UVALDE, Texas—The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District has announced that two prominent firms will work gratis to replace Robb Elementary, site of last May’s tragic shooting in which 21 people were killed.

The district is estimating the replacement school will cost between $25 million and $30 million, according to the Austin American-Statesman, and donations from the public are also being sought to cover additional expenses.

Architecture firm Huckabee and Joeris General Contractors, both of whom are well known in the Lone Star State, have agreed to waive their usual service fees for the project. Other details are being worked out under a new organization called Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation.

Understandably, given the horrific nature of the mass shooting there last summer, the Uvalde CISD is also investing in security enhancements for the new school.

Robb Elementary, which was built in the 1960s, is due for demolition, and the site for the new school building has yet to be determined. Meanwhile, Robb’s students are attending the nearby Flores Elementary. District personnel have hinted that a memorial may be installed at the site of Robb Elementary after the school building is razed.

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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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AUSTIN, Texas—The recently completed $28 million Menchaca Elementary School for the Austin Independent School District is a design-build project that has replaced an existing campus in a growing area of south Austin.

The 98,600-square-foot campus was originally conceived as a single building with interior circulation, but the design evolved through an extensive process that engaged teachers, parents and students. LPA Inc. was the architect on this impressive project. Joeris General Contractors was the general contractor.

The design features a collection of three buildings with shaded outdoor collaboration spaces designed around the existing heritage oak trees. The buildings form two courtyards linked by a second-story bridge that houses an innovative library media center and makerspaces specifically designed for the school. More than 30 percent of the site is open, vegetated space, creating direct links between the outdoors and learning environments.

With a build-out capacity of 870 students—this will account for the growth of this diverse city and the evolution of the District’s Strategic Plan. The entire process went from programming to permitting in six months.

Sustainability and energy efficiency were incorporated into every aspect of the design. Indoor water usage was cut by 30 percent and the overall energy use was reduced by 20 percent, primarily through passive measures such as building orientation, shading and strategic use of natural light. The campus is designed to meet LEED Silver certification, including a commitment to air quality and overall wellness for the students and faculty.

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