WACO, Tex.—Baylor University has a new “front door” at its campus thanks to a project envisioned by designer Populous. The 136,000-square-foot Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center—named for alumnus and Oracle founder Mark Hurd and his wife, Paula—is also home to Baylor’s undergraduate admissions office and alumni center, as well as a coffee house, auditorium and ballroom space.

The building features a 23,000-square-foot, 70-foot-tall gathering space called Carlton Hall, with crossbeams fashioned by the oak trees endemic throughout the Baylor campus, and is meant to evoke students’ journey in the university. Populous applied a white marble-patterned floor for the interior, and an inlaid brass strip in the floor’s center represents “That Good Old Baylor

Line” that is meant to start students on their academic journeys. Lounge seating areas allow for various gatherings as well.

On the exterior, the building features red brick and windows made of stained glass that will reflect some of the Texas heat. Four illuminated columns are meant to welcome the campus visitor, as well as call to mind Baylor’s credo of “distributing” enlightenment and will be visible to motorists driving past on Interstate 35. Populous worked with AV consultant Electrosonic, digital design studio RLMG and fabricator Xibitz to realize the illuminated columns.

“Through comprehensive workshops with Baylor, it was clear that the university was looking for something that would truly set it apart from other institutions in higher education,” Shawn Sanem, an associate principal and senior graphic designer at Populous, said of this unique feature. “The column installations use dynamic technology, rich media and lighting to tell the Baylor story in an unexpected way and connect with students who expect shareable moments. The four elements of Reflect, Connect, Aspire, Amplify are representative of Baylor values and provide an interactive, immersive and memorable experience for students and visitors.”

“The Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center offers a spectacular setting for students’ first memories of Baylor University,” added Sherri Privitera, a senior principal and senior architect at Populous. “Baylor is truly a front-runner in creating meaningful student experiences.”

Populous provided architectural and site planning services and worked with general contractor Vaughn Construction. The intersection where the Hurd Center is now located is the most trafficked on campus.

“Designed with the entire Baylor University Family in mind, the Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center represents a new front door to the institution that allows Baylor to further solidify its position as the world’s preeminent Christian research university,” said President Linda A. Livingstone. “When we launched the Give Light campaign in 2018, Mark and Paula gave a transformational gift that has allowed us to create unique experiences for more than 50,000 campus visitors each year. Once inside, our guests will learn about Baylor’s past, present and future while joining in meaningful engagement opportunities that advance the work of the university.

“We are so grateful for the Hurds’ generosity and to Populous for its partnership in this special endeavor.”

Populous has been crafting more than $40 billion worth of projects of the past several decades. The firm operates from regional centers in Kansas City, London and Brisbane.

Editor’s Note: Additional coverage of this new facility can be found in the September/October issue of School Construction News.

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SAN ANTONIO—Joeris 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’s 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’s 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’s 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’s practice area.

“This 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,” Populous Associate Principal Austin Welsh said in a recent statement. “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.”

Added Lisa Campos, UTSA vice president for intercollegiate athletics and athletics director: “At 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.

“Just 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’s stature as a Division I competitor.”

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BOULDER, Colo. — Three athletic buildings at the University of Colorado, Boulder (CU) were certified LEED Platinum in fall 2017 — the highest possible LEED rating. With this latest certification by the USGBC, CU now has 25 buildings certified LEED Gold or better, either for new construction or major renovations.

The three new LEED Platinum certifications applied to the Champions Center, the net-zero-energy Indoor Practice Facility (IPF) as well as the extensive renovations done to the Dal Ward Athletic Center. All three of the athletic buildings were included in a CU athletic department facilities upgrade project that arrived at completion in 2016. The three buildings were certified in December 2017, which raised CU’s number of LEED Platinum certified building to 10.

Completion of the new Champions Center brought a new home for CU athletics administration, the CU football program, Olympic sports, the CU Sports Medicine and Performance Center as well as the Champions Club. The IPF is a climate-controlled facility and includes a full football field as well as a six-lane, 300-meter track. Upgrades to the Dal Ward Athletic Center feature new locker rooms and a new weight room for CU Olympic sports, a new room for the Herbst Academic Center and the Touchdown Club room. The Champions Center as well as the Dal Ward construction also included the addition of a pair of premium seating areas at Folsom Field.

“Achieving LEED Platinum for a project of this magnitude is a testament to the work and collaboration of several campus departments and partners,” said David Kang, vice chancellor for infrastructure and safety at CU in a recent statement. “Athletics has been a key driver of campus efforts to be a leader in sustainability, and this project is a shining example of that.”

The three-buildings project was led by Denver-based Mortenson Construction and Populous — a Denver-based architecture firm — as a joint design-build venture. Noresco, an energy services company based in Boulder, Colo., provided sustainability consulting services on the project. Construction on the project began in 2014, with different aspects of the project opening in 2015 and 2016 before its final completion at the end of 2016.

The most noteworthy sustainability feature of the athletic facilities upgrade project is the 850-kilowatt solar array that sits atop the IPF, with an estimated annual production of more than 1 million kilowatt hours. The entirety of the energy use of the IPF is offset by the solar array, which includes 28 percent of  the Athletics facilities’  usage.

Other sustainability aspects of the athletics project that helped to earn the highest LEED rating for the buildings include ample daylighting in the Champions Center and IPF, reduced water use through sustainable fixture selection, mechanical and lighting systems controls that enable optimization of energy, heating and cooling systems, and a new stormwater detention pond at the corner of Folsom Street and Stadium Drive that provides natural filtration of stormwater from the site.

“These state-of-the-art facilities have proven transformational to the success of our Athletic Department,” said Rick George, athletic director at CU, in a recent statement. “We’re proud that sustainability was at the forefront in the way they were built and how we use them every day.”

In addition to the recent and past LEED certifications CU has earned over the years, Folsom Field was the nation’s first zero-waste collegiate stadium, and the Ralphie’s Green Stampede program was the nation’s first NCAA Division I sports sustainability program. In addition, all events held at Folsom Field and the Coors Events Center are zero-waste events.

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