This past month, we have been truly fortunate to continue working on our education design projects – and all the while, we have been aware that our schools, educators and students need additional help with resources for distance learning. This is why in our overall pursuit to support districts through this pandemic, we set aside funding to donate crucial resources to local schools in dire need – Wi-Fi hotspots, Chromebook laptops, copy paper for at-home learning packets and funding for food relief to support those families struggling to put food on the table. Thank you to our local paper, the Press Democrat, as well as Bay Area broadcast station KRON 4, for covering our efforts. We hope that the coverage inspires others to affect bold change in their own communities.

Bridging the Gap: Addressing Equity with Distance Learning
Mark Quattrocchi, FAIA

Lately, I’m reminded of Columbian author Gabriel García Márquez’s novel, Love in the Time of Cholera, where protagonists Fermina and Florentino are left forever adrift on the Magdalena River, confined to a ship bearing the Cholera flag. Similarly, COVID-19 ha...

Principal Mark Quattrocchi offered his insights to leading industry outlet School Construction News, joining voices with esteemed architects from across the nation to weigh in on the evolution of education design and the biggest influences on today's design trends. In the Architect Roundtable, Mark shares his thoughts on topics from green design to campus safety and Career Technical Education spaces, as well as the importance of district-specific communications planning throughout the design process. We love hearing Mark's perspective on all things K-12 design!

We are grateful to have been recognized among the North Bay Business Journal's lineup of “Top Projects" throughout the North Bay. Bacich Elementary School in Greenbrae was honored for its new classroom and administration building, while Cardinal Newman High School and St. Rose Preschool in Santa Rosa were lauded as examples of hope in the rebuilding process following the Tubbs Fire. Thank you to our clients and all of our project partners! We’re proud of the new and enhanced environments these students, teachers and staff can now enjoy.

It’s been a busy back to school season celebrating grand openings and groundbreakings at several project sites, including Homestead High School’s Innovation Hub in the Fremont Union High School District. QKA was thrilled to be a part of the celebration officially welcoming students and staff to new classrooms, a lab, and a shop all organized for ease of collaboration and interdisciplinary...

Thank you to our fabulous team for voting us a “Best Place to Work" for the 10th year! We operate on the belief that a company is its employees and we deeply value the support and innovation of our staff at every level as we continue to pursue meaningful and forward-thinking projects throughout the North and East Bay Areas. We are certainly in good company and congratulate our fellow l...

QKA is thrilled to have been recognized this year on ENR's “Top 100 Green Design Firm” for 2019, ranking #98 on the national list. We continue to strive to make sustainability, longevity, and efficiency the foundation of our designs for educational spaces.

It’s been a fun month celebrating the reopening of Historic Alameda High School for students, teachers and staff this school year after a careful and rewarding restoration and renovation process. QKA has been honored to be a part of this project from the beginning, ultimately providing modern learning environments and seismically safe buildings while preserving their history and character. Th...

National industry publication Building Design + Construction’s highly-anticipated annual Giants 300 Report is out! QKA continues to climb up these lists year-after-year, landing at #76 on the “Top 150 Architecture Firms” and #11 on the “Top 140 K-12 Architecture Firms” for 2019. Our work to help rebuild local fire-damaged schools was also included in an architecture news roundup.

The report ranks architecture, engineering and construction firms by discipline and across more than 20 building sectors and specialty services. More than 485 U.S.-based firms participated in the 2019 Giants 300 Report.

After the Tubbs Fire tore through our community nearly two years ago, we are excited to be a part of tangible milestones like the completion of Cardinal Newman High School’s new North Classroom Building, which was ready to welcome students for the new school year. We look forward to continuing to be a part of the school’s rebuild. Thank you to the Press Democrat for profiling the joy, hope and resilience of Cardinal Newman's students and staff.