He was the son of Hjalmar Torp (1856-1922) and his wife Marie Fredrikke Severine Vaumund (1859-1946).
[2] He attended Statens håndverks- og kunstindustriskole (now Oslo National Academy of the Arts) during 1915 and 1920–21.
He conducted engineering studies at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts (Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi) in Copenhagen during 1923 followed by an architectural degree in 1924.
These included Briskebyhagen (1926) and Nobels gate 11 (1929), and along with his brother, Torstedgården, Ingar Nilsens løkke at Skøyen, Stensbergløkken, Hoff terrasse, and Kong Oscars Minde.
[2][5] The architectural firm continued in 1984 as Niels Torp AS Architects MNAL.