Master Plan Goals

Accommodate the Building Program

The master plan must accommodate the large building program with particular emphasis on meeting the academic and research needs of the institution. The new academic buildings, whose combined areas will be larger than all of the existing 1604 Campus academic buildings, will allow UTSA to provide more research, library, teaching, office, and support space.

The increased amount of academic space per student relative to current allowances will bring the campus more in line with state standards and will facilitate the development of new programs that will help UTSA achieve flagship status.

Manage Environmental Mandates

Recent environmental surveys have documented the presence of endangered karst invertebrates in several caves on the UTSA campus. The university is currently in discussions with the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife in order to determine how to appropriately preserve this habitat. The master plan must be designed to allow for these preserves.

Portions of the campus are located on land that recharges the Edwards Aquifer. This imposes certain regulations pertaining to the retention and filtering of stormwater on campus. The master plan should provide for proper treatment of runoff in ways that enhance the campus.

Incorporate Additional Land Into the Design of the Campus

The programmatic demands of the projected student population will create a need for land beyond the existing campus limits. Certain campus facilities and functions are better suited to off-site locations than others. The master plan should establish guidelines for what should be placed off site and where those sites should be located.

Preserve Areas of Open Space and Strengthen Connections to These Areas

Permanent open space should be maintained, and the amount of open space should be maximized through efficient placement of buildings and infrastructure. A portion of the parking should be strategically located in multi-level garages in order to maximize convenience to users and to minimize the amount of site coverage. Views to the open spaces in the southeastern part of the campus from the Sombrilla Plaza should be maintained, and future development should be sited to take advantage of views to the rolling landscape.

Jogging and walking trails and picnic pavilions provide an excellent opportunity to create a pedestrian connection with campus open space. Playing fields are a compatible development for recharge areas, so effective land management can be combined with a program requirement.

Develop a Cohesive Infrastructure Expansion

Future development will necessitate improvements to the mechanical, electrical, telecommunications, and plumbing systems. The master plan should assess the limits of the current systems and determine the best ways to provide these systems to new facilities. This will be especially critical as facilities are constructed in the eastern parts of campus.

Improve Wayfinding

Some first-time and infrequent visitors may have difficulty finding their way around campus. UTSA has recently taken a major step towards reducing this problem by building two information booths near the entries. The design of roadways can improve wayfinding by reducing the number of choices that motorists must make at once – by using three-way intersections instead of four-way intersections, for example, visitors are not faced with multiple choices at each intersection. Also. the master plan should take a fresh look at the signage system and recommend improvements to complement wayfinding.

Master Plan Strategies

Improve the Pedestrian-Friendly Qualities of the Campus

The 1604 Campus has always been a special place because of the separation of vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Placing parking at the perimeter and keeping building services underground makes the center of campus an area for pedestrians only. New academic buildings should continue this system. The paseo system should be extended to new areas of campus including recreational areas and athletic facilities, and the existing service road that bisects the West Paseo near the Convocation Center should be closed. A new service loop should be created beyond public functions to the west. The paseos should be planted with trees and should provide areas of shading and visual delight.

Handicapped access to the second floor main circulation system should be improved from the west and south. New buildings in these areas should extend the second floor paseo system so that pedestrians may reach this level at their earliest convenience. New development to the east should be easily accessible and barrier free. Academic, housing, and recreational facilities should be conveniently located so that people will choose to walk to different areas of the campus.

Clarify Existing Land Use by Developing Strong Precincts on Campus

The organizational principles of the academic complex should be applied to other areas of the campus. New housing and recreational facilities should be grouped to create an inviting and cohesive campus. Recreational fields should be located near academic areas so that participation will be encouraged. Athletics facilities should be located close to one another. To facilitate large crowds, the athletics development should be easily accessed from major roadways and should have adjacent parking. The Special Events Center should be sited where the existing infrastructure and parking will be most effectively used. Academic functions in existing West Campus facilities should be integrated into new academic buildings.

Incorporate Public Art and Craft

Public art and architectural craft help to enliven and humanize the campus environment. Exterior public art in particular should be incorporated into both new projects and existing sites. There are a number of possibilities for different types of craft and art projects, including murals, free-standing sculpture, kinetic sculpture, decorative sconces, water sculpture, and light sculpture.

Maintain Flexibility, Adaptability, and Interchangeability

As UTSA continues to grow rapidly, buildings designed for particular uses now may not be suitable for the needs of the university in the future. Buildings must be designed to allow for easy modification and adaptation to other uses whenever possible so that changes can be made efficiently and economically.

Focus Activity on the Paseos

The paseos, as originally conceived, were not just walkways between buildings, but lively streets with a mixture of academic, commercial, and social functions. This approach is even more relevant today as universities integrate spaces for vendors on campus. New buildings such as the University Center expansion should include space for retail and other uses along the main paseos, and buildings should be sited in the master plan to provide good locations for such uses.

Not all types of retail work well in this integrated environment. Sites should be designated on or near campus for commercial space that does not fit in well with campus buildings, but care should be taken to ensure that the appearance and organization of the campus are not adversely affected.

Large-Scale Projects but Human-Scale Features

The space needs generated by the growth of UTSA’s academic and research programs will increasingly require the construction of large buildings. Unless buildings of the scale required by UTSA’s space needs are consciously designed with the human scale in mind, the quality of the paseos and outdoor spaces on campus will suffer. Future buildings should be designed in accordance with the guidelines in this document to ensure that human-scale features are emphasized.

Maintain Dense Pattern of Development

Enrollment targets for the 1604 Campus have increased dramatically since the inception of the university. Because of this growth, campus land has become exceedingly valuable both in monetary and programmatic terms. The high density of the original campus buildings should be maintained in all future construction in order to accommodate growth and to preserve open space. This applies not only to academic buildings, but to campus housing, athletics and recreational facilities, and even roadways, parking, and other infrastructure.