DECEMBER 2015 \ BUILDING DIALOGUE \
49
T
he Moffat PK-12 School sits in the northern
San Luis Valley and serves approximately 135
PK-12 students in this district in eastern Sa-
guache County, Colorado. RTA Architects is cel-
ebrating its 40th year of school planning and design,
and it seems fitting that the completion of the $16 mil-
lion Moffat School garnered a record-setting number
of student letters thanking us for our thoughtfulness in
designing a school unique to their community.
The original school was a single-story building, con-
structed in 1921 and modified in the 1950s, 1982 and again
in 1997. By 2013, the foundationwas crumbling and the roof
was leaking. Other deficiencies included health hazards,
lack of technology, excessive operating costs, a poor learn-
ing environment, lack of ADA compliance and possible asbestos. The ma-
jority of the building systems were beyond their life expectancy.
The age, condition and difficult layout of the school prompted the
Moffat Board of Education to pursue an independent assessment of the
facilities and launch a Master Plan process in 2012. The community was
fully engaged in the entire project from the initial design advisory group
process.
In the fall of 2013, with the master plan completed, the district success-
fully applied for a grant from the BEST Capital Construction Assistance
program for approximately $12 million to deliver a school to replace the
existing facilities. After a successful passage of the bond referendum in
November 2013, the district and RTA Architects began to engage the com-
munity in the design of the new PK-12 school.
The DAG, made up of community members, faculty, administrators and
students generated 26 different design options for the school, and then
RTA Architects chaperoned the DAG through the process of selecting the
best solution for the students and community. The extreme climate in the
San Luis Valley, with temperatures often fluctuating 50 degrees daily, was
a major concern for the design team. In addition, the community had a
strong desire to implement passive heating and cooling strategies into the
final design solution.
RTAdesigned the exterior skin to protect the inhabitants of the building
from harsh climate, but also to allowed the general contractor the abili-
ty to continue the construction process through the challenging winter
months. The building incorporates a mixture of a metal panel exterior,
expansive south-facing windows to allow for heat gain in the winter
months, and other passive two-story heating and cooling strategies.
Love Letters from
the Students:
A New Measure of Success
Doug
Abernethy, AIA
Principal,
RTA
Architects
