2025 Mountain States Best Projects
Award of Merit, K-12 Education and Best Sustainability: Denver Public Schools Responsive Arts & STEAM Academy (RASA)
Denver Public Schools Responsive Arts & STEAM Academy (RASA)
Denver
EXCELLENCE IN SUSTAINABILITY and Award of Merit, K-12 Education
Submitted by Swinerton
Owner Denver Public Schools
Lead Design Firm DLR Group
General Contractor Swinerton
Civil Engineer Wohnrade Civil Engineers
MEP Engineer 360 Engineering
Situated in what was initially an underdeveloped neighborhood, this PK-5 campus is already serving a fast-growing community near Denver International Airport.
The 87,000-sq-ft school features classroom space, a full-service kitchen, a theatrical stage, art rooms, teacher collaboration spaces and a gymnasium. A 44,000-sq-ft addition tacked onto the project includes labs, a dance studio and adaptable teaching areas. Infrastructure was also integrated to allow for future construction of a middle school wing.
RASA is the district’s first all-electric school and one of the first in Colorado to use mass timber construction. The design reduced the building’s energy use intensity by 50% compared with similar schools. All exterior lighting uses LEDs for lower energy consumption, and the school features low-water landscaping and artificial turf for grassy areas, low-flow water fixtures and solar panels. During its first year in operation, the school is expected to source 70-80% of its power from solar energy.
Precast concrete panels enhance the school’s thermal efficiency and reduce the energy needed for heating and cooling. Although the original design called for long-span steel joists, steel lead times were running at around nine months, and the contractor investigated replacing the long span steel joists with glulam and CLT decking. Although wood was more expensive, mass timber was procured more quickly, reducing the schedule by two months.
