Most Recent News at RTA

Colorado Springs, CO—RTA Architects is pleased to announce the promotion of Kevin Gould, AIA to Associate Principal. A licensed architect, Kevin has 27 years of professional experience designing and managing aviation, retail, office, commercial, school, and healthcare projects. Since joining RTA in 2008, Kevin has focused on healthcare, and he has served as project manager on numerous medical projects in the Denver Metro area for clients including Centura Health and Denver Health and Hospital Authority.

ENR Mountain States touts planning and teamwork on the first phase of world-renowned Craig Hospital's $90 million expansion for Craig Hospital, a world-renowned, top 10 spinal cord and traumatic brain injury hospital.

See feature article from the September 26, 2013 issue of ENR Mountain States.

RTA’s Craig Hospital project team members Jon Bock, Megan Norris, and principal Stuart Coppedge, AIA, met the “Pikes Peak Challenge” in support of the Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado. As tough as the 13 mile, 8,000 vertical foot trek up Pikes Peak is, it pales in comparison to the challenges faced by brain injury survivors every day. Jon, Megan, and Stuart felt privileged to enjoy a beautiful day on “America’s Mountain” earlier this month while helping raise funds for the Alliance and the survivors, families, and professionals it supports.

RTA announced the completion of four Colorado school projects opening across the state last month. The four schools span the State of Colorado and welcomed students returning to school for the 2013-2014 school year. The four newly designed schools are:

• Boulder Valley School District’s Mapleton Early Childhood Center
• Calhan School District’s PK-12 school
• Ignacio Middle School, in southwestern Colorado
• Holly School, in southeastern Colorado

RTA’s design team Doug Abernethy and Mike Riggs, along with RTA’s joint venture partner Alan Ford Architects, attended a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Mapleton Early Childhood Education Center to mark the school's opening. They were joined by Adolfson & Peterson Construction, school staff, parents, students, and members of the community. This $4 million project transformed the historic Mapleton School into Boulder Valley School District’s first early education center.

Calhan School’s ribbon cutting ceremony marked the reopening of their PK-12 building and was attended by RTA’s design team Brian Calhoun, Mike Riggs, and Ken Gregg. Also attending were GH Phipps Construction, Vanir Construction Management, school staff, parents, students, and community members. The $2 million project was funded in part by a BEST grant and provided needed upgrades and improvements to Calhan’s PK-12 building.

An opening ceremony was held on August 29 for Ignacio Middle School. The new school is a dynamic, energy-efficient 21st century learning environment reflecting the community’s multi-cultural heritage and is the first phase of a district-wide master plan completed by RTA Architects in 2011. The school was built by FCI Constructors of Durango.

Holly School District’s $24 million BEST grant project provided for a new PK-12 school, athletic fields and a renovated vocational technical building. In addition to the new state-of-the-art gymnasium, the existing historic WPA-era gymnasium was preserved and renovated. Construction was recently completed by Adolfson & Peterson Construction of Denver.

RTA and the Calhan School District celebrated the completion of their recent PK-12 renovation project with a ribbon cutting ceremony on August 21, 2013. RTA began the design on the $2 million project in January 2013; and after four months of construction, the school was ready for students heading back to school for the 2013-2014 school year.

Funded in part by a BEST grant, the project provided needed upgrades and improvements to Calhan’s PK-12 building including fire alarm upgrades, emergency egress lighting, surge suppression on the electric service, exit doors at the auxiliary gym and a new public address system. Building additions provided a new security vestibule and relocated administration area while renovated areas include the media center, technology lab and classrooms.

RTA’s design team of Brian Calhoun, Mike Riggs, and Ken Gregg attended the ribbon cutting ceremony, along with GH Phipps Construction, Vanir Construction Management, school staff, parents, students, and members of the community.

RTA will participate in the ACE program for the upcoming 2013-2014 school year. The ACE program (Architecture-Construction-Engineering) “stands for mentoring high school students and inspiring them to pursue careers in design and construction.”

RTA will hold an after school program for 2 hours every 2 weeks from October through March to teach students about architecture. The student projects will progress through the stages of design and end in a final presentation of their projects. RTA will also reach out to local consultants for correlating lessons on engineering and construction.

The mission of ACE is to engage, excite, and enlighten high school students who are interested in careers in architecture, engineering and construction, through mentoring and support of their continued advancement in the industry.

RTA provided design services on this fast-track project for Cherry Creek School District that includes interior finish renovations, mechanical system renovations and roof replacement. The design team, led by Doug Abernethy, Principal/Project Manager, includes Ken Gregg, Project Architect; Greg Johnson, Interior Design; and Don McReynolds, Construction Administrator. Adolfson & Peterson Construction recently began construction with expected completion in early August.

The Colorado Springs Business Journal featured RTA as winner of the Best Architectural Firm in Colorado Springs.

"RTA Architects has offered “service by design” since 1975. The company, based in downtown Colorado Springs, has a talented pool of architects, architectural interns, designers and support staff who have led a diverse array of commercial architectural projects in Colorado Springs and throughout the state. Specializing in health care, education, retail, office and interior spaces, RTA has designed some of the city’s most visible projects in recent years, including the St. Francis Medical Center, the Penrose Hospital E-Tower, Bear Creek Elementary School, University Village Colorado, the interiors of Veda Salons and the redevelopment of the historic Hibbard Building downtown."

Read the following article from the Montrose Daily Press, Paradox Valley School begins facelift next week.

In 2010, RTA was commissioned to provide master planning and conceptual design services in support of a BEST Grant Application for the Paradox Valley School. This arts-focused charter school located in the West End School District serves approximately 50 children in the remote community of Paradox, Colorado. RTA spent several days in the community learning about this unique school and its culture of performing arts-based education. With the design committee, RTA explored a number of diverse options to address the major facility and programmatic deficiencies that existed. With detailed knowledge of the school, community, and existing facilities, RTA was able to propose a creative solution that will enhance the educational environment, address key facility needs, and satisfy the need for an economical solution.

With the assistance of RTA, Paradox Valley School was successful in their BEST Grant Application and received the requested grant. Construction and occupancy of the new facility is planned for August of 2013.

Vista Peak Preparatory School was recently certified LEED Gold by the U.S. Green Building Council. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System is a point-based benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high-performance green buildings. LEED Gold status illustrates a very high level of sustainability.

RTA in partnership with MOA Architecture designed the new Aurora high school which was completed in 2011. As the first new high school designed for Aurora Public Schools in over 30 years, considerable effort went into making sure the school represents the state-of-the-art in terms of educational philosophy, building performance and building flexibility. Developed on the 100-acre Aurora Public Schools Educational Campus, the high school shares a cohesive campus plan with a Pre-K through eighth grade school, and a future district stadium. Planning for the site included a Joint Use Facility for higher education and Public Recreation Center or Library.

The APS High School is designed to minimize energy use and provide sustainable architecture focused on the success of students and the community. Displacement ventilation systems deliver air to students in a quieter and more efficient way. Utilizing daylighting in almost all classrooms enhances the interior environment, saves energy, and improves student performance. Use of native landscape materials on site reduces water use and the building becomes a teaching tool with its green roof system and photovoltaic array located within an extraordinary outdoor science classroom.

Other teaching tools include a Green Touch Screen located on the school site which allows visitors, users, students and staff to view specific green building practices and live updated operational data; and Sustainability Case Study which is available for anyone interested in reading about the environmental practices implemented in the project.