WHB Engineers has broad experience with designing and supporting biotech.  Recently, WHB has been serving as the civil design consultant for Healthpeak’s new Vantage life sciences campus in South San Francisco.

Over the past 20 plus years Wilsey Ham has worked closely with PMA, Healthpeak’s trusted local project management advisor, on projects throughout the Peninsula. Vantage is Healthpeak and PMA’s latest biotech project, and it is strikingly gorgeous. Phase 1 features two aggressive research & development buildings that can best be described as ships passing in the night, along with an amenity building, landscaped programmable areas, and surface parking.

Wilsey Ham prepared the grading design for a series of tricky landscape elements, including land bridges over terraced bioretention moats, raised decks, sports fields, and planted berms. We designed a large underground stormwater hydromodification tank that will slow runoff from the site with consideration to sensitive local habitats.

WHB prepared designs for the site water and sewer utilities, parking layout, hardscape grading, and bioretention treatment facilities. As part of the overall Phase 1 effort we also managed the plan preparation for the offsite improvements that include new median turn pockets, lighting, landscaping, and retaining walls for the Rule 20 undergrounded utilities.

Phase 1 construction is scheduled to be completed in the first quarter of 2024. Phases 2 and 3 were recently entitled, adding 1.3 million square feet pf lab space to the campus. WHB is currently preparing designs for Phase 2.”

Services: Construction Management, Project and Program Managememt

WHB Engineers has extensive experience providing Construction Engineering Support.  We routinely are engaged by local agencies to assist in value engineering, bid support, construction submittals, construction staking, contract administration, construction claims and disputes, and project closeouts. 

One example occurred at the 18 acre subdivision in Los Altos Hills, CA.  We worked closely with the developer to assist with contractor selection and contract preparation.  We managed coordination between the Owner, Contractor, and local agency stakeholders (including environmental agencies when a sensitive bird habitat was discovered on site at the onset of construction). 

Prior to construction, WHB reviewed the Contractor’s submittals and shop drawings for conformance with the plans and specifications.  The site and design constraints were incredibly unique and required a custom storm drain hydromodification structure, bioretention facilities, and an equestrian bridge.  These items required detailed shop drawing review.

During construction, we provided field inspection and prepared minor design changes as needed.  We reviewed and responded to Request for Information and assisted the Owner with responses to Contractor’s change orders. 

WHB maintained communications between the Owner, Contractor and Town staff during the two and a half years of construction and represented the Owner at many local agency meetings when the Owner was abroad.  Our responsibilities also included assistance with Tentative Map extensions, Final Map approval, and review of payment requests.

WHB has an 80 year history of providing civil engineering services for public clients.  Our talented staff can take a project from preliminary design through engineering services support during construction.

One recent project is Phase 2 of the Almond Grove Street Reconstruction Project in Los Gatos, CA.  The scope of work included reconstruction of 8 intersecting streets within the quaint historic Almond Grove neighborhood adjacent to Los Gatos’ downtown hub.  The residents strongly desired to replace damaged concrete roads in kind with new concrete pavements in order to preserve the neighborhood’s character.

WHB lead a series of community meetings to inform residents of the design appearance and illustrate the impact on trees and neighborhood walkways.  We coordinated closely with subconsultants to prepare tree planting plans and a new jointed plain concrete pavement section that did not require steel reinforcement.  This design achieved our goal of increasing the tree canopy in Almond Grove while reducing environmental impacts and construction costs.

We also performed comprehensive topographic surveys of the project streets.  As part of the design, the streets were raised several inches to minimize construction impacts on existing shallow utilities.  WHB prepared detailed grading designs that ensured that the new streets’ improvements conformed to existing elevations at the back of sidewalk while also draining stormwater safely away from homes.  These designs were made possible by our survey and field evaluations by project engineers.

WHB provided steadfast engineering support to the Town during construction, which spanned 3 construction seasons and required intensive coordination with residents and stakeholders.

WHB has had long-lasting relationships with many life science developers in the Bay area and is currently serving as the Civil Engineer of Record for multiple major biotech campus developments. 

One on-going project is the Kilroy Oyster Point development, which is a  public/private partnership development project located on an approximately 80-acre site at the end of Oyster Point Boulevard in South San Francisco.  The project includes the construction of 11 biotechnology research & development/office buildings, a hotel, a marina park, open space, three parking structures, new streets and utilities, a parking lot, a sanitary sewer pump station, Bay Trail, and other BCDC improvements and a public beach.

Roughly 50-acres of the project is underlain by landfill refuse and bay mud, with an existing engineered clay cap.  To make room for building foundations and a clean-soil utility corridor in the new street, refuse was relocated on site and a new clay cap installed.

In addition to the public improvements, WHB was involved in the entitlements process for the project, including the private Kilroy Oyster Point Phases 2-4 Precise Plan.  We provided the schematic plans for street design, grading, drainage, utilities, stormwater treatment, erosion control, fire access, and hydrant location.

In addition to Kilroy Oyster Point, WHB is also serving as the Civil Engineer of Record for the Shore in Brisbane, The Cove in South San Francisco, and a myriad of improvement projects on Genentech’s South San Francisco campus.  These campuses are seen in the photo below. We are proud to play a key role in creating new life science spaces that will provide health care for those in need.

WHB was asked to provide construction management oversight. The project included a total of four phases: Abatement/Demolition of Existing Buildings, Site Work and Utilities, Main Building Construction, and Abatement/Demolition of Abandoned Biology and Physical Sciences Buildings.

From pre-construction through project closeout, WHB Engineers provided comprehensive project and construction management services. Our Senior Project Manager worked closely with the District in developing proposal packages to assist with the selection of the architectural firm (Smith Group) and the General Contractor (BHM Construction).

Our team prepared a budget estimate for hard and soft costs; a master project schedule that included all four phases of the project; prepared and managed the constructability review process; and prepared the front-end construction Division O and 1 documents.

The team used the District’s BMET project accounting system, EADOC for the web-based construction management of RFIs, submittals, memos, and other project documents. PlanGrid was used to track changes during construction and BIM was successfully used during design and construction to minimize change orders during construction. The project is net zero ready.

Some specific areas of focus in the construction of this facility that required added expertise and coordination efforts by the WHB team included the installation of laboratory gas and vacuum systems, emergency generator, chemical fume hoods, biological safety cabinets and the reverse osmosis/deionized water recirculation systems.

We take great enjoyment with working with private developers to guide and advocate for them during the subdivision map recordation process.  Several of our upper staff members are former public servants who have great understanding of the Subdivision Map Act and public sector’s nuanced requirements for entitlement approval.

Natoma Oaks is a tract of high end homes set above Matadero Creek.  WHB worked exhaustively with the developer and the Town throughout the map approval process.  The site featured a myriad of constraints including groves of heritage oaks, a protected creek bed, wildlife habitats, two dormant landslides, a deep colluvium deposit, and a hillside with slopes exceeding 100%.

The team performed design and construction management of the subdivision improvements.  WHB’s design is keenly considerate of the extremely sensitive site and features landslide and colluvium deposit stabilization measures along with stormwater hydromodification and bioretention facilities engineered to protect the creek for generations to come.  This project was the first project within the town to include bioretention.