Construction Administration: Funding and Codes

The original plan for this particular site was an in-patient cancer surgery center.  

Because of the costly code requirements for this type of facility, the plan was abandoned for a more realistic one of an outpatient facility. When the project funds became slim, UCSF made changes in the staffing of the project in order to keep the project moving and still stay within the allotted dollar amount.

The Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) is a state governing agency who puts much more stringent safety measures on inpatient buildings than on outpatient buildings. Seismic safety for an inpatient or general acute care hospital buildings requires more than the typical life-safety building performance in event of an earthquake. This means that the building must not only be capable of remaining intact after a seismic event, but also continue operation and provision of acute care medical services. Meeting the OSHPD requirements for an acute inpatient center was beyond the budget, but building an outpatient was an achievable task.

Another cost and code issue shaped the backside of the new building so that it has no windows. The existing hospital is within 40 feet of the new building and the code would have required additional fire protection elements and equipment had windows been incorporated on this elevation.  The decision was made to leave the windows out so that the money they would have had to spend on the fire protection could go to other parts of the building.

Near the end of construction, money was tight.  As a result, UCSF decided to end to end it’s relationship with Smithgroup, but in an effort to keep the work flowing, offered Scott Sypult a position within UCSF to oversee construction until the process was finished.
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