RTA Architects specializes in healthcare, education and retail projects in Colorado.

Premier Business Partners:

Jean Sebben Associates Boelter Design Group

Not many architectural companies have the depth of experience that RTA Architects possesses, notes John Hoelscher, partner at the Colorado Springs, Colo.-based firm. Founded in 1975, RTA positioned itself in three markets in Colorado that have experienced significant growth over the past 14 years: healthcare, education and retail. “As the Colorado population grows, those are the market segments that have been very strong,” Hoelscher says. “We’re the only architectural firm south of Denver that has extensive healthcare experience.”

RTA recently provided its expertise to St. Francis Medical Center, a 451,000-square-foot, 156-bed capacity hospital in Colorado. The seven-story, $140 million project for Centura Health Systems included an intensive care unit and a neonatal unit, as well as the capacity to add 72 more beds. The company worked with Earl Swensson Associates out of Nashville, Tenn. The architectural design budget for St. Francis is $9 million.   

Meeting The Owner’s Requirements
Completing large healthcare projects such as St. Francis can be a challenge, Hoelscher says, especially if documents are fast-tracked and released in multiple bid packages.

“Projects of this scale take about two years to build,” he states. “And because rapid changes occur in technology, [the owners] were not able to select their imaging equipment until [this past] February. “[During the design phase], we had to provide the infrastructure for equipment that had not even hit the market yet.”

This creates the potential for future conflicts, Hoelscher notes. “It’s frustrating for the design team because the owner is not ready to make decisions until new equipment has been evaluated,” he explains. “The CT [computed tomography] scanner and MRI requirements can vary greatly depending on the vendor.

“Of course, they can’t select equipment early because [the equipment] will be two years old by the time they open the facility,” he continues. “As a result, [owners] don’t want to make decisions until construction has started. It becomes somewhat problematic in the design phase, which also impacts the construction team.

“At St. Francis Medical Center – we left these areas completely open. The floor slab was not poured and the ceilings were left open to give us flexibility in our layout,” Hoelscher  adds. “Electrical service panels were oversized to, again, accommodate future load requirements,” he says.

Building Giants
Hoelscher predicts the future of the healthcare industry will be interesting. “As our politicians try to provide universal healthcare to everyone, there is going to be a tremendous impact on the whole healthcare system in terms of ways to make the system less expensive,” he explains.

“A portion of that savings [will come from] the infrastructure, buildings and the design process. “This causes concern that we have been investing in new construction that will not be sustainable from an operational standpoint.”

The United States will have to make some tough decisions, he continues. “I don’t believe we can have it all and still be able to afford it,” Hoelscher stresses. “For example, if we had a choice between the HIPAA [Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act] requirement vs. being able to provide timely CT scans – if you have a head injury, you may want the CT scanner over HIPAA.”

Finding Solutions
Hoelscher says he wants to see a cross-section of the entire healthcare system address the issue. “To do that, we will have to reverse-engineer our healthcare systems,” he notes.

“[We will need to figure out] what we [could] afford and back into the services that we can provide and the components we cannot provide. “It will require us to make some very hard decisions, and I don’t see anyone having this type of discussion.”

This dialogue requires representatives from all areas of the healthcare industry, Hoelscher adds. “The cost is so big that the government cannot absorb it,” he continues. “With my generation getting older, it will absolutely implode.

“We have to be smart on how to do that. It is not just the hospitals or the doctors or the insurance agencies; everyone has to be at the table,” Hoelscher adds. “Until that happens, universal healthcare is just a political slogan.”

As opposed to simply adapting the Canadian or British healthcare model, the United States has to develop its own model, based on our priorities and choices, Hoelscher says. “We cannot just assume that the Canadian model will work for us,” he states.

Important Asset
Performing the majority of its projects in Colorado, RTA Architects credits its success to its 56 employees. “It’s all about quality,” Hoelscher says. “We have principals in each area that have a great deal of experience. “We have 20 registered architects – a high percentage [in our area].

“Our team is staffed with people that are registered or have a number of years in the profession. “This helps us to staff with quality individuals.”

RTA says it works to maintain personal relationships, Hoelscher continues. “From the architectural standpoint, we need to be an information- and idea-based business and not depend on doing the contract documents for the bulk of our fees,” he emphasizes. 

“Clients will always come to RTA for planning and conceptualizing their projects. That can’t be done from a distance. “[Today], with the ability to transport information, that is going to be an impact on outsourcing. And you can’t outsource relationships.”