What RKTB Architects does

RKTB Architects, P.C. is a privately held New York professional corporation founded in 1963, operating as a 30-person architectural and urban design practice headquartered in the Chelsea district of New York City. The firm provides comprehensive architectural services spanning pre-design, design development, construction documents, and construction administration across four core practice areas: K-12 educational facilities (anchored by a long-tenured relationship with the NYC School Construction Authority), multifamily housing including affordable, supportive, senior, and market-rate product (built around a proprietary Smart Housing Infill Prototype and ongoing work for NYC HPD and NYCHA), historic preservation and adaptive reuse (a discipline in which the firm was an early pioneer), and civic, cultural, and commercial work spanning healthcare facilities, theaters, transportation infrastructure, and religious institutions.

The firm's core technical platform is human-expert sustainable design rather than software: staff includes LEED Accredited Professionals and Certified Passive House Designers, and projects are delivered to LEED, Enterprise Green Communities, and NYC SCA Green Schools Guide standards. Notable technical differentiators include the Smart Housing Infill Prototype for maximizing affordable housing density in working-class neighborhoods, adaptive reuse expertise demonstrated by 455 Central Park West (a National Register building converted to a 100-unit luxury condominium alongside a new 27-story tower), and complex engineering solutions such as the cantilevered steel trusses at One Sullivan Place that enable large-scale residential development on constrained sites. The firm has been recognized on Architectural Record's Top 300 Architecture Firms consecutively from 2020 through 2025 and named to ENR East Top Design Firms in 2026.

RKTB generates revenue through professional service fees on a per-project basis for both public agencies (the dominant revenue stream) and private developers, healthcare institutions, cultural organizations, and religious institutions. New work is secured through RFP responses, established client relationships, design competition entries, and reputation-driven referrals, with no digital sales motion. The leadership team comprises Managing Principal Peter Bafitis (joined 1995, managing since 2004), Principals Albert Aronov and Alex Brito (both partners since 2015), Associate Principal Nelson Vega, and Principal Emeritus Carmi Bee, FAIA (transitioned October 2025 after 60 years). Ownership is concentrated among the firm's principals with no external private equity or venture capital involvement.

Name

RKTB Architects

Legal name

RKTB Architects, P.C.

Website

https://rktb.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

RKTB Architects, P.C. is a 30-person, privately held New York architectural firm founded in 1963 that delivers K-12 schools, affordable housing, adaptive reuse, and civic projects for NYC public agencies and private developers in the New York metropolitan area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAA), Architectural Reconfiguration & Structural Alterations (HSAPAEAB)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Affordable housing design
• Adaptive reuse architecture
• K-12 school design
• Sustainable building design

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: RKTB Architects provides comprehensive architectural services including design, construction documents, and construction administration for residential, institutional, educational, and civic projects. Revenue is generated through professional service fees on a per-project basis for both public agencies and private clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

RKTB Architects is a 30-person professional services firm that provides full-service architectural and urban design for residential, educational, civic, cultural, healthcare, and transportation projects, primarily in the New York metropolitan area. The firm specializes in affordable and multifamily housing, K-12 public school design for the NYC School Construction Authority, and adaptive reuse of historic buildings, while integrating sustainable design standards such as LEED, Passive House, and Enterprise Green Communities into project delivery.

Product overview

RKTB Architects is a 30-person architectural firm offering comprehensive design services rather than a unified software product. The firm's portfolio encompasses K-12 school design (including projects for the NYC School Construction Authority), multifamily residential housing (affordable, supportive, and market-rate), historic preservation and adaptive reuse, and civic/cultural/commercial projects. The firm has developed a proprietary Smart Housing infill prototype for affordable housing deployment. Notable projects include One Sullivan Place (Brooklyn), Pope Francis Apartments, 455 Central Park West, PS 87X, and Congregation Shaare Zedek. The firm employs LEED Accredited Professionals and Passive House Certified Professionals and designs to LEED, Enterprise Green Communities criteria, and NYC SCA Green Schools Guide standards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectural Design Services Full-service architectural and urban design for residential, educational, civic, cultural, and commercial clients, covering pre-design through construction administration.
• K-12 School Design Specialized design, expansion, renovation, and modernization services for public and private K-12 schools, including work for the NYC School Construction Authority and other education clients.
• Multifamily Housing Design Design services for affordable, supportive, senior, and market-rate residential buildings, including infill housing, mixed-income developments, and adaptive reuse projects.
• Historic Preservation and Adaptive Reuse

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 60 years of continuous operation since 1963
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and notable.

• NYC School Construction AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term strategic partnership with NYC SCA for K-12 public school design projects including new schools, additions, renovations, and modernizations across New York City. RKTB leads the education studio and has completed numerous SCA projects.
• NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership with HPD for affordable housing development projects including the Smart Housing infill prototype and various HPD cornerstone program projects.
• NYC Housing Authority (NYCHA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for public housing renovation and improvement projects including NYCHA development rehabilitation in Brooklyn.
• Port Authority of New York and New JerseymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on major transportation projects including the AirTrain Terminal at Jamaica Station, representing significant infrastructure work.
• Phipps HousesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with one of New York's largest nonprofit developers of affordable housing for projects including Salem House in Harlem.
• Jonathan Rose CompaniesnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on green and sustainable housing development projects.
• Lance Jay Brown, FAIAnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Congregation Shaare Zedek project, combining RKTB's design team with architect Lance Jay Brown for the synagogue design.
• ODA ArchitecturenotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on the Congregation Shaare Zedek project where ODA Architecture was responsible for the residential tower design.
• Citizens Housing & Planning Council (CHPC)notableStrategic or Co-development PartnerRKTB Principal Alex Brito serves on the Board of Directors of this nonprofit focused on housing and planning policy in NYC.
• Lee Harris Pomeroy Architects, P.C.notableTechnology or IntegrationCollaboration on PS/IS 338X project in the Bronx, a 98,000 square-foot public and intermediate school serving 900 students.
• Queens & Bronx Building Association (QBBA)notableGTM or Marketing PartnerRKTB participates actively in QBBA awards programs and RKTB's Tara Toro serves as Vice Chairwoman of the QBBA Women's Committee.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Beyer Blinder Belle: NYC architecture firm with nationally recognized expertise in historic preservation, adaptive reuse, civic, cultural, and institutional projects. Closely comparable to RKTB on preservation portfolio and adaptive reuse approach.
• CetraRuddy: NYC architecture firm with strong residential, mixed-use, and adaptive reuse portfolio. Comparable to RKTB on multifamily housing and adaptive reuse projects across the New York metro area.
• Handel Architects: NYC architecture firm with significant multifamily residential practice spanning market-rate, mixed-income, and affordable housing. Comparable residential focus and NYC developer client base to RKTB.
• Magnusson Architecture and Planning: NYC firm specializing in multifamily housing, community development, and urban design with strong affordable housing portfolio for HPD and nonprofit developers. Comparable scale and mission orientation to RKTB's residential practice.
• Dattner Architects: NYC-based architecture firm with deep focus on affordable housing, supportive housing, K-12 schools, and transportation facilities for NYC public agencies. Highly comparable practice mix, client roster (HPD, SCA, NYCHA), and project types to RKTB.

Broad incumbents

• FXCollaborative: Large NYC architecture firm with mixed-use, civic, commercial, and educational portfolio. Comparable NYC institutional client base but broader scope and substantially larger headcount than RKTB.
• DLR Group: Large architecture firm with national K-12 and civic practice, including work for NYC School Construction Authority. Comparable on education sector focus but with substantially broader geography and headcount.
• Perkins Eastman: Large established NYC-headquartered architecture firm with deep K-12 education and multifamily housing practices serving public agencies nationally. Overlaps with RKTB on SCA school work and housing but operates at much larger scale and broader geography.
• Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF): Global architecture firm headquartered in NYC with major commercial, residential, and mixed-use practice. Overlaps with RKTB on NYC multifamily and adaptive reuse but operates at vastly larger scale and international footprint.
• Ennead Architects: NYC architecture firm with portfolio spanning civic, cultural, educational, and residential projects including institutional work for major public clients. Comparable NYC institutional focus but broader portfolio and larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/rktbarchitects
• Xx.com/rktbarchitects

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about RKTB Architects