Dattner Architects has been named 2026’s Best of Practice – Winner in the Architect (XL Firm) Northeast Category by The Architect’s Newspaper.
AN’s Best of Practice Awards recognize architecture firms that demonstrate excellence across three areas: Design, Culture, and Social Impact.
As a women-owned, mission-driven practice, Dattner Architects is committed to equity in the workplace and environmental justice in its work. From a single studio in New York City, the firm designs the building blocks of civil society—schools, transit facilities, libraries, housing, and community centers—with the conviction that successful architecture meets the challenges of our day with bold, implementable ideas that connect people to place.
The submission highlighted work across scales and typologies. The transformation of a 1920s Manhattan office building into the Shefa School created a 12-floor adaptive reuse providing a first-of-its-kind home for K–8 students with learning disabilities, earning SARA Design, SARA NY Honor, and Interior Design Best of the Year recognitions.
At the larger scale, Alafia is a 25-acre master-planned wellness community delivering over 2,400 affordable apartments with Passive House construction, geothermal systems, rooftop solar, a micro-grid, and urban farming. The project has been recognized with AIA NY, ASLA NY, and SARA National and NY Design Awards.
The DSNY Brooklyn District 3 Garage & Offices defines a new model for civic infrastructure—an active, light-filled facility with a publicly visible workplace and an elevated green roof, designed to support and celebrate New York’s Strongest.
Our practice is grounded in a Contextual Research Process that ensures each project begins with a deep understanding of the communities it serves. This extends across work in housing, infrastructure, education, and civic space, consistently shaped by engagement and long-term public value.
The studio of nearly 150 professionals reflects the diversity of New York City: 59% women, 48% BIPOC, and 18% LGBTQ+. A culture of collaboration is supported through both analog and digital tools, with in-person design exchange remaining central to how our work is developed.
The collaborative culture extends beyond projects through firmwide initiatives including the Sustainable Practice Group, R&D Co:Lab, Mentorship Program, and annual Day of Service, as well as Employee Resource Groups—BlackPrint, Womens+, and DattQueerClub. Staff also participate actively in organizations such as AIA, the Architectural League, ACE Mentoring, and Urban Green.
Thank you to The Architect’s Newspaper and the award jury for this recognition, and to the clients, collaborators, and communities who continue to shape the work.
Thank you to our staff, whose collective effort across projects, research, mentorship, and daily practice defines the work itself.
View the full list of winners here.
