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. The improvements include extending utilities to support existing and future buildings, providing opportunities for improved energy efficiency and furtherance of UCSF’s fossil-fuel-free initiatives.
Take a virtual tour of the new Parnassus Heights campus core, narrated by Joy Glasier, Senior Planner at UCSF Real Estate.
The project will create an inviting pedestrian connection with landscaping and hardscaping between the new Parnassus Research and Academic Building (PRAB) Promenade and Saunders Court, across the footprint of the existing School of Nursing (SON) building, which will be demolished as part of the project starting in 2025, and 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 PRAB opening. This work provides resiliency for critical utility infrastructure to meet current and future demand. Upgrading the infrastructure also provides opportunities for improved energy efficiency and furtherance of 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, in compliance with University of California Office of the President (UCOP) Seismic Policy.
Decanting the SON building is expected to start in spring 2024.
The School of Nursing is planning a temporary move to the Wayne and Gladys Valley Center for Vision on the Mission Bay campus by summer quarter 2024. Eventually, the School of Nursing will relocate to the future PRAB once the building opens.
The Ladle & Leaf restaurant in the SON building will be relocating 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 PRAB Promenade and Saunders Court. The pedestrian connection will be across the area vacated by the demolished School of Nursing (SON) building and surrounding area.
These improvements will enhance the campus’ public outdoor space and provide opportunities for unique open areas to connect, pause, sit, and interact. The area, in addition to the publicly accessible area of the PRAB project, will be available for use by neighbors, learners, faculty, patients, researchers, and campus visitors. The corridor also will be vital in improving pedestrian circulation and bridging the west end of campus with the Parnassus Heights campus heart.
Preliminary Project Schedule
- September 2023: UC Regents approved funding for preliminary plans
- November 2023 – January 2024: Campus and public stakeholder engagement
- Late 2023: Design builder selection
- Early 2024: Design
- April 2024 - Early 2025: Decant School of Nursing building
- Early 2025: Construction starts
- Early 2027: End of construction
- All dates and details are subject to change.
Bidding Opportunities
More information will be available following Design Builder Selection in 2024.
Project Contact
UCSF Real Estate Shelia Laub | [email protected]
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