What Trapolin-Peer Architects, APC does

Trapolin-Peer Architects, APC is a New Orleans-based professional architecture firm founded in 1981 by Peter M. Trapolin as Peter M. Trapolin & Associates and renamed to its current form in 2009 when Paula Peer became partner. The firm specializes in historic preservation, adaptive reuse, sustainable design (LEED and Enterprise Green Community Standards), and contextually sensitive new construction across the Gulf South region — Louisiana, Mississippi, and the Florida Panhandle. Its core technical differentiators include specialized expertise navigating the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation, federal and state historic tax credit programs, and Vieux Carré Commission guidelines, supported by Revit-based Building Information Modeling workflows. Core service lines span architectural design, historic preservation and adaptive reuse, new construction, interior design, and long-range master planning, with the latter often delivered through joint ventures such as its partnership with VMDO Architects on the University of New Orleans Master Plan.

The firm operates on a professional services revenue model, earning negotiated project fees for the full design lifecycle — from master planning and schematic design through construction administration — on a per-engagement basis. Its go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, with projects sourced through repeat institutional clients (Tulane University, Dillard University, University of New Orleans, St. Augustine High School, InspireNOLA), hospitality operators (Four Seasons, the Pontchartrain Hotel, the Saint Hotel, the Sazerac House), cultural institutions (The Historic New Orleans Collection, New Orleans Jazz Museum), and commercial developers, supplemented by competitive RFP/RFQ processes and earned-media credibility from AIA Louisiana Honor Awards, Louisiana Landmarks Society Awards, and a MICHELIN Key for the Pontchartrain Hotel. Marketing channels center on the firm's journal/blog, active Instagram/Facebook/LinkedIn/Pinterest presence, and deep professional community involvement in AIA New Orleans, Women in Architecture, the Preservation Resource Center, and Tulane School of Architecture.

Customer segments are organized vertically into educational institutions, hospitality, cultural institutions, commercial real estate, residential/multi-family, and community/civic/nonprofit clients, with the firm maintaining a portfolio of 80+ named projects since inception and approximately 15–20 projects currently in progress. The firm employs approximately 25 people across principals, senior architects, architects, designers, business operations, and marketing, operating from its headquarters at 850 Tchoupitoulas Street in New Orleans' Warehouse District. Following founding principal Peter Trapolin's death in August 2025, leadership has continued under partners Paula Peer, Gene Guidry, Kevin Barns, and Jennifer Blair, with Sarah Simonson promoted to Partner in June 2026 as part of a deliberate succession process.

Name

Trapolin-Peer Architects, APC

Legal name

Trapolin-Peer Architects, APC

Website

https://trapolinpeer.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Trapolin-Peer Architects is a New Orleans-based architecture firm founded in 1981, specializing in historic preservation, adaptive reuse, sustainable design, and master planning for institutional, hospitality, educational, cultural, and civic clients across the Gulf South.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310), Interior Design Services (54141), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Historic Preservation & Conservation Planning (BPAHAKAH)

Keywords

• Historic preservation architecture
• Adaptive reuse design
• Commercial architecture services
• Master planning architecture
• LEED sustainable design

Headquarters

HQ city

Orleans

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. Professional Architecture Services: Trapolin-Peer Architects generates revenue through fees for architectural design services on a project-by-project basis. Services encompass full project lifecycle from master planning and schematic design through construction administration. The firm also earns fees for historic tax credit consulting services on qualifying projects. No subscription, licensing, or product revenue streams are present.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Trapolin-Peer Architects is a New Orleans-based professional architecture firm delivering full-lifecycle architectural design services across the Gulf South. The firm specializes in historic preservation, adaptive reuse, and contextually sensitive new construction for educational, hospitality, cultural, commercial, residential, and civic clients. Services span master planning, schematic design, design development, construction documentation, and construction administration.

Product overview

Trapolin-Peer Architects, APC is a New Orleans-based architecture firm offering comprehensive architectural design services across the Gulf South. The firm's portfolio spans commercial, residential (living), hospitality, educational, cultural, and community project types. Core service offerings include architectural design, historic preservation and adaptive reuse, new construction, interior design, and master planning. The firm specializes in historic renovation projects utilizing federal and state historic tax credits, and frequently collaborates with landscape architects and specialized consultants on complex institutional projects. Notable projects include the Tulane School of Architecture Richardson Memorial Hall renovation, the Sazerac House, Four Seasons New Orleans, and various boutique hotels throughout the Gulf Coast region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectural Design Services Full-lifecycle architectural design services covering commercial, residential, hospitality, educational, cultural, and community projects across the Gulf South region. Deliverables include schematic design, design development, construction documentation, and construction administration.
• Historic Preservation and Adaptive Reuse Specialized renovation, restoration, and adaptive reuse of historic buildings, including facade preservation, interior modernization, and conversion to contemporary uses. The firm navigates the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and historic tax credit programs (federal and state) for institutional and private clients.
• New Construction Design Ground-up architectural design for new educational facilities, multi-family residential, hospitality, commercial, and civic buildings, with a focus on contextually sensitive design that complements historic surroundings.
• Master Planning Long-term campus and facility master planning for educational institutions and complex urban sites, addressing phased growth, sustainability, and community integration over 10+ year horizons. Typically delivered in collaboration with partner firms such as VMDO Architects.
• Interior Design Interior architecture and design services including space planning, finishes, fixtures, and custom millwork for renovated and new construction projects.

Named customers18 records

Segments6 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

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• VMDO ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrapolin-Peer Architects has partnered with VMDO in a joint venture on multiple campus master planning and educational facility projects, including the University of New Orleans Master Plan, Ben Franklin High School Master Plan, Trinity Episcopal Church and School Master Plan, and Edna Karr High School. VMDO contributes expertise in educational architecture while TPA provides Gulf South market knowledge and historic preservation expertise.
• Jeff Carbo Landscape ArchitecturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTPA served as prime architect in joint venture with Jeff Carbo Landscape Architecture and MESA on the Fontainebleau State Park Master Plan and Visitor Center project — the first major improvements to the park since its 1930s founding. Jeff Carbo contributed landscape architecture expertise for the 2,809-acre Louisiana State Park.
• Perron (Perron Studios)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTPA collaborated with Perron (Perron Studios) alongside WSDG (acousticians) on the New Orleans Jazz Museum Sound Room modernization project, including the third-floor recording booth completed in 2024.
• Ryan Gootee General ContractorsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRyan Gootee General Contractors served as the general contractor for the Historic New Orleans Collection's 416 Chartres Street project ($6M, 13,000 SF renovation).
• Broadmoor, LLCminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBroadmoor, LLC was the construction manager for the Tulane Richardson Memorial Hall renovation and expansion ($35.1M, 68,325 SF, completed November 2024).
• Morphy Makofsky, Inc.minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMorphy Makofsky, Inc. was part of the project team for the Tulane Richardson Memorial Hall renovation as structural engineers.
• Providence Community HousingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTPA partnered with Providence Community Housing on the Our Lady of Lourdes School & Convent Study — a design study to convert the Mid-Century Modern school and convent (National Register-listed, 2021) into 62 units of affordable senior housing along the Freret Street Corridor.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Waggonner & Ball Architecture: New Orleans-based architecture and planning firm with comparable practice in historic preservation, urban revitalization, and civic/institutional work in the Gulf South. Directly competes with TPA for preservation and adaptive reuse commissions in the same regional market.
• Eskew+Dumez+Ripple: New Orleans-headquartered architecture firm known for cultural, educational, and civic projects, including adaptive reuse and historically sensitive new construction. Directly comparable in typology mix (institutional, civic, cultural) and Gulf South regional footprint.
• Mathes Brierre Architects: Long-standing New Orleans architecture firm with deep historic preservation and adaptive reuse portfolio, including French Quarter and Vieux Carré work. Closest direct peer given overlapping specialty, regional concentration, and institutional client mix.
• VMDO Architects: Charlottesville, VA-based architecture firm specializing in educational facility design and campus master planning. TPA has formal JV partnerships with VMDO on UNO, Ben Franklin HS, Trinity Episcopal, and Edna Karr — a directly comparable peer in education and campus planning that occasionally co-bids.
• Studio WTA: New Orleans architecture and interior design firm working across hospitality, residential, and adaptive reuse in the Gulf South. Comparable in scale and typology, with overlapping hospitality adaptive reuse experience.

Broad incumbents

• Perkins&Will: Global architecture firm with established practice in education, healthcare, and civic markets, plus dedicated sustainability and adaptive reuse studios. A broad incumbent that increasingly competes for institutional RFPs where TPA has historically been favored.
• Gensler: Global design and architecture firm with hospitality, education, and workplace practices. Competes on larger commercial and institutional commissions in the Gulf South where scale and procurement sophistication matter.
• HOK: Global architecture practice with significant education, healthcare, civic, and cultural portfolios. Competes for the largest Gulf South institutional commissions where preservation-and-new-construction mixed scopes are bid.

Regional players

• Goodwyn Mills Cawood (GMC): Regional architecture, engineering, and planning firm across the Southeast U.S. with education, civic, and community practices. Comparable client mix (K-12, higher education, municipal) and overlapping Gulf South geography.
• Page (Page Southerland Page): Texas-rooted architecture and engineering firm with strong education, healthcare, and civic practices across the Gulf states. Overlaps TPA on institutional clients and Louisiana/Texas regional RFPs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/trapolin-peer-architects-apc-126298324055120
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/trapolin-peer-architects-apc
• Instagraminstagram.com/trapolinpeerarchitects
• Pinterestpinterest.com/trapolinpeer

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Trapolin-Peer Architects, APC