RTA Presents "Strategies Toward Safe and Secure 21st Century Schools" at 2022 EDspaces National Conference

2022 EDspaces is almost here! If you're headed to Portland, Oregon next week, be sure to add RTA's EDsession "Strategies Toward Safe and Secure 21st Century Schools" to your agenda. Hear from Principals Brian Calhoun and Ken Gregg and Associate Ericka Everett about the approach to effective school safety and security design while maintaining open, transparent 21st Century educational environments that resulted from their work with Littleton Public Schools for the new Newton Middle School.

Date: Wednesday, November 2nd
Time: 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Location: EDspaces Classroom E145

Learn more about this great session here... https://edspaces2022iframe.azurewebsites.net/SessionDetail.aspx?id=898600

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Another Successful Presentation in the Books, The Road to Zero Energy

Congratulations team! Another great presentation on The Road to Zero Energy is in the books, while having a little fun along the way, at the 2022 Healthcare Design Expo + Conference in San Antonio. Thank you to Pueblo Community Health Center CEO Donald More and Farnsworth Group Mechanical Engineer Corey Chinn for the great collaboration to present the results and impact of the new East Side Clinic!

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Celebrating Colorado Springs Design Week!

Happening tonight! We're thrilled to be a part of Colorado Springs Design Week! Visit our studio from 5:30 - 7:30 pm to meet our designers, experience 3D interactive tours of our latest projects, enjoy snacks and drinks, and more!

19 S Tejon St, Suite 300
Colorado Springs, CO 80903

Click here to learn more.

2022 CoS Design Week Studios to Visit

 

RTA Welcomes Four New Team Members

RTA is pleased to announce that it has welcomed four new staff members to our Architectural and Interior Design teams. Interior Design team member Emily Athey is a Colorado Springs native and a graduate of Lewis-Palmer School District 38’s Lewis-Palmer High School and the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind’s Bridges to Life program. She obtained her Associate of Applied Science in Interior Design from Pikes Peak State College.

Architectural team members include Emerging Professionals Ariel Beckstrom, Michael Storrer, and Ben Hearn. Beckstrom first joined RTA as a student intern, then transitioned to a full-time staff member upon the completion of her Master of Architecture from the University of Colorado Denver. Storrer joined RTA upon completion of his Master of Architecture from Kansas State University, and Hearn upon completion of his Bachelor of Architecture, with a minor in Interior Design, from the University of Oklahoma.

Join us in welcoming them to the RTA team!

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RTA Presenting The Road to Zero Energy at 2022 Healthcare Design Conference

If you're attending next month's Healthcare Design Expo + Conference in San Antonio, be sure to add our session to your agenda! The Road to Zero Energy will identify strategies that led to Pueblo Community Health Center's new East Side Clinic becoming the first emerging Zero Energy outpatient facility in Colorado.

Monday, October 10th, 3:45 pm
Session Number E54, Room 304BC

Click here for session details. 

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2022 Downtown Partnership's Annual Breakfast

As a long-time member of the Downtown Partnership of Colorado Springs, RTA was excited to be a sponsor of the annual breakfast, held this year at the new Ed Robson Area on the Colorado College Campus. With our offices located in downtown Colorado Springs for more than 20 years, RTA supports efforts to promote a vital downtown through our sponsorship, involvement, and advocacy. 

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Beyond the Blueprints: Interior Designer Ann Marie Jackson

In our newest Beyond the Blueprints feature, meet interior designer Ann Marie Jackson! At RTA, Ann Marie designs beautiful, functional spaces for our K-12 and healthcare clients. In her free time, she volunteers as a docent at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo to educate visitors about the reptiles and furry creatures she helps care for.

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  1. Why do you volunteer at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo?

I have always loved animals and considered being a zoologist, but I also enjoyed design and architecture. Even though design caught my attention for a career, I still love animals.   Volunteering at the zoo allows me to live in both worlds.

  1. What are some daily tasks you get to complete? What is your favorite?

My favorite thing is interacting with the public and experiencing their first-time interaction with an animal or seeing them light up when they learn something new and exciting. One instance that I remember was an older woman touching a snake for the first time with delight while her burly grandson was terrified and walked away. Both had vastly different interactions with the same animal.

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  1. How long have you been volunteering at the zoo? How long do you intend to stay?

I have volunteered at Cheyenne mountain zoo since 2014 and spent seven years at Potter Park Zoo in Lansing, Michigan. I enjoy this and will stick with it as long as I can juggle it with work and other activities. I can see myself being involved for a while.

  1. Do you work with all the animals? Do you have a favorite to work with?

I get to work with the small ambassador animals that live in the Loft; my favorite is Wakanda, a Moroccan Spiny Tailed lizard. I met him when he was very young and have seen him mature. His scales have an unusual texture for a reptile, and he is chartreuse green with a touch of blue-gray. He is beautiful.

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  1. What’s the most challenging part about volunteering?

The most common question is, “how old is the animal?”.   It is difficult to recall all those numbers. So I need to look it up each time before I present to be sure I tell the guests the correct information.

  1. Do you need any skills to be a volunteer at the zoo?

Not officially, but you should have a passion for animals and the environment. And to be a docent, it helps if you are comfortable talking and presenting in front of groups. The zoo provides a ten-week training class.

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Fowler School District R4J Breaks Ground for Building Addition

The Fowler School District R4J, Nunn Construction, and RTA celebrated the groundbreaking for the Jr./Sr. High school addition. This 66,000-sf addition to the south end of the existing elementary school will optimize the use of shared resources and create a safe, unified campus. This project was funded by a community Bond and the BEST program.  The design will also provide improved parent drop-off and pick-up, improved playgrounds, a new gymnasium, and a cafeteria with space for community use. Read more about this great project here.

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St. Francis Hospital Cuts the Ribbon for the IMCU-CCU Expansion at

We have been honored to work with St. Francis Hospital as it expands and renovates its’ campus over the last several years and were so happy to celebrate the ribbon-cutting for the fifth floor of the IMCU-CCU Expansion. This floor added 30 patient rooms for the Intermediate Care Unit bringing the total number of beds to 317. Read more about the expansion here.

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Cherry Creek School District Cuts the Ribbon for New Woodland Elementary School

The Cherry Creek School District and the community celebrated the completion of the new Woodland Elementary School with a fantastic ribbon-cutting ceremony. The pom squad and band were present to get the crowd fired up for this milestone. Financed through a bond measure to accommodate growth, this 74,000 sf elementary school features innovative 21st Century learning spaces promoting critical thinking, curiosity/inquiry, teamwork, project-based learning, real-world discovery, and problem-solving skills. Read more about this incredible new school here.

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