About This Monthly Construction Update
UCSF Real Estate shares Parnassus Heights construction updates monthly. Updates will be sent to the 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
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 (LPPH) site through 2029, with the new hospital expected to open in 2030.
Video: Watch the First Tower Crane Installation on the HDH Site
The first tower crane, standing at 279 feet, was installed in March 2025 near Parnassus Avenue on the HDH site. Watch the HDH team as they work on the installation for over two weekends. Installation of a second 262-foot-tall tower crane adjacent to the existing hospital began on May 2, 2025, and is expected to be complete on May 5, 2025. The tower cranes will play a key role in constructing the building, which will begin to take shape in late 2025 as the steel superstructure erection begins at the site.
Watch the Video of the First Tower Crane Installation
Expect Noise During Activity to Strengthen Long Hospital Shear Wall
Starting June 2, 2025, construction is scheduled to strengthen the shear wall on the east side of Long Hospital in preparation for future connections to the new hospital. This work is expected to continue through August 2025.
Impacts and Mitigations
UCSF Barbara and Gerson Bakar Research and Academic Building
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 Taking Shape with Structural Steel and Deck Placements
The building’s infrastructure is starting to take shape as the team completes the structural steel beam erection for levels 2 and 3. Work on levels 4 and 5 is expected to begin shortly. Truck deliveries are scheduled through Koret Way and the Dental Plaza.
Impacts and Mitigations
- Expect noise from steel erection and deck placements.
- Early morning concrete pours will occur occasionally from July 2025 through March 2026. Two large concrete pours are expected per level per month, beginning with level 2. Other miscellaneous concrete pours will occur during regular construction hours.
- Some concrete work may extend to 9 p.m. on select days.
View the Latest BRAB Design Renderings
Exciting new renderings of BRAB are now available, offering a glimpse into UCSF’s future home for discovery, innovation, and education at Parnassus Heights.
The updated images showcase the building’s state-of-the-art design, including light-filled laboratories, modern instructional spaces, and community areas that promote collaboration and connection. The building’s striking exterior, welcoming lobby, and terraced courtyard reflect UCSF’s commitment to creating world-class environments for research and learning.
With construction progressing steadily, BRAB remains on track to become a cornerstone of the Parnassus Heights campus revitalization, supporting science and the next generation of health professionals.
View the Latest BRAB Renderings
Parnassus Central Campus Site Improvements
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.
Levels 3 – 7 Closing in the SON Building for Decanting and Interior Demolition
To support construction for the Parnassus Central Campus Site Improvements (PCCSI) project, levels 3 – 7 will close permanently in the School of Nursing (SON) Building, 2 Koret Way, starting Monday, May 12, 2025. The SON building is being demolished as part of the PCCSI project, which will revitalize the central core of campus. Closing levels 3 – 7 will enable the team to work on utility disconnections, interior abatement, and soft demolition. Outside the building, trenching will continue to install electrical utilities on the west side of Saunders Court.
In addition, the closure will impact:
- Passthrough access will close from the Clinical Sciences Building (CSB) to the SON Building on levels 3 – 7.
- Access from Koret Way through the SON Building at the loading dock on level 5 will be restricted to construction use only.
- SON Building elevators will be restricted to construction use only.
- The Ladle & Leaf café and Custodial Services offices on level 2 will remain open for several more weeks.
Hard demolition of the building will follow interior demolition and is expected to start in late 2025.
Impacts and Mitigations
Maps of Construction Area | Pedestrian Access in May 2025
Artwork Relocating Ahead of PCCSI Work
This month, in preparation for upcoming PCCSI construction activities, artwork in and around the School of Nursing building is being carefully removed and stored offsite to ensure its safety. UCSF is working with an art consultant to guide the relocation of these pieces—including a mural, sculptures, benches, and a frieze—most of which will be incorporated into the final site design of the future open space and/or placed in or around the new BRAB.
Photo: Artwork Relocating From the SON Building
Other Construction Updates
- HSIR Improvements Program: Latest Monthly Update | UCSF MyAccess Required
- 2025 UCSF Real Estate Construction Impact Messages | UCSF MyAccess Required
Questions and Comments About This Update | [email protected]