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.