About This Monthly Construction Update
UCSF Real Estate aims to share Parnassus Heights construction updates on the first Monday of each month. While timing may occasionally shift, updates will always be published at the beginning of the month and posted online. This update covers news for November 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
Preparing the Site for Vertical Construction in 2026
As the project approaches a major milestone—the start of structural steel erection in early 2026—construction is focused on completing the foundational and sitework needed for the hospital to begin rising above grade.
Construction teams are continuing early-morning concrete pours, with scheduled activities on November 11 and 25. Early-morning concrete pours will continue into January 2026, then pause for several months before the next phase begins. Concrete truck staging will continue on Parnassus Avenue along the project frontage, supported by flaggers to maintain safe vehicle and pedestrian traffic flow during early morning operations.
Sidewalk widening along the east side of Medical Center Way remains underway and will shift to the west side next year, once construction sequencing is finalized. Preparations also continue inside the existing hospital (L210), where demolition remains in progress to support the new hospital’s future loading dock expansion.
With these enabling activities well underway, the HDH project remains on track for structural steel erection to begin in early 2026— a key milestone as the hospital takes shape above ground.
Photos | HDH Construction as of November 2025
Beneath the future Chiller Room of the hospital’s basement, crews are busy installing underfloor utilities amid a growing framework of steel columns and beams that will ultimately support the hospital's 15 stories above.
This image shows foundation rebar and formwork installation underway for the new hospital.
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
Transitioning from Structural Completion to Enclosure and Interior Build-Out
With the building’s primary structure now complete, the BRAB project has moved into a significant new phase of construction activity. Recently, crews have advanced through foundation work and structural steel and metal decking erection, reaching full structural height in July 2025. The structure was fully welded out in October 2025, marking a key milestone as the building’s frame is now stabilized and ready for enclosure.
Current work is focused on concrete slab placements, with Slab-on-Metal-Deck now complete through level 6. The Slab-on-Grade is expected to be completed in late November 2025, which will help shape the internal floors that will eventually support laboratories, shared research platforms, and collaboration spaces.
Crews are also progressing with fireproofing of structural steel and metal decking, interior wall framing, and installation of supports for plumbing, mechanical, and electrical systems, which form the building’s core infrastructure.
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. Tuesday pours will continue through early January, with setup scheduled at 5 a.m. and pours typically beginning around 6:20 a.m. While pours occurring on higher floors can sometimes increase noise, construction staging behind the campus on Koret Street continues to help buffer sound in nearby clinical and residential areas.
Looking ahead, curtain wall installation is expected to start in January 2026 and will continue for approximately eight months, gradually enclosing the structure and creating a noticeable visual transformation. Once installed, the façade will not only define the building’s exterior form but will also reduce the transmission of interior and exterior noise.
Additionally, 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 commence in March 2026. The new space will accommodate future research activity and program connectivity between the two buildings. A bridge is also under construction between the buildings.
Photos | BRAB Construction as of November 2025
Structural steel and floor decking are now in place as the Bakar Research and Academic Building approaches full enclosure.
Interior build-out continues on the BRAB site, with crews staging materials and preparing for wall framing, utility routing, and slab finishing in the lower levels of the building.
Crews install rebar and utility embeds ahead of an upcoming concrete slab pour, forming the structural floor system that will support future program spaces.
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
Demolition Progress Continues as SON Building Site Prepares for Future Campus Improvements
The structural demolition of the former School of Nursing building on the west side of the Parnassus Heights campus is progressing, floor by floor, and is expected to continue through January 2026.
This work will be the most impactful part of the PCCSI project construction for nearby UCSF buildings.
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)
- Possibly other nearby buildings adjacent to Saunders Court.
- If construction is impacting your work, please contact [email protected] if you are a researcher, or your supervisor/manager if you are an employee.
- To reach the project team, contact Real Estate Senior Project Manager, Julie Gallivan, 415-509-5737, [email protected].
- PCCSI project construction hours are currently 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and most Saturdays. The work complies with the Comprehensive Parnassus Heights Plan (CPHP) Environmental Impact Report (EIR).
The Clinical Sciences Building (CSB) will be particularly impacted during the demolition, as it is separated from the SON building. To help mitigate the impacts, crews will work with hand tools to separate the buildings.
This separation work started in early November 2025 at the top of CSB on level 7 (the roof). The work is expected to progress to level 5 by December 2025.
Pedestrian pathways in this area remain dynamic as the construction zone shifts, and access along Koret Way will continue to be intermittent through 2025. Utility routing work — both above-ground and trench-based — linking the Hooper Pad utility yard, the Health Sciences West tower, the Clinical Sciences Building, and the Bakar Research and Academic Building is also ongoing and will continue into 2026, supporting future building and infrastructure connections across the west portion of the campus.
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.
View materials from the PCCSI town hall on October 29. (UCSF MyAccess required.)
Impacts and Mitigations | PCCSI Construction Site Map & More | Koret Way Schedule
- 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.
- Departments experiencing operational disruption may request support in identifying alternative workspace options.
- 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. Refer to the 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.
- PCCSI project construction hours are currently 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and most Saturdays. Throughout the project, construction hours may change based on the activities. Construction for the project complies with the Comprehensive Parnassus Heights Plan (CPHP) Environmental Impact Report.
- Dates and details are subject to change.
PCCSI Construction Site Map as of November 2025
PCCSI Construction Schedule
Koret Way Pedestrian Schedule for PCCSI Construction
Ladle & Leaf Moves Forward Toward Opening | Photos
Construction for the new Ladle & Leaf location in Millberry Union, Room 135, is now expected to be completed in November 2025. Once construction wraps up, the space will undergo final inspections and setup before opening.
The move from the former School of Nursing building supports the PCCSI project and the broader campus revitalization effort. The new café will offer both indoor and terrace seating and will also function as a community lounge space outside of café hours, accessible with a UCSF badge.
These images show the construction progress for the new Ladle & Leaf in Millberry Union, Room 135, which is scheduled for completion in November 2025.
