QKArchiblog » Green

America’s Greenest High School

Amy — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 22:40:38 +0000

American Canyon High School - December 2011 aerial

Huffington Post contributer Carl Pope recently declared that American Canyon High School is America’s Greenest High School. A model of sustainbility, American Canyon High School is the highest scoring CHPS* verified school in California. Mr. Pope states; “In five years, my hope is that the American Canyon is no longer America’s greenest school — I hope it is simply one of hundreds, a very typical experience for American children.” At QKA we wholeheartedly agree!

*Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS)

American Canyon High School Goes Solar!

Amy — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 22:08:39 +0000

SPG Solar and Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA) successfully installed a 1 megawatt DC ground and rooftop solar power system at Napa Valley Unified School District’s, American Canyon High School. This system will generate up to 80% of the campus’ electricity at full occupancy and provide a savings of up to $17,000,000 over the next 25 years.

“Through the great partnership with Napa Valley Unified School District (NVUSD) and QKA, this system will provide long term financial savings and hands-on learning for the students about the positive impact of solar power,” said Chris Robine, CEO and President of SPG Solar.

The over 4,000 American-made solar panels, mounted on the school’s roof and on a fixed-tilt ground mount system, will produce over 1.1 million kilowatt hours annually, equivalent to providing power to over 105 average American homes annually.

American Canyon High School has been certified by the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) – a green building rating system for K-12 school, similar to LEED for Schools. American Canyon High School is the highest ranking CHPS verified school in California.

“The new solar power system at American Canyon High School is an excellent example of NVUSD’s leadership. By building upon the sustainable design of their campus and showing their commitment to the environment the District will save a significant amount of money that can now be used for educational purposes,” said Aaron Jobson, Principal at Quattrocchi Kwok Architects.

At the ribbon cutting celebration Wednesday November 16th, Bill Orr, Executive Director of CHPS was on hand to present the CHPS verified plaque to Principal Mark Brewer and Superintendent Dr. Patrick Sweeney. In honor of this green building certification, Melissa Rodezno, an aide to Congressman Mike Thompson, presented the District with a Congressional Recognition certificate.

Solar Project Receives Gold Resolution

Amy — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:43:11 +0000

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors has commended the West Sonoma County Union High School District and Quattrocchi Kwok Architects for their innovative solar project by presenting the project with a Gold Resolution. The 843kW solar power system will provide 80% of the power needs of the District’s three schools: Analy, El Molino and Laguna High Schools. Project consists of 70% elevated solar arrays and 30% ground mounted arrays. The project will not only reduce the District’s carbon footprint and result in energy savings of over $250,000 per year, but will also take advantage of the California Solar Initiative, which will gain the District another $1,200,000 over the next five years. In addition the project provides an educational demonstration for the community and will guide solar curriculum for the District. Fifth District Supervisor Efren Carrillo presented the Gold Resolution at El Molino High School last month and will be speaking again at Analy High School’s ribbon cutting at 4 p.m., Wednesday, November 9th at Analy High School – 6950 Analy Ave. (north student parking lot/easy parking lot access from High School Road), Sebastopol. Join us!

Targeting Net Zero – Energy Design Best Practices

Amy — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 20:45:27 +0000

Brought to you by the Redwood Empire Chapter of AIA and the City of Santa Rosa,
QKA Project Architect Diane Rappold will be a panelist at this evening’s discussion about how to achieve deep savings in building energy use during the early stages of planning and design.

When: Wed Sep 28th, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Where: City of Santa Rosa building – 35 Stony Point Road, Santa Rosa

American Canyon High School featured in The Architect’s Newspaper

Amy — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 22:07:03 +0000

American Canyon High School, American Canyon, CA

“The kids may be out of the classroom for the summer, but school design is definitely in session. Lydia Lee studies how public and private schools are investing in ultra high-performance buildings that provide better learning environments and teach by example.”

Best Green Projects: Case Studies in Sustainable Design Success

Amy — Wed, 18 May 2011 18:05:16 +0000

QKA Principal Aaron Jobson will be a speaker in this webinar tomorrow. Here are the details:

WHO:
GRAPHISOFT, the leader in Building Information Modeling (BIM) software

WHAT:
Best Green Projects: Case Studies in Sustainable Design Success, a webinar hosted by Architectural Record and GreenSource, and sponsored by GRAPHISOFT. AIA members will receive continuing education credit.

WHEN:
May 19, 2011 from 2 to 3 p.m. EDT

FOCUS:
Learn how fellow architects develop and deploy best practices in sustainable design. Three architects with diverse and interesting green projects in North America will present their projects of distinct scales, illustrating best practices in achieving high performance design with exceptional aesthetic standards. Topics to be discussed include material and technology choices; energy-saving strategies; balancing aesthetics with performance; meeting and managing client expectations; attaining an eco-friendly building within schedule and budget, outcomes from utilizing BIM, and post-occupancy lessons learned.

GreenSource’s Managing Editor Jane Kolleeny will host the event.

GRAPHISOFT Director of Virtual Design and Construction, Kurt Ameringer, will kick it off and introduce the panelists.

Bob Miklos, Founder of designLAB architects, Inc. will discuss his IFAW World Headquarters project and his pragmatic approach to environmentalism.

Aaron Jobson, AIA, LEED AP, Principal, Quattrocchi Kwok Architects will talk about American Canyon High School, and the importance of BIM in sustainable design.

Bradley Khouri, AIA, Principal & Founder, b9 architects, Inc. will highlight his “Urban Canyon” residential design and the use of reclaimed materials.

Solar in San Mateo

Amy — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 18:12:43 +0000

QKA is working with San Mateo Union High School District to install photovoltaic (PV) systems at six of its high school campuses (Hillsdale High School featured above). The PV systems totalling 3.6 megawatts, will help the District lower it’s $1.1 million annual electricity bill.

This project was the cover story in Western Roofing magazine’s Nov./Dec.2010 issue. QKA Project Architect Nick Stephenson’s quote from the article says it best—”For QKA, it is gratifying to work on a project where the commitment to solar energy is the centerpiece.”

Raising Ross School

Amy — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 00:13:27 +0000

Ross School is one of the most unique projects in our firm’s 25 year history. We secured an unprecedented $1 million in FEMA funding to lift a portion of the school four feet out of the flood plain. As the final phase of our work at Ross continues, here is a visual preview of what we’ve recently completed.

Teaching Tool – Photovoltaic Monitoring at Mendocino K-8

Amy — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 22:56:50 +0000

This web based K-8 Photovoltaic monitoring system is a remarkable display that shows current and historic PV panel output for the school. The display translates the energy production to its environmental benefits–a real time teachable moment for students. Since this is web based it can be displayed anywhere on campus.

Eco-Structure Magazine Visits American Canyon High School

Amy — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 16:35:22 +0000

Recently Eco-Structure magazine interviewed Bill Orr, Executive Director of the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS). The interview took place at American Canyon High School—the first Verified CHPS school in California. Read the article here.