BY BARBARA PINCKNEY
The name Kata Phusin means “according to
nature” in Greek, and that is how Travis Kline runs
his Queensbury design-build firm.
Kata Phusin Design, which the 34-year-old
Kline started in 2010, uses nature, topography,
wind patterns, even vegetation to decide what
it will create on a given piece of property. He
said homes are built using materials available
on site, with alternative energy systems and no
harsh chemicals to cause health problems for
their residents.
“My whole mantra in designing and building is
‘we should use what nature gives us,’ ” Kline said.
“A lot of people ask me, ‘What do you do? Are you
an architect? Are you a stonemason?’ One of the
things I am proud of is that I am an educator. It
is very important that we educate our clients, and
our contractors and subcontractors, on how to use
these materials the right way. So it is not just the
typical ‘slap it up and do the same thing everyone
has been doing for the past 60 years.'”
Kata Phusin, which also has a design office in
Scottsdale, Ariz., has done work in 11 states and
Puerto Rico, including some “black-box” projects
where Kline is barred from naming the client.
One such project is a house in Greenfield, for
an owner Kline would reveal only as one of the
producers of the television program “Friends.”
As for other local projects, “our stonework and
craftsmanship is all over Saratoga,” he said. “We’ve
done historic restoration on North Broadway. We
did a solar organic blueberry farm out in Galway.
We did a lot of work for the Saratoga Showcase
of Homes.”
Kline, who grew up in Queensbury, may have
started his firm four years ago, but he said he has
been in the industry since he was about 14 years
old. He learned everything he could about architecture
before entering the architecture program
at Notre Dame.
While in his final year at Notre Dame, he did his
thesis project on the redevelopment of downtown
Glens Falls. His conclusion was that while Glens
Falls is making the most of individual opportunities, it lacks a cohesive plan.
“The people that are working down there are
doing a fantastic job. They revitalized it in a way
that people actually go down there now,” he said.
“The one thing that is missing is an urban plan to
infill the areas that are just designed poorly for
pedestrian traffic.”
His thesis proposal called for a hotel and convention
center in what he called the “dead zone”
between Broad Street and the Civic Center. It
would have a “pedestrian friendly” interior market
place with multiple floors. People would be able
to access the Civic Center directly through the
building.
“There was underground parking and all kinds
of expensive, but necessary, components to it,” he
said. “The whole idea behind Glens Falls and other
small downtown revitalization is that we have to
think ‘bigger picture’ instead of just looking at
specific buildings and how we can make those
better. Urban planning and architecture are really
not two different fields. They kind of have to go
hand in hand for both of them to be successful.”
Kline definitely had the “bigger picture” in mind
when he formed Kata Phusin. The homes and
other structures the firm designs and builds are
created with a long-term view of energy efficiency
and the well-being of occupants.
“What I like to tell my clients is that it is 10-15
percent more thought up front, and that ends up
saving you a lot in the long run,” he said. “Not necessarily
financially–because it usually does end
up being a little bit more expensive–but you have
a home that is certified by the American Lung Association
and the American Asthma Association,
because your air quality is off-the-charts good.”
Kata Phusin also tries to make things easier
for clients in the way it operates as a design-build
firm. Kline’s team includes master craftsmen,
builders experienced in stonework, concrete and
traditional framing, skilled architects and interior
designers. The firm supervises construction and
has its own people do the work.
Kline’s website is www.kataphusdesign.com.
His phone number is 361-2542.
Photo by Todd Bissonette Photography