Most Recent News at RTA

Building design at 14,000 feet comes with many challenges, not the least of which are those involving materials and geotechnical conditions. In a recent article by The American Society of Civil Engineers' Civil Engineering Source, RTA Principal Stuart Coppedge, GWWO Architects Principal Alan Reed, HCDA Principal Steve Horner (structural engineering), and William Hoffmann Jr., senior engineering consultant for CTL Thompson, Inc. (geotechnical engineering), discuss how the Pikes Peak Summit Visitor Center design team handled everything from the effect of the extreme altitude on the concrete placement to protecting the summit’s fragile tundra ecosystem during design and construction.

Read the full article here!

RTA Architects’ Senior Marketing Manager Valerie Jackson, MBA was recognized by SMPS Colorado as its Marketer of the Year, one of the chapter’s highest honors, at the annual Marketing Excellence Awards. SMPS is the only organization dedicated to creating business opportunities in the A/E/C industry. SMPS Colorado was founded in 1983 and is one of the Top 5 Chapters nationwide. Marketer of the Year is awarded to the chapter member who stands out in the craft of marketing and communications in the A/E/C industry and has made significant contributions toward promotion professionalism. Valerie has served on the chapter’s Southern Colorado Committee since 2015 in multiple leadership roles including Committee Co-Chair and Committee Sponsorship Champion.

Valerie joined RTA Architects in 2015 after receiving her Master of Business Administration degree with a concentration in Marketing from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) and a 25-year career that previously spanned the consumer services and technology sectors. She also holds a Bachelor of Science degree with a concentration in Marketing from Pennsylvania State University. More information about the SMPS Colorado Marketing Excellence Awards can be found on the chapter’s website, https://www.smpscolorado.org/marketing-excellence-awards. Our congratulations to Valerie on the well-deserved recognition!

In the latest issue of The Colorado Real Estate Journal's Health Care and Senior Living Quarterly, RTA Principal Paul Reu discusses how the high-performing design-build team of M. A. Mortenson Company and RTA Architects met an unprecedented COVID pandemic challenge and delivered an Alternate Care Facility in just five weeks at St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center in Pueblo, Colorado.

Read the article here! 

A recent article by Chinook Trail Middle School Principal Tom Andrew and RTA Principal Brian Calhoun for EdMarket Essentials discusses how the school’s design – top to bottom, inside and outside – supports an open, holistic, positive approach to learning in healthful and empowering ways for students and staff. The three Design Priorities of positive spaces, building and site optimization for learning, and a connection to nature work with the educational program to develop curious design-thinking learners for life.

Read the full article here.

It’s that topping-out time of year! We were so happy to celebrate with Pueblo Community Health Center during the topping-out of the East Side Clinic. This new clinic will serve patients on Pueblo’s east side with a full range of healthcare services and is the first Emerging Zero Energy outpatient healthcare clinic in Colorado according to the New Buildings Institute (NBI). Video courtesy of Pueblo Community Health Center and JSB Cinema. 

It was a beautiful day to celebrate the topping-out of the ICU-CCU Med Surg Expansion at St. Francis Medical Center. The fifth and sixth floor expansion will provide the hospital with 30 medical-surgical rooms, 30 intensive care unit rooms, and a Flight for Life helipad. We’re proud of our continuing partnership with SFMC to help the hospital support our growing Colorado Springs community.

We were thrilled to see so many of our projects featured in the latest issue of Colorado Construction and Design Magazine including the St. Francis Medical Center Expansion, the new Pikes Peak Visitor Center, the new East Side Clinic for Pueblo Community Health Center, and the UCCS William J. Hybl Sports Medicine and Performance Center. See page 52 of the SoCo report here… https://ccdmag.com/WS2021/index.html

Demolition of the 1960s-era Summit House on Pikes Peak has begun, marking the end of an era. This is the last major construction milestone ahead of the opening of the new Pikes Peak Visitor Center. The building will forever hold a special place in the hearts of the Summit House staff and millions of visitors who have visited the summit. It dutifully served its purpose for almost 60 years and was a construction marvel of its time, consistently withstanding the harsh 14,000-foot environment. As we say good bye, we look forward to making wonderful new memories in the new Visitor Center opening early this summer.

Video Credit: Windstar Studios and City of Colorado Springs

As we near the completion of the Pikes Peak Summit Complex, which includes the new Pikes Peak Visitor Center, we had a chance to reflect on the incredible and challenging year that was 2020.Here’s what we’re looking forward to in the last couple of months leading up to the exciting grand opening!

• Completion of the robust shutter system that will protect the glass, and the amazing views, from windborne debris

• Startup of the innovative on-site waste treatment plant

• Placement of east overlook plaque commemorating Katharine Lee Bates’ writing of America the Beautiful poem

• Completion of the south service road, guest parking lot, stairs to Cog Railway platform, boardwalk railing, Plaza-level boulders and landscaping, and fully operational lightning protection and building automated systems

• Completion of site orientation signage and areas of interest exhibits

• Completion of the U.S. Army-funded High Altitude Research Laboratory

Read the full 2020 year in review here… https://coloradosprings.gov/sites/default/files/inline-images/20bprf117_ppsc_17x11_year_in_review-fnl-singlecrops.pdf

We are honored that the Association for Learning Environments (A4LE) Rocky Mountain Chapter awarded the Lake City Community School with the Summit Design Award for Renovations! Constructed on the site of the original 1880s brick school house, the Lake City Community School is a PK-12 school serving students in the Hinsdale County School District and is one of the earliest schools on Colorado’s Western Slope.

RTA worked closely with the District and the Lake City community to design an addition and renovation to enhance security, health, and safety of staff and students while still maintaining the character of the historic school site and neighborhood. The design team also highlighted the breathtaking natural beauty of Hinsdale County throughout the interior of the building. Read more about this incredible project here.