nyclasdq
start a project
built from what is already there.
COPA is a full-service architecture and interior design firm. Housing, studios, restaurants and exhibitions by Manuel Cordero and Galen Pardee.
fig. 01
looping flythrough
223 nott terrace, schenectady
01two-family renovation
narrow townhouse
gowanus, brooklynhousing
open project
02cast-earth house
mudhouse
abetenim, ghanahousing
open project
03flagship store
madhappy
soho, new yorkretail
open project
04infill housing
swift street residences
troy, new yorkhousingtroy community land bank
open project
06bar and lounge
mr. nancy’s
ridgewood, queensrestaurants
open project
08ranch house renovation
drumlin house
germantown, new yorkhousing
open project
narrow townhouse
gowanus, brooklynhousing
open project
02cast-earth house
mudhouse
abetenim, ghanahousing
open project
03flagship store
madhappy
soho, new yorkretail
open project
04infill housing
swift street residences
troy, new yorkhousingtroy community land bank
open project
06bar and lounge
mr. nancy’s
ridgewood, queensrestaurants
open project
08ranch house renovation
drumlin house
germantown, new yorkhousing
open project
05hemp art studiogermantown, new yorkartist studio
07barnard barnvermontbarn to artist studio
09harlem studioharlem, new yorkapartment to live-work studio
10double stair houseleadville, coloradohistoric house addition
11three cork walls[LOCATION]renovation for reuse
12great lakes architectural expeditionexhibitionresearch installation
13territories of territory extractionexhibitionsand supply chains of southeast asia
start with what exists.
Our projects begin with what already exists: re-using structure and elements to their maximum extent, and where re-use is impossible, turning to emerging and traditional low-embodied-carbon materials drawn from our research in the field.
01
read the building first
Every project begins with what is already on the site.
02
re-use to the maximum
Structure and elements are kept and re-used as far as they will go before anything new is drawn.
03
low carbon where new
Where re-use is impossible, we turn to emerging and traditional low-embodied-carbon materials.
04
research into practice
Material choices come from our own research in the field, built and exhibited.
notes from the field.
mar 5, 2026practice
how long does a nyc townhouse renovation take?Programming, design, DOB permitting and construction, and what stretches each one.
dec 29, 2025practice
designing the modern kitchen: social, durable, integratedFrom the Frankfurt Kitchen to open plans, and where kitchens sit today.
sep 22, 2025project focus
building with earth: cast earth, cob and compressed tilesA collaborative build in Ghana, and what earthen construction can do now.