For nearly two years, Dylan Fagundes has started many of his workdays with a climb most people would think twice about.
His commute takes him straight up the tower crane at the UCSF Barbara and Gerson Bakar Research and Academic Building (BRAB) construction site – one of three tower cranes currently helping revitalize Parnassus Heights.
It takes about 30 minutes to climb, inspect the crane along the way, and reach the cab, roughly 230 feet above the ground. Once there, he gets the crane running, tests its systems, and, when the timing is right, takes in the sunrise. Then the work begins.
When asked his favorite part of the job as a tower crane operator, Dylan said, “The views — not even a question.” From his perch, he can see the Golden Gate Bridge, the ocean, Salesforce Tower, Mount Tamalpais, and, on especially clear days, Mount Diablo and the Farallon Islands. “Best office in town,” he said.
That office, however, will soon disappear from the Parnassus Heights skyline.
The tower crane is scheduled to be removed from the BRAB construction site in October 2026, marking the end of structural construction as the project transitions to later stages, including the exterior, interior systems, and finishes.
For Dylan, it will also bring his role on a project he has worked on since February 2025 to a close.
A Career He Didn’t Expect
Originally from South Florida, Dylan didn’t set out to become a crane operator. He was studying business and marketing in college while working in construction to help pay for school when a union crane operator noticed his work ethic and suggested he apply to the Operating Engineers Union. Dylan took the advice.
At 22, he began an apprenticeship and eventually made crane operation his career. He currently works for Maxim Crane Works, a national crane rental and lifting services company headquartered in Kentucky.
He has now spent about 16 years working with cranes, including 12 years as a journeyman — a fully qualified operator who has completed a crane-operator apprenticeship. His career has taken him from high-rise projects in South Florida to bridges, industrial projects, and nuclear power plants. For the past nine years, he has primarily worked in the Bay Area.
The Bakar Research and Academic Building, he said, stands among his top three projects.
Part of that is the view. But there’s another reason. “You know when you’re building a research center,” Dylan said. “It’s a little bit more personal knowing some of the things they’re doing in here.” Working on projects that will ultimately benefit patients and communities, he said, brings an added sense of purpose to the job.
Responsibility Hundreds of Feet Above the Ground
Operating a tower crane requires more than a tolerance for heights. It takes experience, precision, and constant coordination with the construction teams below.
From his cab, Dylan relies on depth perception, crane measurements, radios, and close communication with trained flaggers on the ground to carefully position materials where crews need them. After nearly 16 years working with cranes, much of that coordination has become second nature. But every lift still requires full attention and awareness of activity throughout the site.
There is also something people standing below may not realize: A tower crane moves.
“It is like being on a boat all day,” Dylan said. “It is rocking and moving around.” When the crane lifts something heavy, he explained, the structure can bend and flex much like a fishing pole. Part of his job is managing that movement while keeping every lift smooth and controlled. Above all, he said, crane operation carries an enormous responsibility for the people working below.
“There’s a saying, ‘I am my brother’s keeper,’” Dylan said. “Anything that’s involved with the crane, you’re looking out for everybody.” The priority, he said, is making sure no one gets hurt.
One Crane, Many Hands
As October approaches, Dylan acknowledges that leaving the BRAB project will be bittersweet. When asked what people should understand about constructing a building of this scale, Dylan emphasized the people behind it.
“Construction in general, this is a hard job,” he said. “It takes a ton of different teams, a lot of great people to make something like this happen.”
Soon, one of the project’s most visible symbols will come down. The tower crane’s departure from the Parnassus Heights skyline will mark the end of Dylan’s work above campus and a major chapter in the construction of the Bakar Research and Academic building — made possible by the many hands that helped the building rise.