UC Davis Health Builds $3.7 Billion California Tower

UC Davis Health (UCDH) is constructing the 910,000-sf California Tower in Sacramento. Envisioned as a cornerstone for critical care in the region, the $3.7 billion complex will add a 14-story hospital and a five-story pavilion to the existing medical center. The resilient facility will provide approximately 334 private inpatient rooms, 250 of which can seamlessly transition to “pandemic mode” to offer additional infection isolation capabilities through negative air pressure. Designed by SmithGroup, the building will feature a Level 1 trauma emergency department, acuity-adaptable nursing units, a world-class imaging center, and 12 new operating rooms, including hybrid ORs. The transformative project will also create new graduate medical education spaces, two helicopter landing decks, and further settings for the pharmacy and burn care units.

Targeting LEED Gold certification, the sustainable development advances robust climate action measures, setting the stage for a near-term transition to net-zero energy and carbon. Key strategies involve airflow setbacks, circadian LED lighting, decoupled OR systems, variable flow kitchen hoods, and heat recovery chillers and dishwashers. A high-performance façade will incorporate unitized curtainwall panels, structural glazing, and vertical metal fins that mitigate solar exposure. A 10,000-sf garden situated atop the pavilion will promote healing and wellbeing, augmented by numerous courtyards and display areas for public art.

McCarthy Building Companies is delivering the complex using a progressive design-build methodology, with Degenkolb Engineers as structural engineer and Cambridge CM as project, cost, and construction manager. Ground was broken in July of 2024 and completion is expected in 2030. The California Tower represents the final piece in UCDH’s Vision 2030 campus plan, a $7.5 billion initiative that will expand the medical center from 3.6 million sf of building space to more than 7 million sf in under eight years.