An architecture firm headquartered in Colorado Springs has merged with a national brand.

RTA Architects has operated in Colorado Springs for 51 years. The firm designed landmarks like the Pikes Peak Visitors Center and the Hybl Sports Medicine and Performance Center at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

On Aug. 4, the firm announced a merger with Connecticut-based SLAM Collaborative. RTA’s team of 45 employees will join the 280-ish at SLAM, which has offices in Denver, Atlanta, Orlando, Fla., and Los Angeles, among others.

Both firms realized they could share assets that benefit both organizations, said Doug Abernathy, a former president of RTA and one of nine owners.

“We have very similar goals and a very similar approach to practicing architecture and supporting a community. … We’re still very connected to Colorado and Colorado Springs,” Abernathy said, adding that SLAM saw that as a strength. “By having more resources and more expertise that we can draw on and share, we have more to offer our community.”

Abernathy and the other owners of RTA will “continue local leadership” while playing a role in SLAM’s “national direction and strategy,” according to a press release from SLAM.

RTA will continue to positively impact the state and city’s built environment, but potentially with more support from the national network they are now part of, Abernathy said. The merger gives RTA a greater ability to learn from national partners and bring new practices to Colorado, he added.

The merger is atypical in at least one way. Rather than layoffs, RTA hired a new employee right after the merger, Abernathy said.

“We as RTA weren’t necessarily looking for more interior designers in our office,” he said, adding the company has six already.

But as part of the larger firm, having a talented designer on staff that RTA could mentor and train could provide long-term benefits for both the local and national offices, Abernathy said.  

“The first day after the merger, we have our first new employee,” Abernathy said. The merger also provides more resources and better connection with other offices nationwide, giving RTA the ability to “bring talent to Colorado Springs.”

In addition to the Hybl Center and the Pikes Peak Visitors Center, RTA was behind the renovation of the Space Foundation’s Discovery Center and renovations at Ridgeway Elementary School. The firm also designed Pikes Peak Hospice and Palliative Care and the St. Francis Hospital tower expansion.

The firm also is doing design work on the Douglass Valley Elementary School rebuild, The Gazette previously reported.