Sustainability. Craft. Partnership.

  • ( taa · mah )

    In the Filipino language, the phrase “tamang tama” roughly translates to “just right.” Our commitment to finding the just right fit captures the golden thread of our practice— driving our dynamic process and influencing every decision we make.

    With our core value of partnership, we bring together our client’s style, the specifics of a site, the budget, and the craft of today’s building technology into an architecture to be enjoyed for generations.

    Nature and history inform our perspective.

    Sustainability is our standard.

  • We desire to solve problems, to be helpful, and to create lasting beauty.

    We desire to contribute to the well being of those who inhabit our architecture by creating comfortable spaces connected to nature.

    We desire to contribute to the well being of our environment by creating built forms that require little energy and are made with natural materials.

  • We lean on the expertise of industry professionals to ensure desired results. With over 15 years of creating custom homes, we have forged relationships with like-minded designers, builders, engineers, and vendors to complement our team.

Cat Santos Young, ​AIA | Passive House Consultant, CPHC®

My background.
Born in the Philippines and raised in northern New Jersey, I stumbled upon architectural drawing at a young age and instantly fell in love with the marriage of art and the built world. I studied architecture at New Jersey Institute of Technology and interned for NYC firms Kushner Studios and David Yum Architects. I also participated in a six-month work/study program in Florence, Italy studying Italian and working for Lo Studio Enrico Guanieri. Upon graduating, I chose New England life and worked for Penniman Architects for over 15 years where I honed my design and project management skills under the mentorship of George Penniman. In the summer of 2022 with the office closure of Penniman Architects, I founded TAMA Architecture PC with a focus on creating sustainable architecture and the dream to realize my vision of a modern architecture firm.

What I love about what I do.
For me, there is nothing more enjoyable than developing relationships and working collaboratively with clients, professionals, and builders to transform ideas to paper and ultimately a built form. I take a personal interest in each project regardless of its scope and appreciate the unique challenges custom home building presents. Though my first passion is design, I am equally passionate about sustainability and high-performance/energy-efficient buildings.

Outside of work.
I consider myself a serial volunteer focusing on climate action and have served organizations like the Middletown Complete Streets Committee, Sustainable Middletown, Middletown Clean Energy Task Force, Connecticut Passive House, and AIA's CANstruction program. I have taught Interior Design courses at Paier College of Arts. I am a treehugger; a wannabe urban homesteader and rock climber; and I enjoy science fiction and fantasy films with my husband, two daughters, two cats, one dog, five-seven hens, and two leopard geckos.