Snøhetta and HGA are teaming up to design the new Parnassus Research and Academic Building (PRAB) at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). 

The approximately $700 million project will anchor a redesigned west end of the campus. The building is being accompanied by extensive site improvements in the surrounding area and a new hospital planned for the east end of the Parnassus Heights campus. Together, these projects are part of phase one of the Comprehensive Parnassus Heights Plan, a sweeping multi-decade revitalization of the campus. 

The PRAB project will replace UC Hall, UCSF’s oldest building at Parnassus Heights, which was built in 1917. Preliminary plans for the building call for a 270,000-square-foot space with wet labs, computational labs, modern classrooms, and a nursing school, all supported by open spaces and other public realm improvements. 12,000 square feet will be set aside for education, allowing graduate students to work in labs and attend classes under one roof. The announcement notes that classrooms will be designed with accessibility and flexibility in mind. In addition, enhancements to the neighborhood will include improving pedestrian access to the campus and reducing vehicular traffic along Parnassus avenue. 

Snøhetta will lead overall conceptual design for the building and surrounding public realm, including landscape and site improvements, while HGA will serve as the executive architect and architect of record. HGA will lead programming, planning, and project management, along with the design of research lab and technical program spaces. As stated in the announcement, the pair “will work with a wide-ranging, interdisciplinary design-build team from UCSF in an integrated design and construction center to support collaboration, public engagement, and the development of holistic design.”

HGA and Snøhetta’s joint proposal was selected by UCSF out of a group of four shortlisted entries, in which a total of 17 firms responded to the university’s request for proposals. According to UCSF, the school admired the collaborative nature of their proposal. 

“We’re excited to work with UCSF, HGA, and local partners to bring the PRAB project to life,” shared Alan Gordon, Partner and architect at Snøhetta. “Our work is defined by collaboration, as we work with stakeholders to realize educational and cultural projects alike. UCSF has become a landmark institution in San Francisco, and we look forward to reimagining this site and the future of the Parnassus Heights campus.”

The Parnassus Research and Academic Building is expected to open in 2026.