--- title: "TRA studio Architecture PLLC — Architects & Building Designers | Houzz" canonical_html_url: https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/tra-studio-architecture-pllc-pfvwus-pf~1636768159 markdown_url: https://www.houzz.com/md/professionals/pf~1636768159.md entity_type: LocalBusiness business_name: "TRA studio Architecture PLLC" category: ["Architects"] image: https://st.hzcdn.com/fimgs/04839b7d03987018_9097-w400-h400-b0-p0--.jpg address: "106 Franklin Street, New York, New York 10013, United States" latitude: 40.7185 longitude: -74.0025 phone: "(212) 966-2732" website: http://trastudio.com/ rating: 0 review_count: 0 followers: 83 last_updated: 2026-08-28 --- # TRA studio Architecture PLLC Original Houzz profile: [TRA studio Architecture PLLC](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/tra-studio-architecture-pllc-pfvwus-pf~1636768159) ## Professional summary - **Primary category:** Architects - **Location:** New York, NY - **Serves:** New York City - **Houzz rating:** 0.0 out of 5 (0 reviews) ## About ### Houzz Badges - 1,000 Ideabook Saves TRA: Latin for ahead of, or in the midst of things; simultaneously the edge and the link. TRA Studio finds the balance between design and technological and practical constraints, finding opportunities for programmatic but innovative interventions, “above-below-in between and within” the urban built environment, often working. on the edge between the old and new. TRA Studio’s experimental attitude engages both the operational and conceptual space, developing environments that are unforgettable, yet performative, remaining always, site-specific and responsive to the current conditions. Although our work is primarily located in the Downtown districts of New York City, it spans a wide range of projects, including new construction, additions, adaptive re-use, restorations of historic structures and interiors. Since 1995, the firm has worked with leading cultural Institutions, art foundations, global corporations, international fashion labels, nonprofit organizations as well as developers and private clients. TRA strives to achieve built design that is coherent, concise and meaningful, obtaining the maximum result with minimum consumption. We use computation not to enhance image, but materiality, our studio is not a “shop”, rather, we know how to build; we see the execution as part of the design, in the pursuit of technical achievement as well as enduring beauty, as proven in the longevity and resale value of our spaces. TRA embraces the responsibility that comes with working in the Historic Districts, where the interventions will likely last and have a reaching effect on the city and its users; from interiors to new buildings the sum of the singular interventions, rise at the urban scale as part of the larger fabric, becoming neighborhood enhancing. TRA received the Regina Kellerman Award from the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation and was selected as a top finalist in the Grand Army Plaza Competition in 2008. TRA’s projects have been featured in several publications including the, New York Times, Architectural Record, the AIA Guide to New York City, 101 Cool Buildings: the best of New York City Architecture, Masterpieces: Roof Architecture+ Design, the Real Deal, New American Luxury and Design Bureau Magazine. ### Areas Served - New York City ## Business Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Business Name | TRA studio Architecture PLLC | | Address | 106 Franklin Street, New York, New York 10013, United States | | Phone | (212) 966-2732 | | Website | http://trastudio.com/ | | Followers on Houzz | 83 | ## Contact - **Houzz profile:** [TRA studio Architecture PLLC](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/tra-studio-architecture-pllc-pfvwus-pf~1636768159) - **Website:** http://trastudio.com/ - **Phone:** (212) 966-2732 ## Selected projects - [West Broadway Loft](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/west-broadway-loft-pj-vj~576488) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 17 - Description: Caterina, an architect from Venice, and Bob, an “environmental” designer and artist, moved twenty years ago in a in SoHo typical “shoe-box” loft, where their studio occupied the front half of the space; following the arrival of their son , they recently transformed the semi-raw open space with few windows ,doors and no storage into a grown-up luminous residence with flowing common living spaces. The design takes full advantage of the historical vestiges such as the exposed and stained ceiling be… - [44 Mercer Street, Second Floor Loft Residence](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/44-mercer-street-second-floor-loft-residence-pj-vj~576434) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 10 - Description: TRA designed the new 8 floors building as well as the interior of the apartments. The interior is designed and built with the same care of the exterior, like the facade finds balance between the architecture of the surrounding buildings and the contemporary insertion, similarly the interior builds on all the attributes that make the old loft apartments desirable, within a modern, efficient interior. The curtain wall, as in all of TRA's new buildings, is the main architectural element, both on th… - [44 Mercer Street, Penthouse Interior](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/44-mercer-street-penthouse-interior-pj-vj~576473) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 10 - Description: Fulfilling the modernist promise of integration between interior and exterior, TRA designed the new 8 floors building as well as the interior of the apartments. The interior is designed and built with the same care of the exterior, like the facade finds balance between the architecture of the surrounding buildings and the contemporary insertion, similarly the interior builds on all the attributes that make the old loft apartments desirable, within a modern, efficient interior. The curtain wall,… - [22 Mercer Street](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/22-mercer-street-pj-vj~576416) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 18 - Description: In the SoHo Cast Iron District, an existing five story loft building designed by Griffith Thomas built in 1860 has been converted into a mixed use building with sixteen apartments and two additional levels of penthouse structures. The renovation included the complete restoration of the building facades and the design of new storefronts on Broadway and Mercer Street. The Landmarks Preservation Commission mandated the exact reconstruction of the historic Broadway storefront, allowing for a modern… - [72 Mercer Street](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/72-mercer-street-pj-vj~575720) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 22 - Description: 72 Mercer was, back in 2000,only the second new building approved by LPOC and BSA, in SoHo, after the Scholastic Building. The site, 30 feet wide by http://st.houzz.com/fimgs/9d61ad8f0398b122\_5749-w200-h200-b0-p0--living-room.jpg200 feet long, is located between Broadway and Mercer Streets in the SoHo Cast Iron District. The original building, which was destroyed by fire in the 1960’s, was designed in the 1860’s in the early days of the cast iron renaissance emerging along the booming Broadway s… - [171 MacDougal Street](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/171-macdougal-street-pj-vj~575695) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 9 - Description: Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, 19th Annual Village Award, June 09 The Romanesque large-scale loft building, designed by Renwick-Aspenwall and Russell Architects in 1890, was converted by Victor Janer Christ in 1966 into a Church.In order to reuse the building for worship, the building was stripped of all its architectural detail and a new façade and interior was constructed. The three top floors were closed off, seemingly in perpetuity.The building has been now renovated in… - [Loft25](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/loft25-pj-vj~575575) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 15 - Description: This is the largest condominium project recently completed in Chelsea: an existing massive masonry nine-storey masonry factory building used for printing is converted into 72 apartments. The building is connected to a new addition housing nine apartments, which creates the identity for the whole complex with this narrow structure. The 20’ wide addition started as a 120’ tall beacon of light, with a sculpted tri-dimensional glass wall that moved progressively away from the street uncovering balco… - [17th Street Loft](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/17th-street-loft-pj-vj~575476) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 16 - Description: The fifth floor renovation turns a typical long and narrow space with windows in the front and the back, into a light filled expansive space with four glass enclosed bedroom pods. Industrial and unusual finishes enhance the sophisticated New York feeling. The interior glass walls reflect and amplify the large front windows. The fourth floor model shows the future renovation of the loft facing 18th street, featuring a “furnished” front window wall that maximizes and defines the living space. The… - [Ritz Tower Residence](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/ritz-tower-residence-pj-vj~575544) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 8 - Description: The apartment is located in the Ritz Tower, the first residential high rise built in 1925 in Manhattan. The open layout, with the large expansive living room that flows effortlessly into the balcony, is reminiscent of the original layout of the apartment. The final open configuration is however the result of a careful demolition and reconstruction that completely transformed the three cramped dark apartments that had been carved over the years. The interior is very sparse, since no original dera… - [Cottage @ Towd Point Little Beach, Southampton](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/cottage-towd-point-little-beach-southampton-pj-vj~7099474) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 18 - Description: This Atlantic holiday cottage is located in the unique landscape of the creek at Towd Point, in Southampton, one of only 28 Federal Ecological Preserves in the US. Caterina and Bob, a design couple who owns the architecture firm TRA studio in the city, chose the property because of their historic ties to the area and the extraordinary setting and its precise location within it: it is the only house whose site is at the bend of the Towd Point peninsula, right where the views of the protected cree… - [173 West Broadway](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/173-west-broadway-pj-vj~5472509) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 12 - Description: HOW TO TRANSFORM A BUILDING WITH ONE GESTURE Location: 173 W Broadway, Tribeca, NYC Size: 6,000 SF Type: Two-family mixed use building, Adaptive Reuse, Interiors Architect Led Design-Build Process This diminutive structure, originally a manufacturing loft building, dating from the 1890s but not landmarked, is the smallest the studio has been working on over the many completed renovation projects in SoHo and Tribeca. The program called for retail on the first floor and two duplex rental residence… - [Little Beach House267 Towd Point Road, Southampton](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/little-beach-house267-towd-point-road-southampton-pj-vj~7099476) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 1 - [Little267 Towd Point Road, Southampton](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/little267-towd-point-road-southampton-pj-vj~7099475) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 1 - [NYAA: New York Academy of Art](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/nyaa-new-york-academy-of-art-pj-vj~5523437) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 18 - [17th St Lofts](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/17th-st-lofts-pj-vj~3122359) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 18 - Description: 17th Street Loft The fifth floor renovation turns a typical long and narrow space with windows in the front and the back, into a light filled expansive space with four glass enclosed bedroom pods. Industrial and unusual finishes enhance the sophisticated New York feeling. The interior glass walls reflect and amplify the large front windows. The fourth floor model shows the future renovation of the loft facing 18th street, featuring a “furnished” front window wall that maximizes and defines the l… - [251 E 61st St](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/251-e-61st-st-pj-vj~1335511) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 19 - Description: 61st Street Urban Compound 251 East 61st Street, New York City 5,912 SF 2014-2015, contemporary restoration, Penthouse addition and interior design Client: Petro Real Estate Development Corp. This turn of the century four story brick townhouse with an exceedingly rare two story rear carriage house, adjacent to the Treadwell Farms historic district, is curiously, not landmarked;this provided TRA with the unique opportunity to rethink the complex, creating more efficient, contemporary and sophisti… - [251 East 61st Street](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/251-east-61st-street-pj-vj~1584944) - Location: New York, NY - Photos: 12 [See all 17 projects](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/tra-studio-architecture-pllc-pfvwus-pf~1636768159) ## Ideabooks - [trastudioarchitecture's ideas](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/29945421/list/trastudioarchitecture-s-ideas) — 6 ideas [See all 1 ideabook](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/trastudioarchitecture) ## Community Q&A **Q: Where did you get this rug? Love it!** *(in Photo Questions)* A: flea market **Q: love the decor!** *(in Photo Questions)* where can i find a car like the one used here? A: Design Within Reach **Q: How did you do the wall shelves? Thanks.** *(in Photo Questions)* A: custom from old beams **Q: Lamps** *(in Photo Questions)* Where did you find these tube lamps on either side of the mantel? A: Artemide vintage **Q: This mantle is great! Can you please release the deatils on make/model** *(in Photo Questions)* Mantle A: it is custom design by TRA studio architecture, made with raw steel and steel mesh **Q: Orange lighting fixture** *(in Photo Questions)* Where can I find it? A: as you can see from one of the images posted on the project, it is a custom fixture, designed by TRA studio aarchitecture PLLC, composed by four vintage 60's Murano glass shades and a custom steel support, it is for sale, please contact cr@trastudio.com --- *Source: Houzz professional profile. Reflects the profile as of 2026-08-28.*