Mesquite Living Lab
Summary
The Mesquite Living Lab (MLL) is a facility that will support the Environmental Science Department’s outreach mission, and is funded and supported by the City of San Antonio through Proposition 1 funding.
Proposition 1 is the Edwards Aquifer Protection Venue Project authorized by the city to continue the watershed and preservation project. The MLL and surrounding area will be used to illustrate how low-impact developments can improve water quality. These low-impact developments include a bioswale, green roof and rain garden.
The building will be used to host summer camps and field trips for the K-12 grade throughout the school year, along with workshops for community members, including homeowners and landowners, to help them understand what they can do to protect the aquifer. The MLL will have a meeting classroom, restrooms and two offices for staff.
Location
West Campus, behind Barshop Lot 2, between the Large-Scale Testing Laboratory (LST) and Margaret Batts Tobin Laboratories (MBT).
Project Announcements
Project Details
Substantial Completion
July 31, 2021
Total Projected Cost
$1,800,000
Square Footage
1,837
Design Team
Bender Wells Clark Design
DBR - MEP
Ford, Powell & Carson, Inc.
Intelligent Engineering Services
SpawGlass Contractors, Inc.
Vickrey & Associates, Inc.
January 12, 2021
New Living Lab to Teach Local Community About Aquifer Water Quality
A new outdoor classroom at UTSA will provide science students and the San Antonio community with opportunities to get their hands wet via water education. The Cypress Living Laboratory is designed to promote habitat and environmental education opportunities associated with the Edwards Aquifer watershed, including the laboratory’s adjacent creek ecosystem.
Read the full story on UTSA Today.
