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Best Green Projects: Case Studies in Sustainable Design Success

Wednesday, May 18th, 2011

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.

Tags: aaron jobson, architecture for education, BIM, Green, qka, quattrocchi kwok architects, Sustainable Design
Posted in BIM | No Comments »

Saving Lives One Pint at a Time

Friday, April 29th, 2011

We’re a firm of nearly 50, yet we truly have a family atmosphere here at QKA. There have been many times I’ve felt honored to be amongst this group of people. Last Monday was one of those moments. Organized by fellow QKA’er Carol, the bus from the Blood Bank of the Redwoods parked in front of our office for a blood drive. Carol reached out to our staff, consultants, local businesses and friends to honor our colleague Spencer and support his fight against cancer. There was a line going out the bus door. FORTY FOUR people gave blood and it would have been more if there had been more time. Carol said it best in an office-wide email; “In addition to honoring Spencer, his supremely positive spirit and his fight against this cancer, we saved lives today and THAT, my friends, is no small thing.”

Tags: Blood Bank of the Redwoods, qka, quattrocchi kwok architects
Posted in QKAers | 1 Comment »

Solar in San Mateo

Thursday, March 10th, 2011

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.”

Tags: California, Education, Energy, Energy Efficiency, Green, Green Schools, Photovoltaic, qka, quattrocchi kwok architects, Solar, Solar Panels, Sustainable Design
Posted in In the Works | No Comments »

Raising Ross School

Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011

: Before – Flood Conditions

: After

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.

Tags: Architecture, construction industry, Education, Green, Green Architecture, Green Schools, mark quattrocchi, qka, quattrocchi kwok architects, Sustainable Design
Posted in In the Works | No Comments »

Ross Gym’s Big Beam

Thursday, February 10th, 2011

Construction on the gym is well underway at Ross School. Recently an 85 foot beam that spans over the bleachers and supports five trusses that cross the gym was lifted by a 300 ton crane. The beam weighs 264lbs./linear foot and was 83.5′ long, 40″ deep. That’s roughly 11 tons!

Tags: Architecture, California, construction industry, Education, Green Architecture, Green Schools, qka, quattrocchi kwok architects, Ross School
Posted in In the Works | No Comments »

Handcar Regatta 2010

Tuesday, October 5th, 2010

This past year QKA employees Schuyler and Janelle attended an exhibition of art and handcars from the Handcar Regatta in 2009, an original Santa Rosa event where home-built human-powered contraptions are raced on the railroad tracks. Right then and there they decided to make a handcar to race, despite the fact that neither had constructed a movable, functioning mechanical sculpture on that scale before.

They both love bicycles and metalwork, and Janelle has a welder, so they figured they could probably work something out. Inspired by Willy Wonka’s car, Dr Seuss, and jellyfish, the two built their handcar at night and on weekends on Janelle’s back patio in the West End, with painting, building and general morale-boosting help from friends. The handcar, called Big Giant, was almost entirely constructed from recycled materials: old bike frames from the dump and Community Bikes cut up and welded together, part of a chair found by the side of the road, pipes from a car purchased at a garage sale, a friend’s torn curtains, fake leather from Jeff’s defunct couch, thrift store kitchen items, etc.

They constructed wheel guides out of bike tubing and rollerblade wheels to stay on the tracks. The first race was fantastic: they stayed on the tracks all the way to the finish line and actually won, amid wild cheering from the crowd! However, they started falling off the tracks during the second and third races as the forces on the wheel guides proved too great and they bent too much to keep the handcar on the tracks. The crowd cheered anyway as they ran alongside and pushed the handcar to the finish line.

Schuyler and Janelle rode Big Giant to the office a few days after the Regatta and gave Sara a ride around the block! They’ll be riding it around town…as they think about next year’s handcar. (**Click each photo for a closer look).

Tags: handcar regatta 2010, qka, quattrocchi kwok architects
Posted in QKAers | No Comments »

Get Ready for Some Football (and Soccer!)

Friday, September 17th, 2010

The new Napa Stadium is nearing completion. Click the image above for a closer glimpse at the renderings.

Tags: Architecture, construction industry, qka, quattrocchi kwok architects
Posted in In the Works | No Comments »

Teaching Tool – Photovoltaic Monitoring at Mendocino K-8

Thursday, September 16th, 2010

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.

Tags: Energy, Green, Green Architecture, Green Schools, Photovoltaic, qka, quattrocchi kwok architects, Solar, Sustainable Design
Posted in News Flash | No Comments »

Eco-Structure Magazine Visits American Canyon High School

Wednesday, September 15th, 2010

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.

Tags: American Canyon High School, Architecture, California, CHPS, Green, Green Architecture, Green Schools, qka, quattrocchi kwok architects, Sustainable Design
Posted in News Flash | No Comments »

Ross School Grand Opening

Thursday, August 26th, 2010

A wonderful grand opening of phase one of Ross School occurred on August 23rd. District Construction Manager Jim Walton and QKA Construction Manager Tenaya Dale (with adorable son Tyler) were on hand for last minute clean-up before the dedication ceremony. Former Superintendent Tammy Murphy returned from her new job in Southern California for the opening (see picture of Jim, Tenaya, Mark Quattrocchi and Tammy). Ribbon cutting was done by an incoming kindergartener and first grader with help from a Ross resident who graduated from Ross School in 1939! Truly a collaborative community event. Kudos to all involved.

Tags: Architecture, Green, Green Architecture, Green Schools, mark quattrocchi, qka, quattrocchi kwok architects, Ross School, Schools
Posted in News Flash | No Comments »

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