RTA's projects for Colorado Springs District 11's John Adams Elementary and the Colorado Springs School for the Deaf and the Blind's Jones and Palmer Halls continue to make the news. Read more about these great projects here.
The newly renovated Ouray PK-12 School is back in session! After all of the hard work, RTA was proud to attend the Ouray School District ribbon cutting ceremony. Originally constructed in 1936, the transformed school has already made the start of the 2016-2017 school year a great one.
Congratulations Ouray!
We love to see happy clients in completed projects! Check out Ouray's Principal and Superintendent Scott Pankow welcome the community to the fully renovated PK-12 school for the 2016-2017 year.
St. Thomas More hospital broke ground on Tuesday August 16th to make room for the 40,000 square-foot addition. The three-story facility, designed by RTA Architects, is located on the existing hospital campus and connected to the existing physical therapy building. It is expected to cost between $4 million and $5 million. The state-of-the-art building is expected to be open and ready to receive patients in the fall of 2017.
The first day of school for students at John Adams Elementary on August 18th will mark a new beginning for students and staff. District 11 Selected RTA Architects and Nunn Construction to completely renovate the school, which had not been in use by the District for about five years. We had a great time at the ribbon-cutting ceremony and are honored to have played a part in this great school's future.
District 11 Students Get a New School Experience
Colorado Springs, CO—The first day of school for students at John Adams Elementary on August 18th will mark a new beginning for students and staff. District 11 selected RTA Architects and Nunn Construction to completely renovate the school, which had not been in use by the District for about five years.
The District 11 school board voted last February to close Helen Hunt Elementary because the building is in need of an estimated $14 million in repairs. The building is planned for conversion to a community center by the Lane Foundation, and RTA has been retained as the architect-of-record. The 400 students from Helen Hunt who will now attend John Adams Elementary are in for a treat.
RTA’s Principal-in-Charge, Brian Calhoun, said it has been exciting to see the transformation at the school over the last three months. The design for the renovation focused on improved student safety and enriched learning environments. The school’s exterior will feature a welcoming layered entry canopy, an improved protected drop-off, outdoor seating areas, expanded parking, a new roof, new playgrounds and shade structures, and a synthetic turf play area.
The interior features new finishes that bring welcoming warmth of color and pattern. All classrooms received new lighting, and a new controlled entry vestibule will enhance safety. A full service kitchen will offer the opportunity for scratch cooking. A new mechanical system will provide air conditioning, while new windows will improve thermal performance of the building. New security systems, fire alarm, and technology upgrades are also in place.
Among the new technology assets at John Adams are flat panel interactive boards in classrooms combined with traditional white boards to give teachers and students more options at their disposal. Classrooms will feature advanced ergonomic furniture that will allow children more freedom of movement. This year, every 3rd, 4th, and 5th grader will also be given their own tablet computer for use during the school year. Kindergarten through 2nd graders will have access to six iPad Minis in each classroom.
The library will welcome students with a large entryway that can be closed with a glass overhead door when a quiet environment is needed. The ceilings were removed in a portion of the space to create an expansive feel that now incorporates daylight and views to the outside. The space will utilize flexible furniture systems that allow the room
to be quickly and easily reconfigured. A computer lab is connected to the library with a large glass overhead door that can open and expand the size of the library.
Calhoun commented, “RTA and the entire design team is excited for the students and staff of John Adams. The District worked extremely hard with us to provide a superior design for a safe and productive educational experience.”
Construction on Denver Health Southwest Family Health Center and Urgent Care facility is complete and is a featured project on the ENR Mountain States website. The $37-million clinic, designed by RTA Architects, is is the result of almost 30 months of planning and Lean Design workshops with the owners and facility staff. The 45,000-sq-ft facility, the largest health center in the Denver Health system, opened on April 18.
Colorado Springs City Council has voted to support the Springs Rescue Mission with $2.5 million in federal grant money. To learn more about this project, please visit the Springs Rescue Campus Expansion website.
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April 5th was a night of celebration as the Denver Health Southwest Family Health Center held its grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony. RTA is honored to have been part of such an amazing project and we look forward to the future of this amazing clinic.
To find out more about the Southwest Family Health Center, visit Denver Health's website here.
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO – RTA Architects announced today the conclusion of the design and construction of the Denver Health Southwest Community Health Center and Urgent Care. Nearly 30 months after the planning of the clinic began, the 45,000-square-foot facility is nearing its opening.
When Denver Health determined the need to offer comprehensive health services to the diverse and economically challenging Southwest neighborhood, they chose RTA Architects for facility planning and design. Paul López, Denver City Councilman, District 3, comments, “The hard-working people living in this community are the ones who are building this city with their hands. These are the people for whom the American Dream just isn’t paying off. In fact, 2010 data showed that residents in our area were expected to prematurely die 8 years earlier, in comparison to other districts. So the need for medical service is overwhelming.” Pete Gutierrez, Associate COO, Denver Health Ambulatory Services, said, “Together with RTA, we are aiming for more than just a building. You have to spur the community to help them rise up. You have to give them hope by surrounding them with people who truly care about their well-being and provide facilities to support that. The Southwest Family Health Center will absolutely turn this community around.”
Collaborative Partnerships Key to Effective Design
RTA began the design process with an immersion phase and spent several days at an existing Denver Health community health center to document the current state of patient, staff, and procedure flows. Kevin Gould, AIA, RTA Principal-in-Charge, explains, “We went in with our eyes and ears wide open and really looked at Denver Health’s needs, desires, processes, and mission. The ultimate goal was to optimize flow and value for the patients and staff of the new Southwest Community Health Center and to create a space that will be embraced as a centerpiece of the community.”
Following the immersion phase, RTA and a multi-disciplinary Denver Health team held a 3P (Production, Preparation, Process) Event to rapidly create and test potential designs. According to Tina Quintana, Denver Health Clinic Administrator, “The 3P event was great. Each department had an opportunity to really spend time with the architects, and people walked away feeling like they had truly been heard.”
Denver Health’s intention to serve and empower community members is embodied throughout the entire building from expansive atriums and lobbies, to a large interactive children’s play zone. There is also a large multipurpose community conference room, which can be used for activities such as cooking classes and local meetings. Universal signage and intuitive wayfinding allow multilingual patients to easily make their way around the facility. Departments that need to be most accessible to the community – like urgent care, pharmacy, and dental services – are all located near the entrance of the building.
The facility features high-quality finishes and design elements. With warm wood, slate tiles, expansive skylights, and vaulted ceilings, the Southwest Community Health Center embodies Denver Health’s mission of “Level One Care for ALL” aesthetically as well as in its delivery of medical services. The Southwest Community Health Center offers 40 exam rooms and will be the first in the Denver Health system to provide on-site Urgent Care. The opening of the new clinic in April of 2016 coincides with the 50th anniversary of the first Denver Health community health center in the Five Points neighborhood.
Dr. Michael Russum, Medical Director of the Southwest Community Health Center and primary care physician, states, “I am incredibly excited for the opening of this clinic. It feels great to be there, and the space is absolutely joyful. It’s going to be an amazing new opportunity for Denver Health to serve the South Denver community.”
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About Denver Health
Denver Health is the Rocky Mountain Region’s Level I academic trauma center, and the safety net hospital for the Denver area. The Denver Health system, which integrates acute and emergency care with public and community health, includes the Rocky Mountain Regional Trauma Center, Denver’s 911 emergency medical response system, Denver Health Paramedic Division, eight family health centers, 18 school-based health centers, the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center, NurseLine, Denver CARES, Denver Public Health, the Denver Health Foundation and the Rocky Mountain Center for Medical Response to Terrorism, Mass Casualties and Epidemics. Denver Health’s website is located at www.denverhealth.org.
About RTA Architects
Since 1975, RTA Architects has created award-winning architectural and interior designs for the Colorado built environment. RTA specializes in healthcare, education, retail, and commercial properties, and delivers beautiful purposeful buildings through deep collaboration with owners and occupants to serve their unique needs. RTA’s website is located at www.rtaarchitects.com.
After 51 months and 22 phases, Craig Hospital is nearly complete! To read more about the $90 million dollar expansion and RTA's engagement in it, click here.
