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.”

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 Engineers completed the design of the new Well No. 13 Chlorine Storage Building for the City of Huntington Beach. Access on this site was constrained with two large potable water reservoirs; one 17MG capacity and a smaller 9MG reservoir. 

In addition, three groundwater production wells were located onsite.  The existing chlorine storage building was designed to store four 150-pound chlorine containers.

WHB Engineers designed the new chlorine storage building, including all associated electrical, instrumentation and control system components. 

The new building facility was upgraded to store two 1-ton chlorine storage cylinders, incorporating TGO system components to meet Uniform Fire Code requirements for full containment.  The new one-ton chlorine storage cylinders required the design of a monorail-mounted crane for support. 

WHB Engineers team designed seismic upgrades and seismic monitoring using SCADA that would automatically shut down the chlorine system in the event of a 4.0 or greater seismic event.

The design upgrades increased facility safety and reduced the risk of chlorine exposure to workers and residents by implementing zero release and passive mitigation technologies, rendering scrubbers unnecessary.  The new system prevents the generation of hazardous waste and reduces the cost of ongoing O&M.

WHB Engineers served as the Engineer of Record for the utility replacement for the City of Oceanside’s Municipal Pier.  WHB Engineers conducted an initial study for the City to determine the feasibility for replacing potable/firewater and electrical systems due to operation issues the City was experiencing with the water system. 

In addition, WHB Engineers was responsible for plan preparation of the replacement of the existing combined domestic/firewater pipes and the replacement for the pier’s sewer force main and three sewer sump systems. 

This project also consisted of electrical upgrades, a new handrail, and refurbishment and upgrades to structural components.  WHB Engineers developed contract documents, including basis of design reports, plans, specifications, calculations, and cost estimates.

WHB Engineers was tasked with both strengthening an existing tank as well as designing a new 7.5 MG circular, prestressed concrete tank and pump station improvements.  The City was concerned that their current tank could potentially fail after a similar design in another jurisdiction made headlines in 1998 with a catastrophic failure. 

WHB Engineers managed the design for temporarily strengthening the original tank by installing steel strands along the exterior upper and lower areas of the tank. 

WHB Engineers then prepared the plans, specifications, and estimates for a new tank designed in accordance with California Building Code, ASCE 7, AWWA D110.  WHB Engineers was responsible for completing both the structural design along with EI&C, mechanical, and water quality.

Description: The Otay Crossings Commerce Park Sewage Pump Station will service the new Otay Crossing development located in East Otay Mesa. The lift station includes a 7700 gallon wet well with a 15,000 gallon emergency storage manhole and two 15 HP lift pumps each capable of 275 gpm of sewage flow.

WHB Engineers provided electrical and control systems design, including power, controls, site lighting, grounding, and maintaining County SCADA standards to maintain consistency across all facilities.