James joined The Turett Collaborative (TTC) in 2004 bringing to the firm an expertise in commercial and residential design. James combines his deep passion for design with a love of craft. He believes that the skill of planning, making, and executing architecture is fundamental to ensuring the quality of the finished product.  His understanding of construction, coupled with his extensive knowledge of municipal codes, landmarks, and zoning have helped to guide many of the firm's projects from the kernel of an idea to their ultimate completion. 

 

James has applied his expertise to many residential, commercial, and institutional projects throughout the years from highly detailed residential projects for private clients like the Penthouse at East 73rd Street, to the 65,000 s.f. multi-level interior fit-out of Civic Hall, a not-for-profit institution with complex programming components and a myriad of stakeholders.  James is currently advancing TTC's focus on new, ground-up construction.  He is overseeing the planning and design of a 50,000 s.f. 34-unit residential building in the Harlem neighborhood of New York.

 

As a native of Chicago, James was inspired and fascinated by modern architecture at an early age. His love for brutalist architecture led him to spend time living in Switzerland, studying architecture at the Ecole Polytechnique Federal de Lausanne (EPFL) under the tutelage of the late Luigi Snozzi, a leader of the Ticino school of architecture that included fellow esteemed Swiss architects Mario Botta, Aurelio Galfetti, and Livio Vacchini.  He returned to complete his B.Arch  in Architecture with a double major in French from Carnegie Mellon University in 1996.

 

James has been a registered architect in the State of New York since 2001. He currently resides in Manhattan and is an avid world traveler.