By SCN Staff
SANTA ROSA, Calif.鈥擰uattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA), a leading planning and design firm serving Northern California鈥檚 education industry, celebrates its 35th anniversary this month.
Headquartered in Santa Rosa and operating a second office in Oakland, the 68-person firm has made an actionable commitment to reviewing and improving its social justice and equity policies and practices through participation in the International Living Future Institute鈥檚 (ILFI) JUST 2.0 Program.
Last year, QKA employees founded the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Council to spearhead social justice initiatives within the firm, including submission for its JUST 2.0 label.
ILFI鈥檚 JUST Program is a voluntary disclosure tool for all organizations seeking to become just and equitable. Different than a traditional verification or certification program, JUST provides a transparency platform where policy statements on a number of human resource and community stewardship practices are disclosed. An organization鈥檚 resulting JUST 鈥渘utrition label鈥� is outlined by 22 specific social and equity indicators that are housed within six general categories: diversity + inclusion, equity, employee health, employee benefit, stewardship and purchasing.
Throughout the JUST submission process, QKA鈥檚 DEI Council worked to revise and add many firm policies to ensure all are equitable and inclusive. In addition, the Council is currently developing a strategic plan for more inclusive hiring practices, working to set up community outreach to schools to expose underrepresented students to careers in architecture, and has focused on firmwide trainings on topics including diversity and allyship.
鈥淧articipating in ILFI鈥檚 JUST Program has allowed us to take a truthful and transparent look at how we can best support our employees, clients and community and also do our part to create social change in the industry,鈥� said QKA Principal Aaron Jobson.
QKA鈥檚 35-year history has been marked by a track record of standout educational spaces. Its portfolio of award-winning projects includes the ambitiously sustainable American Canyon High School, Marin County鈥檚 forward-thinking The Cove School and Historic Alameda High School鈥檚 seismic retrofit and restoration. In 2015, QKA co-developed its own school building alternative, Folia鈥攆eaturing pre-engineered buildings that are durable, high-quality and flexible, while providing the cost and schedule efficiencies of modular construction.
鈥淩eflecting on the past 35 years and who we are today as a firm, QKA has truly always been focused on people, collaboration and innovation, and delivering great work,鈥� said QKA Founding Principal Mark Quattrocchi, FAIA. 鈥淢y partner Steve Kwok and I have long-believed that investing in our staff and the culture here will result in partnerships and projects that we can be immensely proud of. This could not be truer today as we look to the future, continuing to grow, improve and learn. I am in awe of QKA鈥檚 next generation of leaders as they take us down this path, including the work to obtain and respond to our JUST 2.0 label.鈥�
Also reflecting the significant value QKA places on its employees, at the outset of 2020, the firm became majority employee-owned through the adoption of an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP).
QKA provides comprehensive master planning and design services for K-12 and higher education, historic renovation and community facilities in Northern California. Founding Principal Mark Quattrocchi is a valued member of the 91视频 Editorial Advisory Board.