RA + A philosophy of design is that structures in our built environment should be appropriate to their context. This means that structures should be compatible with the natural environment, taking advantage of the natural topography, solar orientation, and existing adjacent land features, maximizing ultimate efficiency. Our focus is increasingly on sustainable design and the use of natural and alternative materials in creating effective, efficient and innovative design solutions. The firm is an advocate of the sensible use of sustainable building materials and technologies, and committed to creating uniquely comfortable living, play and working spaces that place us in harmony with our neighbors, our communities and our environment. Among our employees are two LEED Accredited Professionals who provides LEED consultation and documentation.

RA + A’s projects include three LEED certified buildings, a new Hotel in Pagosa Springs that achieved LEED Gold, the new City Hall/Library for the city of Alamosa that achieved LEED Silver, and most recently, the new City Hall for the City of Cortez, which achieved LEED silver. Green design is incorporated into all of our projects as much as budget allows. We go through the LEED checklist with the client group and determine what items are realistic to incorporate. These include alternative energy features (solar PV, ground-source heat pump systems), low VOC interior finishes, passive solar features, plus many of the site planning items from the LEED checklist (access to public transportation, etc.).