FIRM PROFILE

Reilly Johnson Architecture (RJA) is an architectural firm located in downtown Denver, Colorado.  Since 1988, RJA has specialized in the planning and design of Justice Architecture.  Since that time, the Firm has built its practice around the design of Justice Facilities including:  Courts, Sheriff and Police Law Enforcement, Adult and Juvenile Detention and Corrections, District Attorney and Probation offices.

RJA is recognized as a leader in the region for Justice Architecture, having planned and/or designed justice projects in Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico, Nebraska, and Iowa.  The regional map of the United States presented below shows, in “red”, the counties in the region where Reilly Johnson Architecture has provided planning and/or design services on Justice projects. Within Colorado, RJA has provided services for Justice projects in 29 of the State’s 64 counties.

Reilly Johnson Architecture has an extensive list of courts and detention/corrections projects.  And, over half of these projects involve major additions to, and remodeling of, existing facilities that must remain fully operational during what is often carefully panned phased construction that allows for the continued safety of the public, staff, and inmates.

The Firm has been responsible for planning and designing projects as small as a 32-bed addition to a county detention center in southern Colorado, to the Masterplanning, Concept Design, and Total Project Cost modeling of the $378M Denver Justice Center, comprised of a 1,500-bed Pre-Sentenced Detention Center, a Criminal and Juvenile Courts building with 35 court sets, and a 450 space parking structure with a United States Post Office.

Reilly Johnson Architecture has a staff of ten, including five registered architects, three graduate/intern architects, one CAD drafter and one administrative assistant. Most of our staff have extensive experience with courts, law enforcement, detention, corrections, District Attorney and Probation projects.  The three Principals in the Firm have an average of over 30 years experience each with courts, detention, corrections, and law enforcement projects.  All of our registered architects also have expertise in the planning, design, and/ or construction administration of detention/corrections and/ or courts. They have been involved in every phase of project delivery, including: space requirements, programming, master planning, Total Project Cost Modeling, concept design, existing facility review and analysis, design development, site design, production of construction documents, construction administration, and project close-out.

HISTORY

Reilly Johnson Architecture was founded by James Henderson in 1981, in Denver, as Henderson & Associates.  Robert Johnson joined the Firm in 1985, and Thomas Reilly joined the Firm in 1987, at which time the Firm was renamed Reilly Johnson Henderson & Associates.  Mr. Johnson and Mr. Reilly had worked together at RNL Design in Denver from 1978 through 1985.  In 1988 Mr. Reilly and Mr. Johnson purchased Mr. Henderson’s interest in the Firm and changed the name to Reilly Johnson Architecture.

Mr. Reilly retired from the Firm at year end 1997, at which time Richard Backes and Robert Brashears became owners and principals along with Mr. Johnson.  Mr. Brashears joined the fi rm in 1990 bringing extensive experience in the design of adult correctional facilities.  While with Monacelli Associates in Boston, he worked on several projects at the Cheshire Connecticut Prison and the Concord Massachusetts Prison, as well as providing correctional consulting services to other architectural firms in the area.  Mr. Backes joined the fi rm in 1996, having spent ten years in Wichita, Kansas and Kansas City, Kansas with Gossen Livingston Associates.  While with GLA, Mr. Backes worked on county adult + juvenile detention centers, state adult correctional facilities, and a Federal Building & United States Courthouse in Kansas City, Kansas.

RJA also has a great depth of experience in projects in which the construction contracts are negotiated with a CMAR (Construction Manager at Risk) or a CM | GC (Construction Manager | General Contractor) as an alternative to Lump Sum Bid Projects.

SERVICES

Reilly Johnson Architecture provides Long Term Facility Needs Assessments, Feasibility Studies, Site Analysis, Master Planning, Programming of Space Requirements, Concept Design, Preliminary Total Project Cost Modeling, Architecture, and Interior Design services for Justice Architecture.

RJA is committed to providing the highest level of service to our clients, as characterized by:

•  High Levels of Participation in all Projects by the Principals
•  Development of Highly Creative Design Solutions
•  Early Project Budgeting (Total Project Cost Modeling) and Continuous Cost Control
•  Prompt Attention and Timely Delivery of all Services
•  Management that Strives to Deliver Every Project on Time & Within Budget
•  Focus on Providing Clear Verbal & Written Communication
•  Vast Knowledge of Justice Facility Planning & Design