San Diego State University’s Tula Conference Center and Tenochca Entry Buildings go above and beyond for students. The existing Tula Conference Center underwent demolition to make way for the new 12,000-square-foot conference center whose design aligns with the University’s iconic Mission Revival architecture, particularly the courtyard building – an epitome of the Mission Revival style. The center includes retractable entry walls, operable partitions and food services. The conference center is fit for public and private events held by the community and contributes to additional financial benefits for the University. 

Construction also included the Tenochca Residence Hall entry building which provides campus life essentials such as a game room, laundry facility, community kitchen, rooftop living deck, full-length basketball and sand volleyball courts, and housing for residential education staff. 

An open concept was implemented in initial designs to provide students with a light, bright and beautiful environment to study, socialize and live. To create an open floor plan in the Tenochca entry building, we used a shear wall system that decreased use of structural steel and allowed for creative column locations and higher ceilings. 

Located in a highly congested area of campus, we were committed to reducing student and faculty impacts throughout the project. We created a seven-phased approach which allowed us to work around student life, during holidays and between semesters to ensure completion ahead of the fall.   

To ensure clear communication with the public, we used sidewalk signage with hashtags to share information about construction activities, schedules, final renderings and alternative travel routes.