He studied construction at the Tallinn Polytechnic Institute (TPI) for two years (1957-1959) and went to study architecture in Tallinn State Institute of Applied Art (1959-1964).
After the fall of the Soviet Union, during the period when the economy and construction again recovered, Raine Karp founded his one-man architectural office in 1996.
Raine Karp created some of the boldest examples of 1960s–1980s modernism in Estonia.
Karp was awarded several prizes for his works, and was among the best-known architects of the now-defunct Estonian SSR.
His designs in Tallinn include large-scale urban dominants such as the Linnahall convention center (1975–1980, with Riina Altmäe), the National Library of Estonia (1985–1993), Tallinn Central Post Office (1974–1980, with Mati Raigna), Sakala center (1982–1985, now demolished), the current building of the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1964–1968, with Uno Tölpus, Mart Port and Olga Kontšajeva), apartment houses Trummi street 21 (1968–1971) and Vilde 68 & 70 (1963–1965), etc.