Design-Build Team Tops Out UC Davis Health California Tower

McCarthy Building Companies, in collaboration with SmithGroup and UC Davis Health, recently celebrated the topping out of the California Tower at UC Davis Health, marking a significant construction milestone with the completion of the building’s structural steel frame.

Project partners, field teams and leaders gathered on site to recognize the achievement, continuing the long-standing construction tradition of topping out and celebrating the collective effort that brought the structure to its full height, featuring 22,000 pieces of steel weighing 15,000 tons. The milestone also signals ironworkers are nearing completion of their work on the tower as the project transitions into its next major phase.

The California Tower represents one of the largest and most complex healthcare projects undertaken by both McCarthy and SmithGroup. Delivered through a progressive Design-Build approach, the project team has worked in close coordination from early planning through construction to drive efficiency, maintain safety and keep progress moving forward.

The project team reached the milestone of structural steel top-out weeks ahead of schedule, reflecting strong coordination among trade partners and the use of innovative engineering and construction strategies, including advanced seismic design features that enhance the building’s resilience while supporting construction sequencing. McCarthy’s structural trade partners were instrumental in reaching this milestone, including Schuff, Pacific Erectors, Conco, Olsen Steel, Maxim and the contractor’s self-perform concrete team.

Construction on the tower is well underway, with the overall project approximately halfway complete. Work began in 2020, and the full buildout is designed to significantly expand UC Davis Health’s ability to provide advanced, patient-centered care for the growing Northern California community.

When completed in 2030, the California Tower will include a 14-story hospital facility and a five-story pavilion, adding hundreds of private patient rooms designed to support recovery and help reduce infection risk. The facility will connect directly to the existing Surgery and Emergency Services Pavilion and will feature specialized procedure spaces, advanced imaging and critical support services.

The project is also actively supporting UC Davis Health’s Anchor Institution Mission to positively impact economically distressed communities in the Sacramento region through hiring and purchasing locally. To date, the project has contracted over $15 million to small and local businesses, with another $30 million of contracts to be awarded. Additionally, the project is focused on employing local labor, with over 11,000 hours of local labor already contributed to the project.