SFPUC Water Division headquarters project reaches topping-out milestone in San Francisco

California Construction News staff writer

Construction has reached a major milestone on the new headquarters complex for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Water Division, with project partners recently celebrating the topping out of the campus’s four-story administration building in San Francisco.

The project, being built by Clark Construction Group, will create a new nine-acre base of operations for the utility’s water division at the intersection of Cesar Chavez Street and Evans Avenue.

Once complete, the campus will include six buildings surrounding an outdoor plaza: a four-story administration building, a six-story parking structure, a machine shop, an auto and carpentry shop, a warehouse and a fuel station.

The development is designed to centralize SFPUC water division employees while supporting growing service demands across the city.

Crews marked the structural milestone after months of rapid progress on the steel frame for the administration building. Steel erection advanced quickly early this year, with construction crews setting a project record by installing 105 pieces of steel in a single day.

The project involves demolishing existing structures on the site and replacing them with modern, seismically resilient facilities intended to strengthen the city’s water operations and emergency response capabilities.

Officials say the new headquarters will help ensure reliable water service for residents and support emergency response needs, including supplying water for the San Francisco Fire Department during major incidents.

Sustainability features are also a key component of the project. The complex is designed to achieve LEED certification and will include solar arrays capable of producing about 900 kilowatts of renewable energy to help power the campus. Plans also call for an interior courtyard featuring a rainwater garden to capture and divert stormwater.

The new facilities will allow water division crews to respond more efficiently to emergencies such as water main breaks while supporting the long-term operation and maintenance of San Francisco’s water system.