By Thomas K. Pendergast

The latest plans for the massive building projects on the Parnassus campus of the University of California San Francisco were made public recently, amid neighborhood concerns about noise and pollution as construction is already well along.

Officials at the medical center said that while there are multiple projects slated there during the next few years, three of them are far more prominent than the others: UCSF Health Helen Diller Hospital; Bakar Research and Academic Building (BRAB); and the Parnassus Central Campus Site Improvements (PCCSI).

As for the noise, UCSF’s Associate Director of Community Relations Jaclyn Drexler laid out the audio pollution parameters that they’re using during demolition of old buildings and construction of the new.

Monday through Friday during “regular hours, not noisy work, less than 80 decibels within 100 feet” will start at 7 a.m., but then at 8 a.m. noise levels above 80 decibels at 100 feet will be allowed up to 5 p.m.

Occasionally they will have to opt for “extended hours” from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, but with noise levels restricted to 80 decibels or less within 100 feet.

On Saturdays, hours may be extended for work on that day of the week, although from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. only 80 decibels or less within 100 feet will be allowed, as well as from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturdays, however, the noise levels will be allowed to go above 80 decibels at 100 feet.

Hours might also be extended to Sundays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. when needed but only at 80 decibels or less within 100 feet.

Of the three major developments, the new Helen Diller Hospital is currently in the construction phase, which is expected to be completed sometime in 2029 or 2030, with the official opening in 2030.

Right now, crews are working on deep foundations of that building, shoring up the hillsides with retaining walls. Much of the construction work will have to be done in phases over the next couple of years so that the campus will remain accessible.

The second building under construction, the footprint hole for which is the most obvious from Parnassus Avenue, will be called the Bakar Research and Academic Building (BRAB).

They are in the construction phase for this building as well, laying down retaining walls and shoring up the hill in anticipation of laying the foundation. They expect total construction will last until 2027, with an opening sometime in 2027-2028.

According to the BRAB’s Senior Construction Manager Steven DeFant, 165 piles have been drilled so far and he expects shoring type activity to go on into November.

They are still in the process of removing dirt and will go down about 35 feet below grade before they are finished. Nevertheless, they will start laying deep building foundations as early as September.

DeFant said this phase will take about another four months and there will be more deep drilling down to the bedrock involved.

He also mentioned that he and some other UCSF staff went up to the factory near Boise Idaho where 10,000 custom-made pieces of structural steel are being fabricated for this project right now.

“If you laid those end-to-end, you’d probably end up with about 16 miles worth of structural steel,” DeFant said.

The bedrock they will be drilling into is Franciscan Shale.

This building is going to be 10 stories tall, which includes a half-story space for utilities that are commonly found on rooftops.

The current School of Nursing building will be demolished and replaced with the Parnassus Central Campus Site Improvements (PCCSI) project.

Project Manager Shelia Laub said this project will extend utility infrastructure to support west campus development, upgrading it to improve energy efficiency.

The new building will comply with the university’s seismic policy.

In the meantime, the School of Nursing is planning a temporary move to the Wayne and Gladys Valley Center for Vision at the Mission Bay campus this year. Eventually, the School of Nursing will relocate back to the Parnassus campus.

Access to the “heart of campus” will be improved with a pedestrian connection between a promenade and Saunders Court. The pedestrian connection will be across the area vacated by the demolished School of Nursing building and surrounding area, which is expected next year.

Completion of the PSCCI development is expected sometime in 2027.

Learn more at realestate.ucsf.edu/current-projects.