About This Monthly Construction Update
UCSF Real Estate aims to share Parnassus Heights construction updates at the beginning of each month with the UCSF community and post them online. This update covers news for December 2025. 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 under construction on the former Langley Porter Psychiatric Hospital site, with completion expected by 2029, followed by activation in 2030.
Learn More About the HDH Project
Advancing Site Safety Measures and Foundation Work
Construction is progressing as the Helen Diller Hospital (HDH) project moves toward early 2026 steel erection. Early-morning concrete pours remain active, with major placements scheduled for December 6, 9, 17, 19, and 22 to support final foundation preparations.
Steel deliveries are ongoing, entering through the HDH main gate on Parnassus Avenue and moving along the temporary elevated access trestle.
Along Medical Center Way, crews have poured the east sidewalk, which is nearing completion and will soon provide a more accessible route for pedestrians. (See photos below of the progress.)
Additionally, preparations are underway for the installation of debris netting along Medical Center Way in late December. Debris netting is a safety system installed above active work areas to catch small construction materials and prevent them from falling onto the roadway, ensuring safe travel for pedestrians, vehicles, construction crews, and hospital operations as steel erection begins in February 2026.
With access routes shifting and sitework advancing, the HDH project remains on track as it prepares for its major vertical construction phase in 2026.
Photos | HDH Construction as of December 2025
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 facility that will create a vital collaborative space driving 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, with activation in 2028.
Learn More About the BRAB Project
Concrete Placements Advance Across Multiple Levels
Concrete slab placements continue across multiple levels at the Bakar Research and Academic Building (BRAB) site, supporting the project’s steady vertical progress.
Early morning concrete pours will continue on Tuesdays through early January 2026, with setup scheduled at 4 a.m. and pours typically beginning around 5:20 a.m. To manage weather and sequencing, the project team may adjust concrete pour schedules during periods of heavy rain, while maintaining the overall pacing of weekly placements.
On December 2–3, the upcoming work schedule includes concrete placement on level 9 of the east deck portion and concrete placement for the north building wall on level 1. To maintain the schedule and sequencing, two concurrent concrete operations will take place on these days. The north building wall operation will take place during normal working hours on December 2-3, utilizing shotcrete (a sprayed concrete application used for precise structural shaping). Meanwhile, the level 9 deck will require early morning placement on December 2, starting at 4 a.m., to ensure proper setup and curing time.
As each level completes its concrete work, follow-on activities advance, including fireproofing, mechanical rough-in, and other interior sequencing that supports the building’s continued vertical construction and progress toward enclosure.
Other BRAB Updates
- Late November 2025: The project reached a milestone when the Level 1 slab-on-grade was completed, which will help shape the internal floors of the building.
- January 2026: Curtain wall installation is expected to start and will continue for approximately eight months, gradually enclosing the structure and creating a noticeable visual transformation. The façade will define the building’s exterior form and help reduce the transmission of interior and exterior noise.
- April 2026: A partial renovation of the Clinical Sciences Building (CSB) on the west side of the 7th floor, where the building will connect to BRAB, is scheduled to start. The new space will accommodate future research activity and program connectivity between the two buildings. A bridge from CSB to BRAB is also under construction.
Photos | BRAB Construction as of December 2025
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 is currently under demolition. The project is expected to be completed in 2027.
Learn More About the PCCSI Project
Ongoing Structural Demolition of SON Building and Site Work Underway
Structural demolition of the former School of Nursing (SON) building continues and remains the most impactful phase of the Parnassus Central Campus Site Improvements (PCCSI) project, also known as the Parnassus Commons. Work is progressing floor by floor and is expected to continue through January 2026, with elevated noise and vibration during this period.
Construction activity is now supported by extended work hours, with crews working from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. These hours will help maintain project momentum and reduce the overall duration of demolition-related impacts on nearby UCSF buildings and the neighborhood.
As demolition advances, increased hauling activity from Koret Way and Kirkham Street on the southwest part of campus will continue, with trucks regularly entering and exiting the site to remove debris. This trucking pattern is expected to continue steadily over the coming weeks as the building is dismantled and materials are removed.
Noise and vibration are expected to impact the following buildings:
- Clinical Sciences Building (CSB)
- Health Sciences East and West (HSE and HSW)
- Ray and Dagmar Dolby Regeneration Medicine Building (IRM)
- Medical Sciences Building (MSB)
- Koret Hall (Koret Vision Center)
- And possibly other nearby buildings adjacent to Saunders Court.
- If construction is impacting your work, please contact [email protected] if you are a faculty member or researcher, or your supervisor/manager if you are staff.
- To reach the project team, contact Real Estate Senior Project Manager, Julie Gallivan, 415-509-5737, [email protected].
- Construction hours will shift to 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday – Friday, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, to better support project progress while reducing the duration of impacts on the UCSF community and beyond.
The Clinical Sciences Building (CSB) continues to experience impacts due to its proximity to active demolition. Crews will work from north to south, using hand tools for structure separation wherever feasible to help moderate noise transmission.
Koret Way Intermittent Access Extended Through January 2026 | Other Reminders
- Now through January 2026: Koret Way will be closed Monday through Friday, with intermittent access for pedestrians, as a safety precaution during the SON building demolition and other related construction for the PCCSI project.
- A new emergency egress route (MyAccess login required) has been established for Clinical Sciences Building (CSB) occupants, which leads outside south of the building to Koret Way. See map below for details.
Impacts and Mitigations | PCCSI Construction Site Map | Photos
- Now through January 2026: Heightened construction noise and vibration are expected near the SON building demolition site and Saunders Court at Parnassus Heights. These activities are expected to impact nearby UCSF buildings; see the full list above of impacted buildings.
- Dust management measures and environmental monitoring continue throughout demolition activities.
- Sound-dampening strategies are used on equipment where feasible to help limit noise impacts.
- Departments experiencing operational disruption may request support in identifying alternative workspace options.
- If construction is impacting your UCSF research, please contact [email protected].
- If you are a UCSF employee and PCCSI construction is impacting your operations, please contact the project team at [email protected] or your supervisor/manager.
- New Earplug Stations: To help minimize the impact on those in nearby UCSF buildings, earplug stations are now operational in the Clinical Sciences Building (CSB), the Medical Sciences Building (MSB), and the Health Sciences West and East towers. The stations dispense one pair of earplugs at a time to ensure accessibility for all.
- See map below for the locations of earplug stations.
- Pedestrian access remains open on the east side of Saunders Court. Please follow fencing and wayfinding signage to safely navigate around the SON building.
- Truck deliveries will be on Koret Way for the project.
- UCSF Facilities Services will communicate about utility shutdowns to impacted building occupants as needed.
- View materials from the PCCSI town hall on October 29. The project team hosts quarterly virtual town halls for the UCSF community. (UCSF MyAccess required.)
- Access to the SON building is closed.
- Construction hours will shift to 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday – Friday, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, to better support project progress while reducing the duration of impacts on the UCSF community and beyond. Construction for the project adheres to the Comprehensive Parnassus Heights Plan (CPHP) Environmental Impact Report.
- Dates and details are subject to change.
Ladle & Leaf Site Reaches Substantial Completion Milestone | Photos
Construction for the new Ladle & Leaf location in Millberry Union, Room 135, reached substantial completion in late November 2025. Now that construction has wrapped up, the space has moved into final inspections, licensing, and operational setup ahead of opening for the Parnassus Heights community, which is expected in December 2025.
The relocation from the former School of Nursing building supports the PCCSI project and the broader campus revitalization effort. Once open, the refreshed café will offer indoor and terrace seating and will function as a community lounge outside of café hours, accessible with a UCSF ID badge.
