More Colorado schools are pursuing Net Zero Energy goals, including RTA-designed Douglass Elementary in the Boulder Valley School District and School in the Woods in Academy District 20. Read more at Mile High CRE.
Take a look at the exciting changes at Vista Peak Preparatory! This addition will add classrooms, a cafeteria commons expansion, and a new wrestling and weight room. Work is slated to be complete summer 2018 and will increase the capacity from 1,350 to 2,250 students.
Penrose-St. Francis Health Systems recently broke ground on one of the few true IPD projects in Colorado using a multi-party agreement. RTA Principal John Hoelscher, AIA discusses how the team is delivering benefits beyond the norm to the project owner because of the demanding structure of a true IPD agreement in this week's ENR Mountain States and April's Daily Journal.
Thank you to everyone who participated in our eco-charrette for Academy District 20's School in the Woods! Teachers, students, parents, alumni, and community members came together with the design team and GE Johnson to brainstorm sustainability and environmental goals for the new school design. We received a lot of valuable input and we can't wait to incorporate the feedback into the final design!
We had a great time touring the construction site for the RTA-designed expansion at the St. Francis Medical Center! While this project is under construction we are looking forward to a few opportunities to observe a variety of construction methods and medical department layouts. Yesterday we were able to observe the erection process for precast concrete firsthand and we couldn't be more excited to see the progress of this project! You can read more about the St. Francis Medical Center expansion here.
RTA is excited to announce that we have been chosen to lead the designs of the new School in the Woods and the Middle School at Chinook Trail for Academy School District 20 in Colorado Springs. These are two of the first new schools that are being designed and constructed as a result of the District’s $230M bond passage in November 2016.
The Middle School at Chinook Trail
The Middle School at Chinook Trail will be the ninth middle school for the District and will be located on the campus of the existing Chinook Trail Elementary School. The 125,000 square-foot sustainable, energy-efficient, and healthy learning-focused facility will provide 21st Century educational environments to accommodate 1,000 students and is being built in conjunction with Bryan Construction and MOA Architecture. The project will be an expansion of the Chinook Trail Elementary program, featuring close collaboration between the two schools to create a Kindergarten through eighth grade campus.
The School in the Woods
The new 14,000-square-foot School in the Woods will replace four existing modular buildings and will increase student capacity and continue to support its robust community outreach program and home school academy. Flexible learning suites, a nature center, outdoor learning spaces, and a library/technology commons will support the School’s academically challenging “naturalist” based curriculum for fourth grade students. Working with GE Johnson Construction Company, the design goal of the new building will be to achieve net zero energy and/or LEED Platinum while existing in harmony with the Black Forest environment.
Both projects are currently in the design and preconstruction planning phases. Construction of the new School in the Woods is estimated to be completed in the spring of 2018. The Middle School at Chinook Trail is expected to be completed for the 2019 -2020 school year.
RTA is pleased to announce that Sheva Willoughby, AIA, recently passed all seven divisions of the Architect Registration Examination (ARE) and has earned the title of Architect. Sheva joined RTA in 2010 and has a wide variety of experience including education, commercial, medical, and tourism facility design as well as historic preservation. She received her Master of Architecture and Bachelor of Environmental Design degrees from the University of Colorado and currently serves as the Emerging Professionals Liason for the American Institute of Architects Colorado South Section having previously served as Outreach Director.
RTA also welcomes three new team members: Architect Patrick Ward, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C, and Architectural Interns Dane Steil and Luke Feng. Dane received his Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Oklahoma and enjoys the more intricate aspects of architectural design. Luke earned his Master of Architecture and Minor in Business from the University of Kansas and spent two semesters at RTA while completing his Masters Degree. Patrick received his Bachelor of Science in Environmental Design and Bachelor of Architecture from Ball State Univeristy and has 10 years of professional experience. He has also been an executive chef and an outdoor leadership instructor, bringing a wide variety of skills to his role of Architect.
Congratulations Sheva, Patrick, Luke, and Dane!
Sheva Willoughby, Architect, AIA
Patrick Ward, Architect, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C
Luke Feng, Architectural Intern
Dane Steil, Architectural Intern
It was a beautiful morning to paint a mural at John Adams Elementary School! The "Peace Path" is a colorful visual tool staff can use to help students calmly "step through" the conflict resolution process. We can't wait for students to have access to it this coming school year!
The Adaptive Sports Center project is already exceeding its fundraising goals! We are honored to be a part of this project and we cannot wait to break ground next spring! Read more about this exciting news here.
We had so much fun at the Colorado Springs Business Journal Best in Business reception! Thank you to everyone who voted us the best architectural firm in Colorado Springs!
