid-August 2025 in a newly renovated space on the first floor of Millberry Union at Parnassus Heights. The restaurant and Facilities Services, which are the remaining tenants in the School of Nursing (SON) building, level 2, are relocating in June to prepare for the building’s demolition later in 2025.  

The SON building will officially close to the public following Ladle & Leaf’s closure on level 2 on June 11, 2025. The other floors of the building closed in May 2025.‌ The SON building will be demolished to revitalize the central core of campus where the SON building currently exists.  

Ladle & Leaf’s new restaurant space will feature a variety of seating options, warm natural finishes, and colors that reflect the surrounding landscape. Diners will enjoy views and balconies overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge and the neighborhood. 

A reopening date for the restaurant is still being finalized. 

UCSF Returns Wooden Sculpture from SON Building to Artist’s Family 

UCSF recently completed the respectful deaccession of a wooden sculpture that had long stood outside the School of Nursing (SON) building. With the building slated for demolition and no formal acquisition records found, the UCSF Art Committee recommended removal of the sculpture, which had significantly weathered over time. 

After many outreach efforts by School of Nursing faculty and alumni — and thanks to dedicated research by UCSF Art Advisor Chandra Cerrito — the sculpture was ultimately identified as the work of Alvin Light (1931–1980), a Bay Area artist with works in several local museum collections. Light is believed to have donated the sculpture to UCSF in the early 1970s, around the time that he was a patient at UCSF, though no formal documentation of the gift has been located. 

In a fitting and heartwarming conclusion, the artist’s son, Jeremy Light, retrieved the sculpture in May from Parnassus Heights. He shared that he plans to reimagine and reinstall the piece in his backyard, honoring his father’s creative vision in a new setting. 

Returning Alvin Light’s artwork is part of UCSF’s ongoing commitment to thoughtful stewardship of campus artwork, especially during major capital transitions. In total, there are seven art pieces that are being relocated from the SON building. 

Other Construction Updates