Imagine trying to park a semi-truck in a single-car garage with just inches to spare on all sides. Now, you have some idea of the complexity involved in two successive crane picks at the UCSF Health Sciences Instruction & Research (HSIR) project.
The cranes needed to hoist dampers that, when installed, would improve the buildings' seismic ratings. The dampers were manufactured in Germany, tested in Italy, and returned to Germany before being shipped to the U.S. for installation.
The HSIR buildings are part of UCSF's Parnassus Heights complex, which is ringed by Medical Center Way, a vital road that must remain open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The cranes could not be situated on the road, leaving few options for their placement, none of which were easy.
However, the buildings were still occupied during the picks, and deliveries came and went from the loading docks along Medical Center Way, all of which required careful scheduling and planning for alternative delivery routes and emergency egress from the building.
"We had so many flaggers," Yasser says, including some on a pedestrian bridge connecting buildings. Foot traffic had to stop when loads were flying above the bridge, effectively turning it into a temporary exclusion zone, along with other exclusion zones established throughout the site.
The team also had to coordinate with Parnassus Heights construction projects, including the Webcor joint venture at the Helen Diller Medical Center and some work managed by other general contractors.
The crane setup area was chosen for the first pick's crane location for the east building, a very tight space with open trenches leading to it. The trench plates covering them weren't sufficient to handle the crane's weight, leading the team to perform a structural analysis and request replacing some of the trench plates. The crane setup began at 1 a.m. to limit disruption as the crane made its way to the site, and around 15 trucks carried crane parts that had to be backed up along Medical Center Way.
The crane location for the second pick, for the west building, did require blocking a portion of Medical Center Way for the entire weekend, since the road was the only place for the crane. The team found a way to leave the loading docks operational (except when crane loads were flying overhead), so trucks could still make deliveries.
"It was very complex, but it all happened perfectly," Yasser says. "The owner was really happy. There were no complaints. This success was made possible by the incredible collaboration of our project team, including our Webcor, Maffei’s design team, UCSF’s logistics and real estate team, and the support from the HDH field team."
“I’m incredibly proud of how the team united to overcome obstacles, challenges, and scheduling issues to reach this milestone," says Sr. Project Manager Ryan Miller. "A lot of team members have dedicated years to this project, and their meticulous planning has driven exceptional execution.
"This is what I love about this industry—witnessing a team persevere and succeed together.," Ryan says. "Special thanks to our co-leader, Michael Spillane, whose understated yet methodical leadership has been instrumental in resolving key issues and achieving this success. We wouldn’t be here without him!”
Our San Diego Webcorians aren’t the only ones incorporating the outdoors and physical well-being into their team-bonding initiatives.
Last year, Sr. Project Engineer Divyank Malviya and Assistant Project Manager Yasser Fayek launched UCSF HSIR’s internal pickleball games—a creative team-bonding activity centered on a shared passion for the outdoors and exercise with a competitive edge.
The team’s weekly matches offer Webcorians a chance to connect outside the job site while physically challenging themselves, enjoying San Francisco’s scenic views, and channeling the everyday stress of project demands into some friendly (but energetic) competition.
“It’s a fantastic team-bonding activity that helps keep everyone close,” Yasser says. “In my opinion, these kind of activities are even more fun than team lunches or happy hours, as the sports component offers a beneficial workout in addition to a lighthearted social setting.”
It all started when a UCSF project team added a ping-pong table to their shared Integrated Center for Design & Construction (ICDC) office. After a couple games, Yasser, Divyank, and Safety Manager Mario Saenz quickly discovered their shared talent for paddle sports, inspiring them to start playing tennis together.
What began as the occasional post-work match has evolved into a highly anticipated weekly competition that includes Sr. Superintendent Mike Spillane, Superintendent Patrick Schock, and Sr. Project Manager Ryan Miller. For the last several months, the team’s looked forward to playing at Lisa & Douglas Goldman Tennis Center in San Francisco’s famous Golden Gate Park, where they get to blow off steam and decompress after a hectic week on the job site.
“We all enjoy ‘talking crap’ about the losing team during our Monday staff meetings,” Yasser says. “Ryan uses the ‘Small Win’ segment at the start of each meeting to highlight this and even introduced a ‘Big Loss’ segment for the losing team. It’s all in good fun and definitely adds a humorous and competitive edge to our meetings!”
“I’ve only won three games, so it’s been quite the exercise in humility,” Patrick jokes. “My favorite part of these matches is seeing the joy on my teammates’ faces as I consider breaking the paddles in half.”
The pickleball matches have consistently been a highlight of the week for all involved, especially in the midst of delivering such a demanding and complex project for a major client. The friendly competition has become a welcome relief from the daily grind and significantly improved team morale, particularly on game days and post-game mornings.
Team activities like HSIR’s pickleball games also go a long way in deepening appreciation for one’s teammates—teammates you’ll only work with for so long, Patrick emphasizes.
“We need to remember we’re all in this together,” he says. “I always try to remind people that as demanding as projects can be, you should take the time to appreciate your teammates because you’ll never be on that team again. Offsite activities go a long way toward achieving that.”
Patrick and Yasser give a major shout-out to Divyank, who’s diligently scheduled the pickleball courts and distributed invitations for the games since the team’s inception.
“This is all Div’s doing!” Patrick says. “He’s the one coordinating everything and making it all happen. We call him our Young Prince.”
Matt Johnson is a unicorn in San Diego's construction industry: a licensed architect who thrives in both design and building.
Currently steering design integration at the Los Angeles Convention Center project, Matt has spent years mastering Design-Build management—a path that wasn't always smooth.
After earning his architecture degree from the University of Kansas in 1994, job prospects were slim for the Colorado native. Matt worked for an architecture firm in Memphis, Tennessee, before pursuing a master's degree at UC Berkeley. Graduating in 1997, he joined a San Francisco architecture practice that eventually merged with Webcor partner Perkins+Will.
"I spent two years on the Pier One project, west of the Ferry Building on the Embarcadero. I put my heart and soul into that project," Matt recalls, only to see the contractor "slash and burn" the design. "It was a value-engineered project, so everything changed. As a young designer, I was like, 'What the hell just happened?'"
That frustration led him to Nibbi Brothers, where he hoped learning the construction side would make him a better Architect. "I planned to return to architecture," Matt says. "That never happened." Instead, Nibbi allowed him to work on the Pier One renovation—the very project he had helped design.
"That was a unique experience," he says. His time at Nibbi shifted his focus, and he soon found himself drawn to preconstruction and Design-Build. "I really started to get into it," he says.
His next stop was San Diego.
A new chapter began in San Diego. "My wife is an architect," he says; they met in architecture school. "We realized two architects in the Bay Area would have a tough time making a living." So, he took a job with a small residential Design-Build company. That work slowed down with the 2008 recession, and Matt jumped at the opportunity to join Webcor in 2010 to work on the design-build 41 Area project at Camp Pendleton.
When Webcor later closed its San Diego office, Matt faced a choice: relocate to Los Angeles or San Francisco or stay put. "Some staff moved, but I didn't want to leave San Diego," he says. Instead, he joined Skanska's San Diego team, where he worked for five years.
His next stop was to the “owner’s side” with a developer, overseeing high-end luxury apartments from land acquisition to project completion. "I loved working for a developer," Matt reflects. "It was fun to call the shots and make decisions, to see things through from start to finish. I gained real empathy for the pressures owners are under."
However, the COVID-19 pandemic hit hard, and Matt found himself one of 84 employees laid off. His wife's architecture studio, however, was holding its own. "COVID was good for her," he says. "People stuck at home were doing remodels and accessory dwelling units (ADUs), keeping her busy."
Matt then joined Balfour Beatty, but after only eight months, Cecilia Kucharki—returning to Webcor to open its new San Diego office—reached out. She wanted Matt to join her. "I didn't feel good about leaving Balfour Beatty so soon," Matt admits, "but Cecilia and I are good friends, and I trust her…plus she was persistent, and I appreciated her passion for restarting the San Diego office." When Webcor's President and CEO Matt Rossie, along with Executive VP Jit Pahilajani, visited San Diego to share their vision for the region, Matt reconsidered.
"I realized that if Webcor hadn't left San Diego the first time, I probably never would have left. It's an awesome company with great people and culture—a great fit for me."
Matt dove into the design-build UCSD Ridge Walk student housing pursuit with Mithun, a project in which Webcor came in second place. While that loss was difficult for the entire pursuit team, it created a strong bond between Matt and the Mithun team, which eventually led to the pursuit of the UCI student housing pursuit that Webcor and Mithun successfully won. "Being in the trenches with Mithun for a tough loss like Ridge Walk definitely created collective trust and respect between our companies. It was exciting that we could take the loss of Ridge Walk and turn it into the UCI win.”
Matt recently moved on from the UCI project and is now working on the Los Angeles Convention project as the Design Integrator, working with Populous Architects out of Kansas City and interfacing with multiple stakeholders for the City of LA.
Looking back on his career, Matt is grateful for his various roles—working for owners, architects, and developers. "It's made me more empathetic to all sides," he says.
