By Eric Althoff
SAN ANTONIO鈥擩oeris General Contractors has worked together with Kansas City-based architect of record Populous and San Antonio-based local architect MarmonMok to realize the new Roadrunner Athletics Center of Excellence (RACE) complex at the University of Texas at San Antonio. The facility will be home to UTSA Athletics, and where the staff will promote wellness, health and academic accomplishment. It will also serve as the home for the Division I school鈥檚 athletes.
The $40.4 million, 95,000-square-foot RACE provides state-of-the-art recreational and training facilities for UTSA students. The facility is just one piece of an ongoing, multi-phase project aimed at increasing the athletic facilities available to students and faculty; RACE marks a significant milestone in that ongoing work to make the university both community-focused as well as upgrade its urban campus environment.
With indoor and outdoor space sprawling over 10 acres at the UTSA鈥檚 main campus, the amenities will include one practice field with synthetic turf and another with grass, conditioning facilities, classrooms, locker rooms, meeting spaces, office spaces as well as a sports medicine center and administrative space.
The architectural design work by Populous and MarmonMok removes columns from the interior entirely. The facility鈥檚 external glass and concrete allow in maximum sunlight while allowing for views of the surrounding campus environment.
Joeris General Contractors, as the construction firm, worked in concert with Project Control, who served as the project manager for the RACE building.
Future work at the RACE facility will entail adding a covered pavilion over the synthetic turf field鈥檚 practice area.
鈥淭his is a transformative moment for UTSA, and we were honored to be involved with the RACE project, not only because it sets the course for the future of UTSA Athletics, but because it will also help enrich the San Antonio community,鈥� Populous Associate Principal Austin Welsh said in a recent statement. 鈥淧reviously, facilities were spread throughout the campus and even off-campus. RACE provides the opportunity for student-athletes to optimize every minute of their day.鈥�
Added Lisa Campos, UTSA vice president for intercollegiate athletics and athletics director: 鈥淎t UTSA, student success is at the core of everything we do. We are committed to providing all of our students, including our student-athletes, with the very best environment to enable them to achieve their full potential.
鈥淛ust as UTSA is becoming an exemplar in academics and research, UTSA Athletics is increasingly gaining national recognition. RACE will have a long-lasting impact in further propelling UTSA鈥檚 stature as a Division I competitor.鈥�