Founded in 1999 under a California Energy Commission study, the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) was created with the goal of improving school environments. CHPS achieved this through the creation of a comprehensive set of best practices and a holistic building rating system that address all areas of Green School Design, including site design, materials, energy efficiency, water conservation and indoor environmental quality. QKA assisted in the preparation of the first CHPS Best Practices Manual and criteria in 2001, and continues to contribute to the development of these tools. At QKA we use the CHPS best practices in the design of every project and use the CHPS criteria to evaluate our projects at every phase of design.

As an example of QKA’s design prowess, our work for Kenilworth Junior High School in Petaluma qualifies as a Collaborative for High Performance School (CHPS). The school provides state of the art energy efficiency, use of “green” materials, greatly improved indoor air quality, use of natural daylight and natural cooling through “cool towers.” Currently under construction is our largest highly sustainable project, the new American Canyon High School located on a 60 acre site in southern Napa County. The 2,200 student campus embraces sustainability and is the first school to gain design approval under the CHPS Verified program for green schools. American Canyon High School will also receive almost $1,000,000 in additional funding through the California Office of Public School Construction’s High Performance Incentive program. Beginning construction in 2009 Dr. Martin Luther King Elementary School in Richmond is another CHPS Designed School, featuring daylighting and sustainable materials.