University of California, San Francisco, Building 19A—A Design-Build Collaboration

Danielle McGuire, RA, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, LLP
Mike Ricker, LEED AP®, Clark Design Build of California

At the time of this writing, the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), Neurosciences Research Building has just achieved temporary certificate of occupancy. The project, with 237,000 gross square feet, delivered as a developer-led, design-build project, is targeted to achieve a minimum of LEED® Silver and potentially achieve LEED Gold. The Laboratory and Clinical Research Building was built on the UCSF Mission Bay Campus with the mission to create preventions, cures, and treatments for diseases of the neurological system. The five-story building contains wet laboratories, dry laboratories, vivaria, and an outpatient clinic with associated office and conference areas. During the selection process, the university was given a guaranteed lease rate based on concept design, setting the maximum construction price at the onset of the design phase. As part of the development agreement, the developer was obligated to deliver a minimum LEED Silver building. To complicate achieving the LEED rating, the project was limited to the building footprint and the project could not create obligations for the university.

In a traditional project delivery, the party which is bearing the first-cost for the building also accrues the potential cost saving in operational costs over the life of the building. Under the developer model, the developer bore the first cost and potential savings were gained by the university.

To achieve a technically complex, world-class, and LEED Silver research building, the design-build team worked closely together, starting with the concept/selection phase through the end of construction. The Clark Design Build of California/Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, LLP (SOM) team focused on both initial cost and initial project use, along with the long-term potential for flexibility and adaptability, to meet the ever-changing physical needs of scientific research.

During this presentation, the speakers will focus on the following three areas:

  • Evaluating the cost-benefit of achieving LEED points when the first cost is born by one party (developer) and the operations cost benefit accrues to another (UCSF).
  • The opportunities presented through the design and construction teams working in close collaboration, starting with concept design.
  • Evaluating the cost and cost-benefit of construction phase points.

Biographies:

Danielle McGuire is a registered architect and project manager specializing in the design of laboratory and healthcare projects. Ms. McGuire holds a Masters of Architecture from the Savannah College of Art and Design and a Masters of Business Administration from Jacksonville University. Deeply committed to creating sustainable design, Ms. McGuire's business background informs her practical approach, balancing costs against benefits. Ms. McGuire led the SOM team in the design and execution of the UCSF Neurosciences Research Building, working closely with Mike Ricker of Clark Design Build of California. Prior to working on the Neurosciences Research Building, Ms. McGuire had worked on a variety of UCSF projects over the last decade. Ms. McGuire is currently leading the SOM team in designing the new Research Building for the San Francisco Veterans Administration Medical Center, which is on target to achieve LEED Gold.

Mike Ricker provides overall leadership for the design and construction phases on several of Clark Construction's Northern California projects. He received a Bachelor of Science in building construction from Virginia Tech in 1999 and became a LEED AP in 2007. Mr. Ricker currently leads the $512 million design-build California Health Care Facility in Stockton, California, a 1.3 million-square-foot facility for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Prior to that role, Mr. Ricker led the project team on the $163 million design-build Neuroscience Research Building for UCSF, which contains 237,000 square feet of space. Mr. Ricker has also led teams on projects that include the University of California, San Diego North Campus Housing Phase 2, the U.S. Navy's Pacific Beacon, the University of Southern California's Galen Center, and Caltran's District 11 Headquarters. Other notable projects that Mr. Ricker has contributed to include Petco Park, the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego, and the Memphis Cook Convention Center.