We’re delighted to share that Rowland+Broughton led by principals John Rowland, AIA and Sarah Broughton, FAIA, was recently featured in Aspen Sojourner as one of the local practices shaping Aspen’s architectural and cultural landscape.
The article reflects on how John and Sarah’s work has quietly but meaningfully influenced many of Aspen’s most familiar gathering places. From hospitality interiors to civic and institutional spaces, Rowland+Broughton’s projects often function as the town’s shared living rooms, environments designed not only for beauty, but for connection, longevity and daily use.
Among the projects highlighted are R+B’s long-standing contributions to the Hotel Jerome, including the reimagining of tits public interiors and the transformation of the former Aspen Times building into the intimate cocktail lounge Bad Harriet. The firm’s imprint can also be felt throughout downtown Aspen in hospitality spaces such as White House Tavern and Matsuhisa, where material warmth, thoughtful detailing, and a strong sense of place shape the guest experience.
Beyond hospitality, the article notes the firm’s commitment to stewardship and preservation. Rowland+Broughton’s Aspen office occupies the restored 1889 Mesa Store Building on Main Street, a Victorian-era landmark that reflects the firm’s reverence for Aspen’s architectural past while supporting a contemporary design practice. The same sensitivity guided R+B’s work on the Boettcher Center at the Aspen Institute, where the enclosure of the courtyard not only improved year-round functionality but significantly enhanced energy performance; a project that ultimately led to the firm’s selection as architect of record for Resnick Center for Herbert Bayer Studies.
Together, these projects illustrate the philosophy John Rowland and Sarah Broughton bring into every commission: a belief that architecture and interiors should be rooted in context, shaped by history, and responsive to how people truly inhabit a space. As the Aspen Sojourner article makes clear, Rowland+Broughton’s work continues to help define Aspen not through a singular style, but through a thoughtful, collaborative approach that honors place and elevates everyday experience.