CKA Architects is a Menlo Park based Architecture studio with a focus on residential design throughout the Peninsula and neighboring communities. We strive to create quality designs that are beautiful, functional, affordable and environmentally responsible. We approach each project as a unique opportunity to collaborate with clients and to share our understanding of aesthetics, local regulations and the process of construction. We would love to hear more about your project, explain our process, and discuss how we may be able to help you. We invite you to explore our portfolio and contact us to schedule a consultation.
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Chris KummererPrincipal ArchitectChris is the founding partner of CKA Architects. A native of Saratoga, California, he has spent most of his life in the San Francisco Bay Area cultivating an understanding of local communities from the South Bay to San Francisco. He is a licensed Architect in the State of California and has earned a Bachelors of Architecture from the University of Oregon. Chris’ training includes working on a construction crew and interning at two Bay Area residential design firms. When not sketching or visiting construction sites, Chris loves spending his time outdoors–playing tennis, gardening, hiking or biking with friends and family.
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Emilie BlasePrincipal DesignerAfter escaping the Midwest winters, Emilie attended the University of Oregon’s department of Interior Architecture and graduated with a BIARC and a minor in Historic Preservation. She worked in lighting design and with another local architecture firm before joining Chris in 2005. She loves to read, hike and travel with her family.
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Travis WoodTravis WoodA lifelong learner and an avid traveler, Travis has honed his design and artistic sense while living in China, Germany, India, and New York City. He is a graduate of Harvard University and, before partnering with CKA Architects, ran his own multi-disciplinary design practice in the Bay Area, swung a hammer building custom homes on Martha’s Vineyard, and built bespoke furniture in Berlin. When he’s not at the drafting table or on the job site, you will find him in his art studio or in the kitchen cooking world cuisine and drinking great wine with his family and friends. In his design practice he loves finding the right balance between the precious and the practical.
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Thomas SylviaThomas SylviaThomas Sylvia grew up in rural New Hampshire, where his lack of appreciation for winter had him yearning for warmer climates. After graduating from the School of Architecture at Arizona State University, he discovered that he may have gone a bit too far in his quest for warmer weather, and he has been living in the Bay Area ever since. In his previous work, Thomas specialized in mid-century modern architecture, with a particular focus on Eichler homes. Notably, he served as the designer of record for the first licensed reproduction Eichler, a project that received extensive recognition and was a featured exposition during the Palm Springs Modernism Week.
Thomas now resides locally with his wife and two young girls and spent several years as a stay-at-home dad. In his free time, he competes for a San Francisco-based cycling team and can often be found training on the local trails.
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Tara WileyTara WileyTara is a Bay Area native and recent graduate of the University of Oregon. She earned her Bachelor of Architecture and a minor in Interior Architecture before returning to the Bay Area to pursue a career in residential design. Tara has a passion for traveling and exploring historical buildings and sites. She also loves the arts, spending her free time painting and attending concerts of her favorite artists.
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Chelzea ForsterChelzea ForsterAs a child, Chelzea was amazed by the quiet yet encompassing impact architecture has on our lives. Following an eighth-grade trip to Rome, her intrigue turned into a passion, setting her on the path to architectural design.
Chelzea is a graduate of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, with a degree in architecture. She enjoys the diversity of tasks in each design assignment and relishes the challenges that arise at the intersection of science and art.
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Audrey Kanemoto Penneys