The former studio director joined QKA in 2020 and helped establish and expand its Denver operations to serve school districts across the Rocky Mountain region. As a principal, he will continue developing the design team鈥檚 capabilities and supporting growth across the firm.听

Williams has nearly 20 years of education design experience. His work includes classroom renovations and comprehensive campus master planning for public and private schools. He coordinates multidisciplinary project teams, consultants and educational stakeholders.听

QKA cited his work with school districts to address complex facility needs, combining sustainable design approaches with technical expertise. His credentials include LEED Accredited Professional and Accredited Learning Environments Planner, the latter through the Association for Learning Environments.听

鈥淓very project is an opportunity to positively influence a student鈥檚 educational experience, and I鈥檓 eager to continue collaborating with our talented team, consultants and clients to shape the next generation of learning spaces,鈥� Williams said in a press release from QKA.听

QKA CEO and President Aaron Jobson credited Williams with recruiting and mentoring staff, contributing technical expertise and maintaining a focus on student-centered design. Jobson also pointed to Williams鈥� relationships with school districts and industry partners and his role in extending QKA鈥檚 regional reach.听

Williams joins fellow principals Jobson, Jim Theiss, John Dybczak, Lyanne Schuster, Kevin Chapin, Nick Stephenson, Eddie VanSlambrouck and Tiffany Young.听

The post Quattrocchi Kwok Architects Promotes Joel Williams to Principal appeared first on 糖心少女.

The post Quattrocchi Kwok Architects Promotes Joel Williams to Principal appeared first on 糖心少女.

By Lindsey Coulter听

School restrooms have long been viewed as purely functional spaces, but educators, architects and administrators are increasingly recognizing that听restroom design can听have an outsized impact on safety,听wellness听and the overall student听experience. Rather than focusing solely on gender inclusion, many districts are rethinking restroom design as an opportunity to improve comfort,听privacy听and supervision听for all users.听

That shift is prompting architects to move beyond traditional multi-stall restroom layouts in favor of designs that create greater openness in shared spaces while offering significantly more privacy where students need it most.听Prompted in part by the AIA鈥檚听鈥淚nclusive restrooms & locker rooms in K-12 schools鈥� report听from听2024,听more education leaders and design partners are听reimagining听these critical spaces to offer听a more dignified approach to the traditional听restroom听experience听that also nets听better student health outcomes.听

Rethinking the Restroom听

According to Joel Williams,听Studio Director for Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA) in the firm鈥檚 Castle Rock, Colo., office,听the conversation has evolved well beyond accommodating specific student populations.听

“Restrooms are one of the most challenging spaces on a school campus,听from the student听experience standpoint and from the supervision standpoint,” Williams said. “It’s not a space听that听administrators can easily moderate. The bad stuff that happens on听a campus听often happens in a restroom.”听

For Williams, the discussion begins with a simple question: Are school restrooms actually serving students?听He often听references Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs when discussing restroom design with听education听clients.听Before students can fully engage academically, they must first feel physically safe and comfortable meeting their most basic needs.听

“Having things like air, food, water, shelter, sleep and clothing are foundational, and I think bathrooms fit in that layer,鈥� Williams said.听鈥淲hen students听avoid听using听the bathroom at school, that’s a very clear sign that it’s a problem.”听

Stakeholder engagement sessions reinforce that conclusion. When Williams asks students,听parents听and teachers to describe school restrooms, the responses听often include words such as “smelly,” “dirty,” “dark,”听and听“sketchy.鈥澨齎aping,听bullying听and general discomfort are听also听recurring concerns.听

Balancing Privacy听With听Supervision听

The greatest design challenge lies in balancing two competing priorities: creating听enough听privacy for students while听maintaining听enough visibility to discourage inappropriate behavior.听Rather than hiding the entire restroom behind a single door, many newer concepts shift openness deeper into听the space. Shared handwashing areas become visible from adjacent corridors, while individual toilet rooms are enclosed with full-height walls and doors听for more visual and acoustic privacy.听听

Because the shared areas听remain听visible, staff members no longer听have to听enter enclosed restroom spaces to听monitor听activity. Students moving in and out naturally create听additional听accountability, while security cameras can听monitor听circulation zones without compromising privacy inside the toilet rooms.听

The approach also addresses newer concerns such as digital bullying. Traditional partitions leave gaps above, below and beside stalls that can expose occupants to unwanted photography or harassment. Full-height compartments听largely eliminate听those vulnerabilities.听

Small Details Can Improve Comfort听

Beyond the overall layout, Williams believes听seemingly minor听design decisions can significantly improve the user experience.听Things like听door hardware听and听occupancy听indicators听to reassure users that the door is secured听contribute to reducing anxiety.听听

Accessibility is another opportunity to improve restroom functionality.听

Williams advocates听for听including sinks within larger accessible toilet rooms. While originally intended to serve wheelchair users, these spaces can also provide听additional听privacy for students dealing with medical conditions, menstrual听hygiene听or other personal needs.听

“It’s about providing space that accommodates other people who need whatever special considerations they may have on that particular visit,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淭hat’s an example of how we can make these spaces better for听everybody.”听

Read the full article in the Design & Construction issue of 糖心少女, available now.

The post A Better Bathroom for Everyone: Why Schools Are Moving Toward Inclusive Restroom Design听 appeared first on 糖心少女.

The post A Better Bathroom for Everyone: Why Schools Are Moving Toward Inclusive Restroom Design听 appeared first on 糖心少女.

The architecture firm 听鈥斕齱ith听offices听in Santa Rosa, Calif.,听and Oakland,听Calif. 鈥斕齬ecently advanced听it鈥檚听2030 vision by听establishing听an office in Castle Rock, Colo.听The听nearly 80-person听firm now has three employees in Colorado听supporting听projects across the company and听as they听look to build a strategic pipeline of opportunities in听the region.听Led by Studio Director Joel听Williams,听AIA,听LEED AP, ALEP,听the team also includes听Project听Designers Joseph Puyot and Spencer Robinson.听

Williams joined听QKA in 2020听and听has more than 18 years of experience in education design, from听small classroom renovations to large-scale campus master planning projects. With a leadership听style rooted in collaboration and听communication,听he will build on his established client and听partner relationships to grow QKA鈥檚 presence in the Rocky Mountains.听听

“This听expansion is a natural extension of our community-minded work in听California and听offers great听opportunities to build our talent pipeline in a听highly desirable听region to live and work,鈥� Williams said.听

Williams, who will also share his insights at the 糖心少女 (SCN)听Design & Construction Symposium听in August, spoke recently with SCN to explain why Colorado is a compelling market for K-12 design, and how architecture can help schools do more with limited resources.听

SCN:听Colorado has seen significant growth and voter support for school bonds. How do you see those market conditions shaping the next generation of school design in the state?听

Williams:听Colorado voters approved听nearly听$6 billion听in new school bond funding in the 2024 election cycle, with听additional听measures听anticipated听on the 2026 ballot. That sustained community investment reflects the same conviction听we鈥檝e听seen across the Bay Area: that well-designed schools are worth funding, and that communities will听back听that commitment at the ballot box.听

The policy landscape is similarly aligned. Evolving energy codes in both states are driving demand for schools that prioritize efficiency, renewable generation, and reduced fossil fuel reliance. Sustainability strategies that were once aspirational鈥攄aylighting, natural ventilation, solar generation, stormwater management鈥攁re now baseline expectations in both markets. The frontier of the conversation has moved upstream, from operational energy use to the embodied carbon inherent in the materials and processes听required听to build and renovate in the first place.听听

The key distinction between the two markets is demographic. California enrollment is听largely stable听or slightly declining, while Colorado鈥檚 population growth is driving enrollment increases and expanding housing development across the region. That translates into demand for both new campuses and significant modernization of existing ones.听

SCN:听Many districts are balancing enrollment growth, aging infrastructure, and budget pressure. How can architecture help schools do more with limited resources?听

Williams:听There is no universal answer to the gap between funding and听need听that every public school district faces. Sometimes a creative renovation is the right investment; sometimes demolition and replacement of an aging facility is the better long-term decision. What matters is that the solution fits the place.听

In every case, the goal is the same: buildings that meet today鈥檚 needs while听remaining听adaptable, and that incorporate systems district facilities staff can听actually operate听and maintain effectively. Architecture helps schools do more with limited resources when听it鈥檚听rigorous about long-term cost of ownership, not just first cost鈥攁nd when听it鈥檚听honest about which investments will still be paying dividends in 20 or 30 years.听

SCN:听Colorado districts vary widely鈥攆rom fast-growing suburban systems to rural communities. How should education design adapt to听very different听local needs rather than relying on one-size-fits-all solutions?听

Williams:听Every project starts with active listening. Before we reach for a solution, we work to understand what a particular district, campus, and community actually听need. We have decades of experience in school design, but we focus more on bringing that听expertise听to creatively respond to a client鈥檚 goals than on telling them what they should think. The best designs respond to the constraints that make a school community and site unique鈥攏ot necessarily those with the largest footprint or the biggest budgets. Across a state as varied as Colorado, that posture听isn鈥檛听optional;听it鈥檚听the only approach that works.听

SCN:听You bring听nearly听20听years of education design experience. What are the biggest shifts听you鈥檝e听seen in learning environments over that time, and how will those lessons influence your Colorado work?听

Williams:听The biggest shifts听haven鈥檛听been in classroom layout or building configuration;听they鈥檝e听come from the systems, technology, and construction methods that make schools work听over time. As I mentioned previously, this is听apparent听in the shift in priorities听regarding听sustainability strategies. As certain strategies become the baseline, we can move to听focusing听more on concerns like embodied carbon.听听

That whole-lifecycle thinking, developed through years of California work, is a direct asset as Colorado districts make long-term infrastructure decisions. Our Colorado presence听isn鈥檛听designed to function as a stand-alone regional office; the vision is a distributed studio model鈥攐ne firm,听operating听across multiple geographies, carrying the same design standards, technical rigor, and culture that have defined QKA for four decades. For Colorado districts, that means access not just to a local team, but to the full depth of QKA鈥檚 institutional knowledge, built project by project, district by district, over 40 years.听

The post Joel Williams on Leading QKA’s New Colorado Office and Taking on a New K-12 Market appeared first on 糖心少女.

The post Joel Williams on Leading QKA’s New Colorado Office and Taking on a New K-12 Market appeared first on 糖心少女.