After being selected by the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) to design the new hospital of its Helen Diller Medical Center at Parnassus Heights in 2020, Herzog & de Meuron and HDR revealed new images of their design, featuring a 15-storey structure clad with terracotta across a 84,000 sqm plot. The proposed design aims to change the traditional concept of hospitals and provide members of the community with a healing space that puts in place “a holistic healthcare environment that fosters wellness and recovery by combining efficient facilities with human experiences, connected to nature and the community”.
Titled “The Healing Habitat”, the project will include more than 300 inpatient beds, diagnostic and treatment facilities, graduate schools in health sciences, as well as public areas that cater to both inpatients and outpatients in a holistic approach. Along with the new hospital, the project will also feature a renovation of the existing Moffitt and Long hospitals, which will eventually provide the campus with an additional 300 beds.
All three structures will be designed in line with earthquake safety standards, a factor that was crucial during the ideation phase. Work will also take place on the surrounding pedestrian areas, which include the installation of a tunnel and a bridge across Parnassus Avenue, linking the new campus with the bigger plot. In terms of construction material, the new structure will feature glass facades on its upper levels, clad with terracotta. The ground floor will feature timber panels and concrete columns, along with the floor-to-ceiling glass elevations. In addition to the greenery on the ground floor, an external garden with an outdoor terrace will be placed in the middle of the building.
Since Herzog & de Meuron is not licensed to practice architecture in the state of California, HDR Architects are registered as the Architects of Record. Construction is expected to begin in 2023 and be complete by 2030.
