Getting to know Katrina Torres

Katrina Torres, Project Associate is known for her diligence and ambition at HLZAE. She manages small to mid-scale architectural projects, while assisting Senior Project Managers with larger projects. In addition to assisting project managers with the coordination and supervision of their projects, Katrina also acts as their eyes and ears while on site performing inspections. Some of her typical job duties include prepping construction documents, attending project meetings, and coordinating bid documents as well as conducting field inspections to report back conditions and project status to project managers.

What brought Katrina into the architectural world isn’t what you would typically expect. Her background is in Fashion Merchandising and Marketing. With over six years of sales experience, she has always enjoyed operations and data analysis to ensure the efficient execution of projects and increased productivity. With these skills, she was able to pivot to the architectural industry and apply her knowledge into her role as a Technical Administrator (TA) at HLZAE. As a TA, Katrina gradually began to assist with tasks outside the norm of her role, such as streamlining HLZAE’s internal Façade Inspection & Safety Program (FISP) reporting process and assisting with the firm’s navigation of the DOBNOW system. She constantly took advantage of reading and learning from the reports while being involved with implementing the administrative processes. Katrina quickly picked up many of the technical aspects at HLZAE and used this experience to work her way up and transition into her current role as Project Associate.

What makes Katrina’s role unique is that she’s able to be completely hands on with every aspect of the project, from the request for a proposal all the way through project completion. The best part of her job is having access to the most incredible views and gaining a unique perspective of one of the greatest cities in the world. Her current favorite project at HLZAE is the Façade Restoration of 12 West 27^th Street, where she has performed progress inspections, sounding of terra cotta and continues to work with the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) on potential replacement and repair solutions. She enjoys being able to work with her team on various assignments in order to gain the most experience possible. Katrina is always looking for ways to learn and grow.

Outside of HLZAE, Katrina enjoys hiking, aerial yoga, meditation, and gardening. She also enjoys speed drawing/painting and participated in drawing sessions prior to the pandemic. Katrina also calls herself an adrenaline junkie and loves all things adventurous, such as ziplining and skydiving. When her workday is over, she heads home to her family, which includes her baby. Being a new mother has become a job in itself, but Katrina treats it as just another adventure… maybe with just a little less adrenaline.

At HLZAE, we integrate our inspection, design, and construction services to prolong the lifespan of buildings. With each project, we evaluate the alternatives for traditional versus contemporary repair techniques and advise clients on decisions subject to landmark requirements. When it comes to executing project plans and generating project deliverables, you can always count on Katrina Torres to work collaboratively with our team of architects and engineers to meet your project schedule and budget!