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, also known as Parnassus Commons, will provide extensive site improvements in the central core of the Parnassus Heights campus. The improvements include extending utilities to support existing and future buildings, improving energy efficiency, and advancing UCSF’s fossil-fuel-free initiatives.
The project will create an inviting pedestrian connection with landscaping and hardscaping between the new UCSF Barbara and Gerson Bakar Research and Academic Building (BRAB) Promenade and Saunders Court, across the footprint of the former UCSF School of Nursing (SON) building, which was demolished as part of the project, and the surrounding area.
This work will further the vision of the Comprehensive Parnassus Heights Plan (CPHP) by improving the central core of the campus in three key ways.
1. Extending utility infrastructure to support west campus development
This project is a campus priority to complete utility infrastructure work needed to support the BRAB opening. This work provides resiliency for critical utility infrastructure to meet current and future demand. Upgrading the infrastructure also provides opportunities to improve energy efficiency and advance UCSF’s fossil-fuel-free initiatives.
2. Complying with UCOP Seismic Policy
Gaining access to the heart of campus will require decanting and demolishing the School of Nursing (SON) building to comply with the University of California Office of the President (UCOP) Seismic Policy.
The School of Nursing has temporarily moved to the Wayne and Gladys Valley Center for Vision on the Mission Bay campus. Eventually, the School of Nursing will relocate to the future BRAB once the building opens, expected in 2027.
The Ladle & Leaf restaurant in the SON building relocated as of December 2025 to a renovated space in Millberry Union on the Parnassus Heights campus.
3. Creating Pedestrian Connections to the Campus Heart
The program aims to improve access to the “heart of campus” with a pedestrian connection, featuring landscaping and hardscaping, between the BRAB Promenade and Saunders Court. The pedestrian connection will be across the area vacated by the demolished School of Nursing (SON) building and the surrounding area.
These improvements will enhance the campus’s public outdoor spaces and provide opportunities for unique open areas where people can connect, pause, sit, and interact. In addition to the publicly accessible area of the BRAB project, the area will be available for use by neighbors, learners, faculty, patients, researchers, and campus visitors. The corridor will also be vital in improving pedestrian circulation and bridging the west end of campus with the Parnassus Heights campus heart.
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Project Schedule
- September 2023: UC Regents approved funding for the preliminary plan
- November 2023 – January 2024: Campus and public stakeholder engagement
- Late 2023: Design builder selection
- Early 2024: Design
- April 2024 - Early 2025: Decanting of the School of Nursing building
- Early 2025: Construction begins
- October 2025 - April 2026: Exterior demolition of the SON building
- 2026: Updating utility infrastructure at the site on the west side of campus
- Spring 2027: End of construction
All dates and details are subject to change.
Bidding Opportunities
Learn more about bidding opportunities to work on this project.
Project Contact
- Sheila Kappler, UCSF Real Estate Senior Project Manager | [email protected] and [email protected]
- For onsite support, contact Frank Diaz, UCSF Real Estate Project Manager: [email protected] | 415-846-0212
