A ribbon cutting for the new RTA-designed science facilities at Jefferson High School was featured in the Jeffco School Quarterly. The RTA Education Team for the Jeffco project consisted of Brian Calhoun, Paul Reu, Rick Taves, Greg Johnson, and Scott Schuster all participated in the project.
See the Jeffco newsletter article HERE.
The Gottlieb Addition/Renovation at the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind is featured on the Armstrong 'Ideas 2 Reality' site.
In September 2011, The Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind held a Grand Opening to celebrate this 21st Century learning facility which was designed in cooperation with the Colorado Historic Society and the design team worked closely with the Governors Energy Office.
The project is entered in the I2R contest for ceiling and wall elements which feature Armstrong products.
Stuart Coppedge has been a longtime member and contributor to the American Institute of Architects. Recently, his role took on a whole new dimension.
The RTA Business Development Manager and Associate has served AIA at local and state levels and is currently the 2010/2011 Secretary of the Western Mountain Region Council. Stuart was elected as an AIA National Director, at the 2011 AIA WMR Conference, hosted by AIA Las Vegas.
According to the AIA, "The Board of Directors is responsible for the general management of the affairs of the Institute" which means Stuart will have direct fiduciary responsibility, function as a communication link between the institute and its members, and will provide overall leadership for the western states region. Stuart's will be one of two Western Mountain Regional Directors representing AIA members in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico.
In twenty-four years of AIA membership, Stuart has taken opportunities to develop strong working relationships with key National Component staff and Executive Committee members, while intentionally maintaining an independent voice for the architects of his region. He hopes to continues this balance of national and regional influence throughout his three year term which begins in January of 2012.
From the exterior, it is impossible to see the change. The RTA Healthcare Design Team created seamless integration between old and new facility at Parker Adventist Hospital and doubled functional capacity.
The $20 million OR/OB expansion project at Parker Adventist Hospital includes 34,000 sq. ft. of new construction and 5,000 sq. ft. of renovation. Five new operating rooms were added to the existing second floor OR suite, along with an additional Patient Acute Care Unit and support space. This addition was made possible by building atop the existing first floor Imaging and Emergency Departments. Above the existing BirthPlace/Obstetrics and Pharmacy, a new 3rd floor level was added for the Obstetrics department. Ten new post-partum beds were added along with a new well-baby nursery and support space. In addition, the existing Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is being renovated and a new recovery room added for C-Section patients. All existing facilities were kept fully operational throughout construction. John Hoelscher, Principal (AIA, ACHA) was most pleased with the way the project allowed for hospital operations to proceed uninterrupted. He explains, "We were able to build on top of the Emergency Rooms without disrupting activity below."
This project was opened in the winter of 2010 and according to Hoelscher, who recently spoke in Chicago at the 2011 Healthcare Facilities Symposium, the new additions were executed so cleanly it "looks like it was there from the beginning."
See 3-D floor plans of the Parker OR/ OB Expansion.
RTA architects Doug Abernethy and Brian Calhoun witnessed once in a lifetime hole-in-one at the annual 4 Person Golf Scramble for the District 20 Foundation Tournament. Their guest and golf partner Cory Thompson, Board President of the Holly School District, sunk his winning hole-in-one on the 17th hole of the Air Force Academy Foundation's Blue Course. The hole played 193 yards, and Cory sunk it with a five wood -- a one in 10,000,000 shot.
District 20 Foundation, which provides grants for teachers and scholarships for high school students, holds the golf tournament annually to raise funds. This year, Heuberger Subaru provided the hole-in-one prize -- and Cory drove home with a brand new Subaru Forester.
The RTA Education Team congratulates Cory on an amazing car-winning shot!
RTA Principals John Hoelscher and Randy Thorne spoke about their on-the-boards experience with Medical Tourism at the Healthcare Facilities Symposium & Expo in Chicago this week.
The Healthcare Facilities Symposium & Expo, now in its 24th year, is the original event that brings together the entire team who designs, plans, constructs and manages healthcare facilities. The Symposium serves as a forum where leaders share ideas on healthcare delivery improvement and how the physical space directly impacts the staff, patients and their families. Expert sessions, keynote speakers and exhibitor resources help attendees explore ideas, practices, products and solutions which improve current and future healthcare facilities.
Hoelscher and Thorne shared the unlikely story of cross-cultural bonds formed in spite of the project's rather unpredictable beginnings. The Colorado healthcare architects also discussed their discoveries about their Vietnamese client's vision for the project, the importance of cultural context, developing healthcare models, and the International S.O.S. hospital design of the Vietnamese American International Hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam.
View the PDF of their Symposium Session: "Medical Tourism -- Vietnamese American International Hospital: A Case Study"
The RTA Healthcare Architects Team was recently chosen as part of Banner Health's "select list of architects". As one of three architecture firms to be added to this list in Colorado, RTA will provide design services in an ongoing capacity for the non-profit healthcare provider.
Banner Health is one of the largest non-profit hospital systems in the United States. With operations in seven states, Banner provides nearly $80 million a year in Charity Care and employs more than 35,000 people in 23 hospitals and healthcare facilities.
RTA was selected for future consideration on Banner's medium to large projects. The firm was selected on the basis of a tight criteria including expertise in healthcare trends and experience with providing phased renovation within occupied spaces.
Healthcare architect Kevin Gould, AIA, responded to the selection with enthusiasm, "RTA's specific abilities are a match for Banner Health's improvement projects. We look forward to the opportunity to assist Banner in their growth in this region."
The Colorado Springs Downtown Partnership chose the RTA offices to be the site of their quarterly Membership Mixer. The late afternoon gathering included light hors d'oeuveres provided by the Springs Rescue Mission, wine by Vintages Wine and Spirits, and hand-crafted ale by Phantom Canyon Brewing Company.
Approximately 90 guests mingled around the third floor of the historic Hibbard Building (repurposed, updated and designed in 1997 by RTA Principal Perry Lewis).
Earlier in the week, the RTA offices had experienced a whirlwind clean-up by architects who are prone to living around creative piles of paper, samples, drafts, and construction documents. Downtown merchants and business owners enjoyed touring the newly tidied office and many comments were made about the open design and interesting office space.
The mixer also provided ample opportunity for business connections. RTA owner and Principal Randy Thorne said, "It was a great opportunity for me to reconnect with a bunch of business associates that I hadn't seen for a while. We appreciated the exposure."
The American Institute of Architects (AIA), Colorado South Chapter, recognized its 2011 architectural design awards recipients during a ceremony on Friday, Aug. 19, at the Edith Kinney Gaylord Cornerstone Arts Center on the Colorado College campus in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
AIA Honor Award for Built Architecture
RTA architects Michael Riggs and Doug Abernethy attended the ceremony and received the Honor Award for Built Architecture for Arapahoe Ridge High School (Boulder, Colorado). RTA was selected from nine entries submitted by architect members of AIA Colorado South. The awards were presented by Jury Chair Michael Crow, AIA.
RTA has longstanding experience in Boulder, and continues to partner on multiple school design projects with the Boulder Valley School District.
About AIA South
For more than 150 years, members of The American Institute of Architects (AIA) have worked with each other and their communities to create more valuable, healthy, secure and sustainable buildings and cityscapes. AIA Colorado South is one of four chapters within the AIA Colorado component. This chapter is comprised of members from 18 counties in south and southeastern Colorado and includes the cities of Colorado Springs, Alamosa, Pueblo and La Junta.
Recently one of RTA's Critical Care Unit designs was included in a submittal for an CCU Citation Award for Best CCU Design of the year.
Centura Health Colorado chose RTA to design the Critical Care Unit at Parker Adventist Hospital in Parker, Colorado. The newly completed CCU is a stand-out project because it demonstrates unique design goals and criteria.
GOAL: The construction of a Critical Care Unit using proven evidence based design concepts that integrate the organization's core values: compassion, respect, integrity, spirituality, stewardship, imagination, and excellence.
The Parker CCU project also demonstrates the following criteria:
See the layout to get a broader picture of RTA's state-of-the-art critical care design at Parker.
