The new $40.4 million Roadrunner Athletics Center of Excellence (RACE) has opened on the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) campus. RACE is the latest milestone in the university’s multi-tiered project that will enable the success of student-athletes and provide state-of-the-art recreational facilities to the San Antonio Community.
RACE will serve as the central hub of UTSA Athletics and help attract Division I student-athletes to the school. The nearly 95,000-sf facility spans more than 10 acres near the southwest corner of the UTSA Main Campus. It will feature multiple practice fields (one synthetic field and one natural grass field), academic spaces, a sports medicine center, strength and conditioning facilities, locker rooms, meeting rooms, a student-athlete lounge, and office space for coaches and administrative staff.
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The project features an efficient design that concentrates on athletes’ use and experience while maximizing useable space with a column-free interior. The extensive use of concrete and glass helps bring natural light and views of the campus into the building.
“Previously, facilities were spread throughout the campus and even off-campus. RACE provides the opportunity for student-athletes to optimize every minute of their day,” said Austin Welsh, Populous Associate Principal, in a release.
Upcoming phases of the project will include the addition of a covered pavilion over the synthetic turf practice field and the construction of a facility at the university’s Park West Campus. Populous designed the project in collaboration with MarmonMok. Joeris General Contractors served as the construction firm.
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