Kevin Qualls was born and raised in the southeastern US, with time spent in Florida, Virginia, Texas, North Carolina, and Georgia. He attended Auburn University, where he earned his Bachelor of Architecture, graduating in 1983.
His career began in Savannah, Georgia, where he worked for L. Scott Barnard and Associates. In 1985, Qualls moved to St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, for what was initially planned as a one-year adventure, but he has remained there ever since. His early work in St. Thomas was with DeJongh and Associates Architects, followed by a period as a sole practitioner. For a few years, he partnered with his good friend from Auburn, Donald Brown.
Qualls met his wife, Eleanor, on St. Thomas in 1991. They married and raised their two sons on the island. In 2001, he co-founded Springline Architects with two partners, Tracy Roberts and Mike deHaas. In 2021, Springline Architects joined Novus Architects, which is based in Charleston, South Carolina.
Throughout most of his career, Qualls has focused on custom residential design in the islands. His work also includes a significant amount of commercial design, historic preservation, and hurricane reconstruction projects.
