Welcome to International Realty Plus New Mexico
ByGabriel Vasquez
Las Cruces Bulletin
“Beautiful,” some have said. Others, “classic and timeless.”
The New Mexico State University Center for the Arts, to begin construction soon on the corner of Espina Street and University Avenue, is a 50,000-square-foot project co-designed by longtime Las Cruces company ASA Architects. The firm has had a long-standing relationship with various institutions in Las Cruces, building and renovating dozens of public and private facilities over the last 30 years.
The arts project, a partnership with New York design firm Holzman, Moss, Bottino, will be designed in various phases and incorporate the historic style of of the neighboring Henry Trost building, which is part of the current Music Center, which ASA helped design.
“We know the local environment and vernacular building styles that have helped us partner with the New York firm to have a good understanding of what would be an appropriate arts facility for this location,” said Ted Shelton, president and principal officer for ASA.
“The building is going to have a very striking look on the campus and it’s at a key gateway entrance to the campus.”
The arts complex will house the fine, creative and performing arts at NMSU. It will feature a 500-seat drama theater, a 250-seat screening theater and a 100-seat black box facility. Space will be created for teaching, exhibition, meeting and administrative services. One of Shelton’s favorite design elements is the main lobby, which will mimic the look and feel of an arroyo.
“The community access point is designed to recall an arroyo in the desert Southwest,” Shelton said. “It’s going to be a tall space with undulating sides and will connect to the various points in the building.
“It’s a tough design because this building doesn’t really have a back. There are primary entrances at three points and all of those entrances lead to the arroyo. You could see up three stories high from the arroyo, and also you can look down at the lobby area from high up in the building. It will be a very dramatic space.”
Travertine from a quarry in Belen, N.M., will be used as the primary stone for the building, Shelton added.
“We’re using New Mexico materials and other objects that come from our desert Southwest,” he said.
ASA Architects was founded in 1968 in Roswell, N.M., and has grown to become southern New Mexico’s largest architectural firm with its headquarters now in Las Cruces. ASA also has offices in Roswell, El Paso and Zacatecas, Mexico.
During the last three years, ASA has completed more than $180 million in projects forsouthern New Mexico municipalities, urban housing authorities, financial institutions, religious groups, universities and various school districts.
“As far as the courts go, pretty much everything below the federal level we’ve designed since 1980,” Shelton said.
Among the key projects ASA is currently working on is the new high school for Las Cruces Public Schools, a $100 million school to serve 2,000 students.
The design mission of the new high school is to “create a state-of-the-art facility with an emphasis on student-teacher interaction and awareness through smaller groups, while maintaining an appreciation of the larger environment we affect and are an integral part of,” according to Gary Yabumoto, ASA Architects vice president.
The new high school is Las Cruces Public Schools’ largest-ever school project.It is currently under construction north of Dripping Springs Road and west of Sonoma Ranch Boulevard. The building will house a ninth grade academy component and three wings housing various “career clusters.” Different career paths located in the career clusters will focus on more specific instruction depending on the student’s interests and career path, Yabumoto said.
ASA employs 35, with positions ranging from project architects to LEED specialists and interior designers.
Other notable ASA projects include the 32,000-square-foot Las Cruces police admin-istration complex, Las Cruces Fire Station No. 6, the Las Cruces Imaging Center, the Laabs and East Mesa swimming pools, the “front door” of the Mesilla Valley Community of Hope, the Head Start and early childhood buildings, the headquarters for Bank of the Rio Grande, the Compass Bank office complex and the Las Cruces Borman Honda showroom.
“Mostly, we’ve been involved in publicbuilding projects,” Shelton said. “We haven’t suffered as much (from the economy) because we don’t undertake too many private developments, which have slowed down.”
ASA also spearheaded the First Annual Canstruction 2008 competition to benefit the Casa de Peregrinos food bank. The local chapter of the the American Institute of Architects held the benefit in October 2008 at Mesilla Valley Mall, which was followed by a weeklong exhibit. ASA and other regional architectural firms used hundreds of full cans of food to design and build structures that resemble hot air balloons. Between 2,000 and 3,000 cans were donated to Casa following the exhibition.
ASA also has an established relationship with NMSU, designing and renovating buildings such as Regents Row, the Astronomy Building, McClure Hall, the University Tennis Center, Natatorium, Goddard Hall, Visitor’s Center and Zuhl Museum and Branson Library.
For more information on ASA Architects, visit www.asa-architects.com.
We’re using New Mexico materials that come from our desert Southwest.
TED SHELTON, president, ASA Architects
Front, Malcolm Holzman of Holzman, Moss, Bottino, Ted Shelton and Swapnil Ukey of ASA Architects and back, Heidi Frohnapfel, Brenda Gomez and Maunel Alvidrez of ASA Architects attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the New Mexico State University Center for the Arts Thursday, July 15. ASA Architects co-designed the new arts center in partnership with New York-based firm Holzman, Moss, Bottino.
ASA Architects photo
A digital depiction looking south at the gymnasium of the new high school
An aerial rendering of the ASA-designed high school currently under construction for Las Cruces Public Schools
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Billy Bullock
PROFESSIONAL:
I have been in real estate since 1977 and became a licensed agent in 1978. I realized that I desired to own my own company and became a broker in 1979. I have been practicing real estate continually since then. In the beginning of my career in real estate, I specialized in farms, land, and eventually moved into developing subdivisions, building, and selling homes. I am also a CRS designee (Certified Residential Specialist) and a GRI (Graduate of the Real Estate Institute) for my professional designations. I served on the Board for the Las Cruces Association of Realtors for approximately 9 years serving in every office including President in 1996. I served on the City County Liaison Committee/Legislative for 12 years, Professional Standards for 9 years and numerous other committees in the Association. I also served as a Director for the Realtor’s Association of New Mexico (RANM) and Chair of the Professional Standards Committee for the State, SW Regional, and local.
COMMUNITY:
I have served on the Dona Ana Planning and Zoning Commission from 1997-2004, chairing in 2004 and part of 2005 and ending my tenure on the commission in 2006. I am chair of the Doña Ana County Subdivision Task Force Committee and a member of the Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce, Better Business Bureau, Rotary Club of Las Cruces (President in 1998), a member of First Baptist Church and a member of Real Estate Association of NM.
Gwen Gomez
Gwen Gomez, a licensed Associate Broker and Property Manager has been with the company since 2004.She handles tenant relations, leasing, finances, and over sees maintenance. Prior to joining International Realty Plus New Mexico, she manages her own investments in Ruidoso, after retiring from Mid-State Bank in Santa Barbara, Ca. Gwen resides with her husband, Chris a Captain at WSMR Fire Dept, and her teenage daughter, Brianne. To balance her life Gwen enjoys playing with her dogs, cats, and turtles, and relaxing in the cool pines of Ruidoso with her family.
Lance Swarengin
Hello, my name is Lance Swarengin. I was raised in a small farm community on the Southeastern side of New Mexico. My parents instilled in me a strong work ethic from the time I was able to do chores until I was ready to go to college. I believe that doing what is right and working hard will get you far in life and that is what I base my business practices on. I attended New Mexico State University and graduated, in the fall of 2008, with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture: Agriculture Business with a minor in Marketing. I received my Real Estate License in January of 2009 and have been working diligently to start a business for myself. I am young, hard working and ready to be “Your Realtor”!
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