DAVIS, Calif.—McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. (McCarthy), in collaboration with SmithGroup and UC Davis Health, has announced the groundbreaking of the UC Davis Health California Tower project, a transformative healthcare facility set to redefine patient care and community health in Sacramento. This 910,000 square-foot, $3.7 billion project promises to enhance health outcomes and support the socioeconomic fabric of the region. 

The California Tower will feature a 14-story hospital facility and a five-story pavilion, adding 334 private patient rooms designed to improve recovery and reduce infection rates. This state-of-the-art facility, connected to the existing Surgery and Emergency Services Pavilion, also includes two helicopter landing decks, advanced imaging and support services, and complex procedure rooms, ensuring comprehensive healthcare delivery for the next 50 years. 

The progressive design-build project has been marked by strategic planning and strong collaboration from the start, allowing the teams to navigate the project’s duration and scope more easily. “We proactively developed a comprehensive staffing rotation strategy from the project’s inception, ensuring team well-being and continual growth,” said Bryan Anderson, Executive Vice President, Operations at McCarthy. “With such a big team working on a large healthcare project, culture is very important. We dedicated time early on focusing on our culture as a team and outlining how we want to behave, operate, communicate, and treat each other.” 

UC Davis Health has a longstanding commitment to providing high-quality care, especially to underserved populations. The California Tower project is an extension of this mission, offering a robust health care safety net and addressing the region’s hospitalization needs. The project will create hundreds of construction jobs, utilize local vendors, and upon completion, provide permanent employment opportunities, thereby contributing to community wealth-building and addressing social determinants of health. 

“The mission of UC Davis Health is to improve the health and well-being of our community, and the California Tower project is a significant step toward achieving that goal. This state-of-the-art facility will increase our bed capacity to provide a flexible facility to handle all levels of specialized care. The most vulnerable populations will have access to high-quality healthcare services,” said Jill Tomczyk, Executive Director of Strategic Programs at UC Davis Health. 

Sustainability is also at the heart of the California Tower, with the project on track for LEED Gold certification. The building’s design includes energy-efficient systems, indoor environmental quality enhancements, water use reduction, and rainwater management strategies, all contributing to a greener, more sustainable healthcare environment. 

The California Tower’s architectural design complements the existing UC Davis Medical Center campus while setting a new vision for healthcare facilities. The 230-foot tower will be a prominent feature of the local skyline, with unitized curtain wall panels mixed with metal fins, and structural glass planes enhancing both aesthetic appeal and functional efficiency. This design ensures patient privacy and supports reduced energy consumption, creating a welcoming and sustainable environment. 

“The California Tower synthesizes innovative medical planning, state-of-the-art building technologies and thoughtful patient and staff-centered design to meet the healthcare needs of the future,” said Chee Keong Lin, Vice President and Health Studio Leader at SmithGroup. “This transformative healthcare facility will provide a destination of healing and a vital resource for Sacramento and its surrounding northern California communities.” 

The project is slated for completion in 2030. 

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