Joel
Williams

At a young age, Joel Williams had a keen interest in understanding how things fit together, often taking apart appliances to then put them back together again. He considered a career as a surgeon for this reason, but ultimately decided that architecture was the field he wanted to pursue. He earned a Master of Architecture at California College of Arts and Crafts in San Francisco and became a licensed architect in 2012.

Joel joined QKA in 2020 as a Studio Lead, bringing over a decade of experience specializing in public and private school projects, from small classroom renovations to large-scale campus master planning projects. Joel is particularly aware of the impact that educational spaces have on the students and teachers who occupy them – innovative school design can improve the quality of education and foster a positive trajectory for the students. He is personally invested in providing the best design possible to inspire and shape students as they learn and grow into the best version of themselves.

Throughout his career, Joel has embraced the collaborative nature of architecture and developed strong interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to remain calm under pressure. He enjoys building relationships with consultants and clients and working to understand the needs of a diverse group of stakeholders to achieve successful and rewarding outcomes.

Joel is also passionate about sustainable design and building systems and mechanics. By combining thoughtful integration of recycled and renewable resource strategies with crafted structural solutions he believes it is possible to create high-performance, sustainable architecture. Joel has been a LEED Accredited Professional since 2009.

In 2022, Joel was certified as an Accredited Learning Environments Planner (ALEP) by the Association for Learning Environments (A4LE), currently held by 375 of the nation’s most qualified designers and planners of school facilities. He has shared his knowledge at several workshops including at CHPS, A4LE and CASBO conferences.

Outside of work, he enjoys participating in endurance and adventure sports as well as watching his sons play baseball and soccer.