Dattner Architects is proud to announce that Partner Paul Bauer FAIA has been elevated to the AIA College of Fellows which recognizes outstanding achievements and architectural excellence by esteemed members. Paul is honored for transforming the reputation of public infrastructure by reimagining utilitarian buildings as sustainable and inspiring architectural landmarks. His work dignifies the daily work of essential employees while elevating the neighborhoods and cities these facilities serve.
Paul has spent more than three decades transforming public infrastructure into civic assets that are functional, sustainable, and architecturally distinguished. Through a research-driven, collaborative approach, he has guided municipal teams, consultants, and city officials to see operational constraints as opportunities for innovation. His work prioritizes essential workers—sanitation employees, police officers, transit personnel—ensuring that their workplaces are safe, dignified, and efficient, while also elevating the neighborhoods and communities these facilities serve. By combining technical rigor, environmental stewardship, and design ambition, Paul has set new standards for public architecture and redefined what urban infrastructure can achieve.
“Receiving the honor of elevation to the College of Fellows would not have been possible without the mentorship of colleagues, the enthusiasm of design teams to do more with less, and the steadfast dedication of our public agency partners to the essential architecture of public infrastructure. Preparing my application to AIA National was a time of self-reflection on my work and an opportunity to highlight the impact of the people that shaped my career along the way. Working directly with essential workers that make our cities livable was not only fun, but critical to transforming these utilitarian structures into equitable, dignified, and sustainable places to work, while also making these buildings a source of neighborhood pride.” – Paul Bauer FAIA
Paul’s projects demonstrate this philosophy in action. At the PATH Harrison Station, Paul and his team transformed a dilapidated transit hub into an uplifting public space with glass and steel canopies and inviting plazas. At the Manhattan Community Districts 1/2/5 Garage and Salt Shed, Paul redefined the relationship between municipal facilities and their urban contexts by creating an urban architectural icon that everyone in New York can enjoy. The Brooklyn Community District 3 Garage and its one-acre green roof have become community assets for underserved residents of Bedford-Stuyvesant, while creating a dignified environment for sanitation employees. The 116th Precinct Station has elevated ordinary infrastructure into sources of neighborhood pride and civic engagement, humanizing the urban experience by providing places for informal encounters that are essential to great community relationships and great neighborhoods.
Paul has been deeply engaged in the architectural profession, actively contributing to the AIA and other industry organizations. As a member of AIA New York’s Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, he established the AIANY+ASLANY Transportation + Infrastructure Design Excellence Awards, the chapter’s first program recognizing excellence in these building typologies. He frequently shares his expertise at major industry events, including the AIA National Conference and the New York Build Conference, and his innovative work has been widely covered in publications such as Architectural Record, Curbed, Metropolis Magazine, and The New York Times. Paul also mentors the next generation of architects through The Architectural League of New York and volunteers with students at City College, City Tech, and Kean University, consistently demonstrating how resiliency, community equity, and worker well-being can transform essential infrastructure into dignified, exemplary buildings.
Among the 78 architects elevated to Fellowship this year by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), Paul is one of eight newly elevated members from the AIA New York chapter.
