UTSA has recently started building the new freshman residence hall on the Main Campus. The construction of the 101,351 square-foot building began this fall. It is located at the corner of Brenan Avenue and Tobin Avenue, near the Roadrunner Café and other campus resources for students.
The residency is called Guadalupe Hall, named after the Guadalupe River. “We name many of our buildings to embrace the richness of South Texas and Hill Country,” said Kevin Price, senior associate vice president for housing and campus services.
In partnership with Treanor HL, the Alamo Architects will assemble Guadalupe Hall.
“Design teams are chosen in accordance with UT System procurement requirements. The university issues a Request for Qualifications (RFQ), which resulted in several submissions for consideration. These submissions were evaluated by a selection committee that was composed of both UTSA staff and UT System staff. Alamo Architects and Treanor HL were ultimately chosen as a result of that process,” Price said.
One reason for the Guadalupe Hall construction is the projected growth of 45,000 students by the year 2028. The residence hall will include double-occupancy rooms along with easily accessible restrooms and community spaces. The four-story building will feature an academic resource center, study lounges, laundry rooms, coffee shops and more. “To enhance the campus experience for the entire UTSA community, the coffee shop planned
for Guadalupe Hall will be easily accessible to serve all students, faculty and staff,” Price said.
“Guadalupe Hall will have a multipurpose room that can be used for student collaboration,
meetings and programs and will be open to all students, no matter where they live. Our current
residential communities also have community spaces for programming and group study.”
Guadalupe Hall is exclusively for first-year students.
“Guadalupe Hall was designed with student success in mind. Retention and graduation rates for students living on-campus during their first year are consistently higher than for those living off-campus, especially for first-generation students. Guadalupe Hall expands the residential experience to a greater number of first-year students and will ease the transition to college for new students while providing a support system that fosters success,” Associate Vice Provost for Student Success Tammy Wyatt said.
Additionally, the Honors Residential College, a living and learning community for UTSA Honors College Students, is also in the works. Roadrunner Village will be a mixed-use neighborhood, available to staff, faculty and upper-level students. High-rise housing will be available on the Downtown Campus, named Cattleman’s Square Residential Tower.
With construction beginning this fall, students are expected to move into Guadalupe Hall before Fall 2021. The projected cost is $43.6 million, with $38.6 million coming from the Revenue Financing System. UTSA reserves will cover the remaining expenses.
