The New York City Economic Development Corporation has selected the team of Ennead + Dattner for the Science Park and Research Campus (SPARC) Kips Bay project.
SPARC Kips Bay will be a first-of-its-kind job and education center in the heart of New York City that in total will include up to two million square feet for educational programs, workforce development, and job opportunities in the life sciences, public health, and healthcare sectors. It will transform Hunter College’s Brookdale Campus into a state-of-the-art academic, healthcare, and life sciences hub that will provide myriad benefits to the city, including billions of dollars in economic impact, improvements to the public realm, and a pipeline from local public schools and city universities into these growing fields.
The team will design a new 700,000 GSF education building which will be shared by three integrated CUNY schools – Hunter College School of Nursing, CUNY Graduate School of Health & Health Policy, and Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) – and a new NYC Public Schools (NYCPS) health and science career-focused high school. The project also includes a large public open space, a new pedestrian bridge across the FDR to access the waterfront, and the continuation of floodproofing infrastructure along the East Side.
Ennead and Dattner Architects are thrilled to bring our years of experience working in NYC, our expertise in resiliency and sustainability, and our deep commitment to community and public space to help design this innovative new development to shape the city’s future. We look forward to sharing more updates soon.
Dattner Architects is a women-owned design firm. This is a milestone for our practice, which was founded 60 years ago. Our long-standing commitment to equity and inclusion has organically fostered women to thrive and achieve at the highest level of leadership. Today the firm is led by 10 partners, half of whom are women; and the women are the majority owners. We are a firm that continues to evolve and advance.
Our core mission is unwavering, and it unites our work and our practice. We proudly take on the planning and design of the region’s most essential projects, creating architecture that enriches the urban experience, transforms environments, and strengthens communities.
Today Dattner Architects is over 100 people, 59% of whom are women, 41% BIPOC, and 17% LGBTQ+ all working together from one office in New York City. A steadfast dedication to our mission, a strong and varied portfolio of that spans sectors, and a thoughtful leadership transition plan allows our 60-year-old practice to continue to remain vital and vibrant—reflecting the diversity and relevancy of our practice.
"Driven to work at the urban scale, I initially sought out Dattner Architects because the firm had designed many of the civic spaces that were formative in my life," notes Gia Maneiro, Principal and Corporate President. "This passion fueled my career here—from junior designer to Principal—supported by the confidence, camaraderie and mentorship that defines the culture of the office. Raising my daughter solidified my commitment to leadership in the future of sustainable public architecture, and I could not be more proud to share in a majority women owned partnership that embodies these values."
Dattner Architects is certified as a WBE with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
In recognition of outstanding accomplishments and architectural excellence, annually the American Institute of Architects (AIA) appoints distinguished members to join the College of Fellows. Only 3% of AIA members attained this distinction.
Dattner Architects is delighted to announce that Principal John Woelfling FAIA has been chosen to join this year's cohort of AIA Fellows! Out of 96 candidates who were elevated by AIA National, John is one of the 10 members from the AIA New York chapter. John was recognized for his remarkable contributions to the advancement of the architectural profession through his commitment to innovative sustainable design and his continued advocacy for affordable housing.
John’s leadership in large-scale affordable housing has become a national model for addressing the housing crisis through sustainable, community-responsive design. With a commitment to sustainable practices, he has overseen the development of over twenty 100% affordable buildings, comprising more than 3,300 apartments. Notably, he has pioneered the integration of Passive House principles into multi-family affordable housing design, resulting in four of the largest Passive House mixed-use buildings in the United States, totaling 961 affordable apartments, with hundreds more now in design. These projects exemplify his dedication to environmental justice, resident health, and affordability. Moreover, each of these buildings marked the respective clients' first Passive House project, showcasing John’s innovative approach to sustainable architecture.
“The honor of having arrived at the professional milestone of joining the College of Fellows has clarified for me that a significant part of attaining this honor has been the journey. The self-reflecting process of preparing my application to the AIA N required that I assess the arc of my career and my impact on the profession. Some of it rewarding, some of it less so, but always an investment in something that was more than just a “job”. The worsening climate crisis and our City’s, State’s and Country’s affordable housing crisis call for architects to be civically engaged to guide public policy as well as designing environmentally responsible buildings. My application for Fellowship intertwined three themes that embody the Dattner Architects ethos and summarize my work: Affordable Housing, Leadership through Advocacy, and Innovative Sustainable Design. Architecture is an incredibly rewarding profession that requires patience and collaboration. The body of work that led to my elevation to the AIA College of Fellows resulted from both my personal and my colleagues’ dedication to civic and essential architecture.” – John Woelfling, FAIA
John has presented his experience successfully applying passive house principles to mid- and high-rise multifamily developments to a variety of audiences across North America including different organizations, professionals, students, and communities. He has led discussions at different events including the AIA National Conference, USGBC’s Greenbuild Conference, and was the keynote speaker at the PHIUS National Conference in Chicago. He was also named as one of Crain’s Notable Leaders in Sustainability last year.
As a board member of the NYS Association for Affordable Housing and of his local community board in Brooklyn, NY, John advocates for community based affordable housing and sustainable design approaches. His “open source” approach to knowledge sharing serves as an inclusive approach to environmental design and sets a national model for integrating affordable housing with sustainable design.
Under John’s leadership, the firm’s affordable housing work integrates sustainable design standards to achieve buildings with superior indoor air quality and energy performance that address environmental inequities and result in positive impacts on communities.
Dattner Architects is proud to announce our 2020 promotions. In recognition of his contributions to our firm and his evolving role in the practice, Eric Epstein has been elevated to Principal. Rachel Ehrlich is our new Associate Principal and Emily Kotsaftis has been named Senior Associate. Our new Associates are Earl Jones, Heather McKinstry, and Shefali Sanghvi. Mia Lee has been promoted to Studio Director. These promotions reflect individual dedication to our firm and a shared commitment to our mission to positively impact communities through the design of sustainable, civic architecture.
Clockwise From Left: Shefali Sanghvi, Eric Epstein, Earl Jones, Emily Kotsaftis, Rachel Ehrlich, Mia Lee (Not Pictured: Heather McKinstry, who is on maternity leave.)
PRINCIPAL
In Eric Epstein AIA, LEED AP's new role as Principal, he will lead projects in Dattner Architects' Educational and Institutional sectors. Seeking opportunities to bring people together and provide a sense of place through thoughtful, meaningful architecture guides Eric’s work across this broad set of program-driven building typologies.
ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL
Passionate about building social equity and reinvesting in local communities, Rachel Ehrlich AIA, LEED AP BD+C joined Dattner Architects in 2007. She has dedicated her career to affordable housing with a specialty in supportive, senior, and special needs housing. She is a Studio Director for one of the firm’s housing studios.
SENIOR ASSOCIATE
In the 19 years since joining Dattner Architects, Emily Kotsaftis AIA, LEED AP has focused her career in the design and construction of innovative transit stations and the integration of infrastructure into each community. As a consensus builder, she brings a high level of professionalism to each of her projects and builds strong relationships with clients and stakeholders.
ASSOCIATES
As Digital Design Director, Earl Jones Assoc. AIA manages the firm’s advanced computing, 3-D modeling, and BIM implementation. His architectural training and experience working for both architecture and engineering firms as a BIM manager allows him to communicate and collaborate easily between designers to create and manage a cohesive, efficient workflow.
Heather McKinstry AIA, LEED AP, CPHC believes that sustainable architecture is a critical part of creating a more equitable world. As a Certified Passive House Consultant, she sees architecture’s most important role as providing occupants with healthy, sustainable spaces to live, work, learn, and play.
Shefali Sanghvi AIA, LEED AP BD+C has a deep background in affordable housing, including new construction and renovations, senior housing, and supportive housing. She approaches each project with a passion for socially, environmentally, and financially sustainable design. Shefali also applies this dedication internally as a co-chair to the firm’s Sustainable Practice Group.
STUDIO DIRECTOR
With a diverse architectural background ranging from inspired interiors to comprehensive master planning, Mia Lee AIA joined Dattner Architects in 2010. She is dedicated to practicing architecture that results in spaces that positively impact people’s lives. As a Studio Director, Mia will work across projects to promote the exchange of design ideas, foster knowledge sharing, and promote the professional growth of our employees.
Dattner Architects is proud to announce our 2020 promotions. In recognition of his contributions to our firm and his evolving role in the practice, Eric Epstein has been elevated to Principal. Rachel Ehrlich is our new Associate Principal and Emily Kotsaftis has been named Senior Associate. Our new Associates are Earl Jones, Heather McKinstry, and Shefali Sanghvi. Mia Lee has been promoted to Studio Director. These promotions reflect individual dedication to our firm and a shared commitment to our mission to positively impact communities through the design of sustainable, civic architecture.
Clockwise From Left: Shefali Sanghvi, Eric Epstein, Earl Jones, Emily Kotsaftis, Rachel Ehrlich, Mia Lee (Not Pictured: Heather McKinstry, who is on maternity leave.)
PRINCIPAL
In Eric Epstein AIA, LEED AP's new role as Principal, he will lead projects in Dattner Architects' Educational and Institutional sectors. Seeking opportunities to bring people together and provide a sense of place through thoughtful, meaningful architecture guides Eric’s work across this broad set of program-driven building typologies.
ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL
Passionate about building social equity and reinvesting in local communities, Rachel Ehrlich AIA, LEED AP BD+C joined Dattner Architects in 2007. She has dedicated her career to affordable housing with a specialty in supportive, senior, and special needs housing. She is a Studio Director for one of the firm’s housing studios.
SENIOR ASSOCIATE
In the 19 years since joining Dattner Architects, Emily Kotsaftis AIA, LEED AP has focused her career in the design and construction of innovative transit stations and the integration of infrastructure into each community. As a consensus builder, she brings a high level of professionalism to each of her projects and builds strong relationships with clients and stakeholders.
ASSOCIATES
As Digital Design Director, Earl Jones Assoc. AIA manages the firm’s advanced computing, 3-D modeling, and BIM implementation. His architectural training and experience working for both architecture and engineering firms as a BIM manager allows him to communicate and collaborate easily between designers to create and manage a cohesive, efficient workflow.
Heather McKinstry AIA, LEED AP, CPHC believes that sustainable architecture is a critical part of creating a more equitable world. As a Certified Passive House Consultant, she sees architecture’s most important role as providing occupants with healthy, sustainable spaces to live, work, learn, and play.
Shefali Sanghvi AIA, LEED AP BD+C has a deep background in affordable housing, including new construction and renovations, senior housing, and supportive housing. She approaches each project with a passion for socially, environmentally, and financially sustainable design. Shefali also applies this dedication internally as a co-chair to the firm’s Sustainable Practice Group.
STUDIO DIRECTOR
With a diverse architectural background ranging from inspired interiors to comprehensive master planning, Mia Lee AIA joined Dattner Architects in 2010. She is dedicated to practicing architecture that results in spaces that positively impact people’s lives. As a Studio Director, Mia will work across projects to promote the exchange of design ideas, foster knowledge sharing, and promote the professional growth of our employees.
As this year comes to an end, we find ourselves reflecting on some of the highlights of 2019.
Rankings & Awards
Dattner Architects is proud to have been identified by Building Design + Construction (BD+C) as one of the country’s top architecture firms as well as a leader in the Multifamily Housing, K-12 Education, Higher Education, Office, Healthcare, Cultural, Government, and Industrial sectors. As part of BD+C’s Giants 300 Report, we were also recognized for our work in Green Buildings and Reconstruction.
The Real Deal (TRD) also named Dattner Architects one of New York City’s top overall architecture firms, including ranking fourth in Brooklyn and first in the Bronx, and the 10th most prolific firm in New York City over the past decade.
CURBED NY recognized 10 of the most important buildings from the past decade, including the Spring Street Salt Shed and Via Verde, while SECRET NYC listed the Number 7 Subway Line Extension & 34 Street Hudson Yards Station as one of the 10 most beautiful subway stations in New York City. We are proud to have designed these unique, eye-catching structures that have helped define New York City’s built environment.
Serving as a welcoming and transparent gateway to Columbia University, the glass-enclosed Forum was recognized with a Merit Award at the AIANY Honors and Awards Luncheon. This new academic conference center provides much-needed education and civic engagement space as well as a shared resource for students, faculty, and the local community. The Forum, as part of Columbia University’s new Manhattanville Campus Phase 1, was also honored with ULI-NY’s Award for Excellence in Institutional Development.
ULI-NY also recognized the Goldin, as part of the Essex Crossing Phase 1 project, with an Award for Excellence in Mixed-Use Development. Adding to the Goldin’s continued recognition are awards from AIA National and BSA. The first building to be completed in the larger 1.9 million square foot Essex Crossing development, the Goldin provides much-needed affordable senior housing, healthcare, and community services.
Caesura received a Design Award of Honor in Multifamily Housing from the Society of American Registered Architects of New York. Located in the heart of the Downtown Brooklyn Cultural District, Caesura is a dynamic new mixed-use building, anchoring a key corner of Lafayette Avenue and Ashland Place, across from the BAM Opera House, Theater for a New Audience, and Arts Plaza.
Groundbreakings & Ribbon Cuttings
We joined our clients and partnering community leaders for special events, including a groundbreaking at 50 Penn and a ribbon cutting at the Charles F. Murphy Early Childhood Development Center. These special projects are giving much-needed affordable housing and sought-after Pre-K education to East New York and Coney Island, respectively.
OHNY Weekend
A longtime supporter of Open House New York (OHNY), we are a proud participant of the annual OHNY Weekend. We opened up our offices for an Open Studio tour, giving visitors behind-the-scenes access into our firm. Tours were also given at the Manhattan Districts 1/2/5 Garage and Spring Street Salt Shed – two of the City’s newest iconic structures.
Architecture + Fashion
Inspired by our shared sustainable ideologies and practices, Dattner Architects and Heron Preston joined forces for Preston’s SS20 collection. A creative director, content creator, influencer, and DJ, Preston is widely considered to be a youth-culture icon. The designer held his first formal Fashion Week presentation in 2016 at the Spring Street Salt Shed and he pays homage to the Salt Shed with this year’s runway opening tailored Tyvek suit.
These are some of the many highlights from a fruitful 2019. We are grateful to our clients and collaborators, and look forward to continuing to make our City and beyond a greener, safer, and more vibrant place to live.
As this year comes to an end, we find ourselves reflecting on some of the highlights of 2019.
Rankings & Awards
Dattner Architects is proud to have been identified by Building Design + Construction (BD+C) as one of the country’s top architecture firms as well as a leader in the Multifamily Housing, K-12 Education, Higher Education, Office, Healthcare, Cultural, Government, and Industrial sectors. As part of BD+C’s Giants 300 Report, we were also recognized for our work in Green Buildings and Reconstruction.
The Real Deal (TRD) also named Dattner Architects one of New York City’s top overall architecture firms, including ranking fourth in Brooklyn and first in the Bronx, and the 10th most prolific firm in New York City over the past decade.
CURBED NY recognized 10 of the most important buildings from the past decade, including the Spring Street Salt Shed and Via Verde, while SECRET NYC listed the Number 7 Subway Line Extension & 34 Street Hudson Yards Station as one of the 10 most beautiful subway stations in New York City. We are proud to have designed these unique, eye-catching structures that have helped define New York City’s built environment.
Serving as a welcoming and transparent gateway to Columbia University, the glass-enclosed Forum was recognized with a Merit Award at the AIANY Honors and Awards Luncheon. This new academic conference center provides much-needed education and civic engagement space as well as a shared resource for students, faculty, and the local community. The Forum, as part of Columbia University’s new Manhattanville Campus Phase 1, was also honored with ULI-NY’s Award for Excellence in Institutional Development.
ULI-NY also recognized the Goldin, as part of the Essex Crossing Phase 1 project, with an Award for Excellence in Mixed-Use Development. Adding to the Goldin’s continued recognition are awards from AIA National and BSA. The first building to be completed in the larger 1.9 million square foot Essex Crossing development, the Goldin provides much-needed affordable senior housing, healthcare, and community services.
Caesura received a Design Award of Honor in Multifamily Housing from the Society of American Registered Architects of New York. Located in the heart of the Downtown Brooklyn Cultural District, Caesura is a dynamic new mixed-use building, anchoring a key corner of Lafayette Avenue and Ashland Place, across from the BAM Opera House, Theater for a New Audience, and Arts Plaza.
Groundbreakings & Ribbon Cuttings
We joined our clients and partnering community leaders for special events, including a groundbreaking at 50 Penn and a ribbon cutting at the Charles F. Murphy Early Childhood Development Center. These special projects are giving much-needed affordable housing and sought-after Pre-K education to East New York and Coney Island, respectively.
OHNY Weekend
A longtime supporter of Open House New York (OHNY), we are a proud participant of the annual OHNY Weekend. We opened up our offices for an Open Studio tour, giving visitors behind-the-scenes access into our firm. Tours were also given at the Manhattan Districts 1/2/5 Garage and Spring Street Salt Shed – two of the City’s newest iconic structures.
Architecture + Fashion
Inspired by our shared sustainable ideologies and practices, Dattner Architects and Heron Preston joined forces for Preston’s SS20 collection. A creative director, content creator, influencer, and DJ, Preston is widely considered to be a youth-culture icon. The designer held his first formal Fashion Week presentation in 2016 at the Spring Street Salt Shed and he pays homage to the Salt Shed with this year’s runway opening tailored Tyvek suit.
These are some of the many highlights from a fruitful 2019. We are grateful to our clients and collaborators, and look forward to continuing to make our City and beyond a greener, safer, and more vibrant place to live.
As we reflect on the past decade, we are filled with gratitude for each opportunity to design transformational, impactful projects. We are incredibly proud of the recognition our projects have earned in the press, from our peers, and through design awards, and—most importantly—by those who live in, work in, learn in, and travel through our projects every day.
The ten projects from the past decade featured as representative of the breadth of our portfolio are (top to bottom, left to right): Battery Park City School PS/IS 276; Spring Street Salt Shed; Rory Meyers Children's Adventure Garden & Exploration Center; Revitalizing the Urban Extents; Hub; East New York Health Hub; PS 186 / Boys & Girls Club of Harlem; Number 7 Subway Line Extension; Via Verde; Princeton University Tennis Pavilion.
Thank you to our clients, consultants, colleagues, contractors, and friends for your trust and collaboration.
We wish each of you a happy and healthy new year!
As we reflect on the past decade, we are filled with gratitude for each opportunity to design transformational, impactful projects. We are incredibly proud of the recognition our projects have earned in the press, from our peers, and through design awards, and—most importantly—by those who live in, work in, learn in, and travel through our projects every day.
The ten projects from the past decade featured as representative of the breadth of our portfolio are (top to bottom, left to right): Battery Park City School PS/IS 276; Spring Street Salt Shed; Rory Meyers Children's Adventure Garden & Exploration Center; Revitalizing the Urban Extents; Hub; East New York Health Hub; PS 186 / Boys & Girls Club of Harlem; Number 7 Subway Line Extension; Via Verde; Princeton University Tennis Pavilion.
Thank you to our clients, consultants, colleagues, contractors, and friends for your trust and collaboration.
We wish each of you a happy and healthy new year!
Dattner Architects has been selected to design Kingsbrook Estates in Central Brooklyn, transforming the Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center North Campus into a new 266-unit affordable housing development. As part of Governor Cuomo’s Vital Brooklyn initiative, which promises to create 4,000 units of affordable housing in Central Brooklyn, Kingsbrook Estates will offer affordable housing and a wide array of health, wellness, employment, and support services for residents and the community at-large.
"The transformation of the Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center North Campus is the latest step forward in our effort to revitalize Central Brooklyn with a $578 million investment in affordable housing. The new Kingsbrook Estates will be an outstanding development that delivers top-quality affordable housing and much needed health and social services to residents of Central Brooklyn." – Governor Cuomo
The three-building development will give residents access to health and wellness classes, vocational training, physical activity programs, and integrated care. Amenities include a community garden, outdoor exercise equipment, walkways, children’s play areas, outdoor kitchens, an indoor teaching kitchen, community spaces, laundry rooms, and bike storage. A nurse’s station will provide on-site services and counseling space. One Brooklyn Health System and Kingsbrook Estates will also provide all-inclusive care for the elderly in the development’s 7,000 square foot PACE Center.
Kingsbrook Estates is designed to meet Enterprise Green Communities and ENERGY STAR requirements, and includes solar photovoltaic panels and green roof systems.
Clients for Kingsbrook Estates include Monadnock Development, CB-Emmanuel Realty, and Brooklyn Community Housing and Services. They were recently awarded the project through New York State Division of Homes and Community Renewal (HCR).
"Monadnock is thrilled to be awarded Vital Brooklyn Sites E,F,G & H, Kingsbrook Estates, and we look forward to working with NYS HCR and the entire One Brooklyn Health System leadership to develop high quality, affordable housing in East Flatbush, Brooklyn. We want to thank Governor Andrew Cuomo and NYS HCR Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas for their leadership and ongoing commitment to housing the most vulnerable New Yorkers." – Nicholas Lembo, Chairman of Monadnock Development
Dattner Architects is proud to be a part of the Kingsbrook Estates team and we look forward to giving the residents of Central Brooklyn a safe, healthy, and affordable space to live and thrive.
“As a 20-year resident of the East Flatbush community, I am pleased that the Cuomo Administration is making this investment. As an architect in the community, my firm and I are excited to help transform the Kingsbrook campus to include much needed affordable, inter-generational, and supportive housing. Our site plan is a combination of adaptive re-use and contextual design that will integrate with and enhance the community.” – John Woelfling, Principal at Dattner Architects
Dattner Architects has been selected to design Kingsbrook Estates in Central Brooklyn, transforming the Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center North Campus into a new 266-unit affordable housing development. As part of Governor Cuomo’s Vital Brooklyn initiative, which promises to create 4,000 units of affordable housing in Central Brooklyn, Kingsbrook Estates will offer affordable housing and a wide array of health, wellness, employment, and support services for residents and the community at-large.
"The transformation of the Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center North Campus is the latest step forward in our effort to revitalize Central Brooklyn with a $578 million investment in affordable housing. The new Kingsbrook Estates will be an outstanding development that delivers top-quality affordable housing and much needed health and social services to residents of Central Brooklyn." – Governor Cuomo
The three-building development will give residents access to health and wellness classes, vocational training, physical activity programs, and integrated care. Amenities include a community garden, outdoor exercise equipment, walkways, children’s play areas, outdoor kitchens, an indoor teaching kitchen, community spaces, laundry rooms, and bike storage. A nurse’s station will provide on-site services and counseling space. One Brooklyn Health System and Kingsbrook Estates will also provide all-inclusive care for the elderly in the development’s 7,000 square foot PACE Center.
Kingsbrook Estates is designed to meet Enterprise Green Communities and ENERGY STAR requirements, and includes solar photovoltaic panels and green roof systems.
Clients for Kingsbrook Estates include Monadnock Development, CB-Emmanuel Realty, and Brooklyn Community Housing and Services. They were recently awarded the project through New York State Division of Homes and Community Renewal (HCR).
"Monadnock is thrilled to be awarded Vital Brooklyn Sites E,F,G & H, Kingsbrook Estates, and we look forward to working with NYS HCR and the entire One Brooklyn Health System leadership to develop high quality, affordable housing in East Flatbush, Brooklyn. We want to thank Governor Andrew Cuomo and NYS HCR Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas for their leadership and ongoing commitment to housing the most vulnerable New Yorkers." – Nicholas Lembo, Chairman of Monadnock Development
Dattner Architects is proud to be a part of the Kingsbrook Estates team and we look forward to giving the residents of Central Brooklyn a safe, healthy, and affordable space to live and thrive.
“As a 20-year resident of the East Flatbush community, I am pleased that the Cuomo Administration is making this investment. As an architect in the community, my firm and I are excited to help transform the Kingsbrook campus to include much needed affordable, inter-generational, and supportive housing. Our site plan is a combination of adaptive re-use and contextual design that will integrate with and enhance the community.” – John Woelfling, Principal at Dattner Architects
CURBED NY has recognized 10 of the most important buildings from the past decade, including the Spring Street Salt Shed and Via Verde!
The Salt Shed was recognized for its unique and rare eye-catching design for a civic building, while Via Verde “proved that designers and developers do not need to sacrifice form for function when building affordable housing."
Dattner Architects is proud to have designed these inspired and highly functional buildings that have helped define New York City’s built environment. We look forward to the next 10 years and beyond in this fine city! Many thanks to our clients, collaborators, and team of consultants.
CURBED NY has recognized 10 of the most important buildings from the past decade, including the Spring Street Salt Shed and Via Verde!
The Salt Shed was recognized for its unique and rare eye-catching design for a civic building, while Via Verde “proved that designers and developers do not need to sacrifice form for function when building affordable housing."
Dattner Architects is proud to have designed these inspired and highly functional buildings that have helped define New York City’s built environment. We look forward to the next 10 years and beyond in this fine city! Many thanks to our clients, collaborators, and team of consultants.
Dattner Architects is proud to announce that The Goldin at Essex Crossing has recently won two prestigious awards: AIA Design for Aging Review Award and BSA Housing Design Award.
In 1967, Seward Park Area tenants were relocated from their homes to make way for a massive planned urban renewal project. The project never came to fruition and the site remained vacant. 50 years later, the decades-old promise to revitalize this important corner of Manhattan’s Lower East Side (LES) was realized with the opening of the Goldin at Essex Crossing. The building is named after local resident and activist, Frances Goldin, who fought to bring new affordable housing to the neighborhood.
Sited at 175 Delancey Street, the Goldin is the first building to be completed in the larger 1.9 million square foot Essex Crossing development initiated through a public-private partnership. The Goldin provides much-needed affordable senior housing, healthcare, and community services. The 15-story mixed-use building comprises 96,200 square feet of residential space with 100 senior housing units, atop a four-story podium with ground floor retail, a large ambulatory care center, a café that supports job training, and community facilities operated by two venerable area nonprofit organizations.
The project transforms the perception of affordable senior housing with a distinctive contemporary design using a striking brick expression. The Goldin is designed to convey a warm, vibrant, and welcoming residential setting that is vital to affordable senior housing. The well-proportioned one-bedroom apartments are bright with high quality, modern, elegant finishes. The design enables residents to live independently, while being a part of a community with supportive resources. The Goldin provides a variety of senior-oriented cultural, social, and medical programs to support independent living and enhance the quality of life. These programs also serve the wider neighborhood, ensuring a variety of services and amenities not possible in a more conventionally programmed project. Two park-like rooftop gardens provide recreational space and a connection with nature in a dense urban environment.
In addition to the building and residences, the architectural team designed the mixed-use programming at the base of the building, including fit-outs for the NYU Langone Medical Center and nonprofit social services providers, Grand Street Settlement (GSS) Community Center, Lower East Side Partnership BID offices, Henry Street Settlement Workforce Development Center, Little Stars of Broome Street Early Childcare Center operated by the Chinese American Planning Council, and The Grand Lo cafe on the ground level, open to the community, is part of a culinary training program offered by GSS. The Joan H. & Preston Robert Tisch Center is a state-of-the art facility encompassing a Physical Therapy practice, an Ambulatory Surgery Center, and two family/primary care practices. The base also houses a neighborhood bicycle shop and property management offices for the overall Essex Crossing development. To ensure a collaborative process from the start of design through construction, the design team served as an intermediary between NYU Langone, Grand Street Settlement, Henry Street Settlement and Delancey Street Associates, the project developers.
The AIA Design for Aging Review showcases facilities and projects that demonstrate innovative solutions to improving environments and quality of life for seniors. Winning a Merit Award, the Goldin was commended by the jury for being an excellent example of urban living – one that “embraces the cultural diversity and exceeds sustainable requirements.”
The BSA Housing Design Award recognizes design excellence in housing of all types and scales. The hierarchy of the projects awarded this year, and the jury comments, will be revealed at the annual Design Awards Gala on January 23, 2020 in Boston.
Dattner Architects is proud to announce that The Goldin at Essex Crossing has recently won two prestigious awards: AIA Design for Aging Review Award and BSA Housing Design Award.
In 1967, Seward Park Area tenants were relocated from their homes to make way for a massive planned urban renewal project. The project never came to fruition and the site remained vacant. 50 years later, the decades-old promise to revitalize this important corner of Manhattan’s Lower East Side (LES) was realized with the opening of the Goldin at Essex Crossing. The building is named after local resident and activist, Frances Goldin, who fought to bring new affordable housing to the neighborhood.
Sited at 175 Delancey Street, the Goldin is the first building to be completed in the larger 1.9 million square foot Essex Crossing development initiated through a public-private partnership. The Goldin provides much-needed affordable senior housing, healthcare, and community services. The 15-story mixed-use building comprises 96,200 square feet of residential space with 100 senior housing units, atop a four-story podium with ground floor retail, a large ambulatory care center, a café that supports job training, and community facilities operated by two venerable area nonprofit organizations.
The project transforms the perception of affordable senior housing with a distinctive contemporary design using a striking brick expression. The Goldin is designed to convey a warm, vibrant, and welcoming residential setting that is vital to affordable senior housing. The well-proportioned one-bedroom apartments are bright with high quality, modern, elegant finishes. The design enables residents to live independently, while being a part of a community with supportive resources. The Goldin provides a variety of senior-oriented cultural, social, and medical programs to support independent living and enhance the quality of life. These programs also serve the wider neighborhood, ensuring a variety of services and amenities not possible in a more conventionally programmed project. Two park-like rooftop gardens provide recreational space and a connection with nature in a dense urban environment.
In addition to the building and residences, the architectural team designed the mixed-use programming at the base of the building, including fit-outs for the NYU Langone Medical Center and nonprofit social services providers, Grand Street Settlement (GSS) Community Center, Lower East Side Partnership BID offices, Henry Street Settlement Workforce Development Center, Little Stars of Broome Street Early Childcare Center operated by the Chinese American Planning Council, and The Grand Lo cafe on the ground level, open to the community, is part of a culinary training program offered by GSS. The Joan H. & Preston Robert Tisch Center is a state-of-the art facility encompassing a Physical Therapy practice, an Ambulatory Surgery Center, and two family/primary care practices. The base also houses a neighborhood bicycle shop and property management offices for the overall Essex Crossing development. To ensure a collaborative process from the start of design through construction, the design team served as an intermediary between NYU Langone, Grand Street Settlement, Henry Street Settlement and Delancey Street Associates, the project developers.
The AIA Design for Aging Review showcases facilities and projects that demonstrate innovative solutions to improving environments and quality of life for seniors. Winning a Merit Award, the Goldin was commended by the jury for being an excellent example of urban living – one that “embraces the cultural diversity and exceeds sustainable requirements.”
The BSA Housing Design Award recognizes design excellence in housing of all types and scales. The hierarchy of the projects awarded this year, and the jury comments, will be revealed at the annual Design Awards Gala on January 23, 2020 in Boston.
On Friday, November 8th, Dattner Architects joined Catholic Charities Brooklyn & Queens and partnering community leaders for the dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony at Charles F. Murphy Early Childhood Development Center.
Located in the heart of Coney Island, this new Head Start Center provides sought-after Pre-K education for 65 local children between the ages of 2-5 years old. The building fosters the social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development of preschoolers in a safe environment, guided by the philosophy of the Montessori approach to early childhood education. Indoor/outdoor learning and play spaces are clustered by age. The three-story, 17,000 square foot steel-reinforced building also features a kitchen, multi-purpose room, various administrative and utility spaces, five classrooms, and office areas. Through large classroom windows and circulation spaces, the Center promotes community visibility, civic awareness, and connectivity
Elevated above the flood plain, resiliency, sustainability, and active design inform the design of the building with bermed entrances, stepped roofs, brise soleil, and large open windows. Stepped roofs allow for outdoor gardens, learning spaces, and play areas.
The warm yellow and light gray façade portion of the building is a fiber-cement board rainscreen using integral-colored panels fastened to an aluminum subgirt system. The panels, as well as the subgirt elements and fasteners, are extremely durable and are unaffected by water. The gaps between the panels allow the air pressure within the wall cavity to be equalized with that of the pressure on the exterior of the building, thereby allowing water and vapor to freely drain and evaporate.
The design pays homage to its location. The warm yellow tones and long staggered panels of the cantilevered volume are a reference to the iconic Coney Island boardwalk. The panels extend along the soffit of the volume (over the entrance steps) and continue through as the ceiling of the lobby, creating the feeling of being under the boardwalk. The dark gray façade is also a fiber-cement board system, but it is detailed in a horizontal lapping pattern. This references the small-scaled wood lap siding homes commonly found in Coney Island.
Funded through FEMA, this new facility serves the community in two important ways. It is a critical provider of Pre-K education for the neighborhood and will offer safe harbor to the community in the event of a major tropical storm.
“This project realizes a vision for a new early childhood development center that provides a safe space for children to learn, play, and grow. Dattner Architects is proud to be part of the Catholic Charities team in building a facility that helps to revitalize a neighborhood affected by Hurricane Sandy.” – Jeffrey Dugan, Principal at Dattner Architects
On Friday, November 8th, Dattner Architects joined Catholic Charities Brooklyn & Queens and partnering community leaders for the dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony at Charles F. Murphy Early Childhood Development Center.
Located in the heart of Coney Island, this new Head Start Center provides sought-after Pre-K education for 65 local children between the ages of 2-5 years old. The building fosters the social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development of preschoolers in a safe environment, guided by the philosophy of the Montessori approach to early childhood education. Indoor/outdoor learning and play spaces are clustered by age. The three-story, 17,000 square foot steel-reinforced building also features a kitchen, multi-purpose room, various administrative and utility spaces, five classrooms, and office areas. Through large classroom windows and circulation spaces, the Center promotes community visibility, civic awareness, and connectivity
Elevated above the flood plain, resiliency, sustainability, and active design inform the design of the building with bermed entrances, stepped roofs, brise soleil, and large open windows. Stepped roofs allow for outdoor gardens, learning spaces, and play areas.
The warm yellow and light gray façade portion of the building is a fiber-cement board rainscreen using integral-colored panels fastened to an aluminum subgirt system. The panels, as well as the subgirt elements and fasteners, are extremely durable and are unaffected by water. The gaps between the panels allow the air pressure within the wall cavity to be equalized with that of the pressure on the exterior of the building, thereby allowing water and vapor to freely drain and evaporate.
The design pays homage to its location. The warm yellow tones and long staggered panels of the cantilevered volume are a reference to the iconic Coney Island boardwalk. The panels extend along the soffit of the volume (over the entrance steps) and continue through as the ceiling of the lobby, creating the feeling of being under the boardwalk. The dark gray façade is also a fiber-cement board system, but it is detailed in a horizontal lapping pattern. This references the small-scaled wood lap siding homes commonly found in Coney Island.
Funded through FEMA, this new facility serves the community in two important ways. It is a critical provider of Pre-K education for the neighborhood and will offer safe harbor to the community in the event of a major tropical storm.
“This project realizes a vision for a new early childhood development center that provides a safe space for children to learn, play, and grow. Dattner Architects is proud to be part of the Catholic Charities team in building a facility that helps to revitalize a neighborhood affected by Hurricane Sandy.” – Jeffrey Dugan, Principal at Dattner Architects
On November 20, Dattner Architects’ Principal John Woelfling will be discussing “Multifamily Passive House – Different Systems and Designs” at the Greenbuild International Conference & Expo. He will be joined on the panel by Mark Ginsberg (Partner, Curtis + Ginsberg Architects) and Dylan Martello (Senior Building Systems Consultant, Steven Winter Associates). Collectively, John, Mark, and Dylan have designed more than 25 multifamily Passive House projects. Greenbuild attendees will gain a better understanding of the design, construction, and operations issues faced in multifamily Passive House buildings as well as the alternate systems used to meet Passive House standards.
Greenbuild is the largest annual event for green building professionals to learn and source the latest cutting-edge solutions to improve sustainability and quality of life in buildings and communities. Held from November 19-22 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, this year’s conference includes a keynote speech from former President Barack Obama.
On November 20, Dattner Architects’ Principal John Woelfling will be discussing “Multifamily Passive House – Different Systems and Designs” at the Greenbuild International Conference & Expo. He will be joined on the panel by Mark Ginsberg (Partner, Curtis + Ginsberg Architects) and Dylan Martello (Senior Building Systems Consultant, Steven Winter Associates). Collectively, John, Mark, and Dylan have designed more than 25 multifamily Passive House projects. Greenbuild attendees will gain a better understanding of the design, construction, and operations issues faced in multifamily Passive House buildings as well as the alternate systems used to meet Passive House standards.
Greenbuild is the largest annual event for green building professionals to learn and source the latest cutting-edge solutions to improve sustainability and quality of life in buildings and communities. Held from November 19-22 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, this year’s conference includes a keynote speech from former President Barack Obama.
Every October, Open House New York (OHNY) provides unprecedented access to more than 250 buildings and projects across New York City. As part of that effort, Dattner Architects was excited to share a glimpse into two of our award-winning projects as well as a behind-the-scenes look into our firm for OHNY’s annual OHNY Weekend.
Open Studio at Dattner Architects
On Saturday, October 19, we opened our doors for an Open Studio tour of our office – illustrating how we approach civic architecture.
Along our studio pin-up wall, we showcased select works-in-progress across our four studios, including 425 Grand Concourse, 2840 Atlantic, 116th Precinct Station House, Brooklyn District 3 Garage, and CUNY Bronx Express. Pin-up space was also dedicated to showcasing our firm culture, industry involvement, and commitment to professional development.
As a mission-driven firm, focused on enriching civic space and the urban experience, Dattner Architects has completed hundreds of projects across the city, some large, others small – all a part of our ever-expanding portfolio. To celebrate this commitment to transforming environments and strengthening communities, we ran an internal photo contest titled: OUR CITY. OUR PROJECTS.
With 54 years of projects to choose from, Dattner Architects staff were tasked with taking photos of one of our completed projects. It could be a detail, an interior, or exterior. The only requirements were that it was a photo they personally took, that it was one of our NYC-based projects, and that the project was built/completed. All photo entries were then curated into an exhibition along the pin-up wall.
We invited John Hill – architect, author, and friend of the firm – to judge the contest. At an awards reception held at our office on Wednesday, October 16, John spoke about the winning photos as well as his general observations on NYC architecture. First, second, and third place prizes were awarded with winners receiving a signed copy of John’s recent book, NYC Walks: Guide to New Architecture, as well as gift cards to local restaurants and businesses.
OHNY visitors were invited to bring their own photos of one of our completed NYC projects on the day of our Open Studio. Those that participated pinned up their photos alongside the featured exhibition and received a Dattner Architects’ tote bag as a gift. Staff and visitors were encouraged to take a selfie at our photo booth as a keepsake and token of our gratitude.
M125 Garage & Salt Shed Tours
On Sunday, October 20, we were joined by NYC Department of Sanitation’s (DSNY) Assistant Chief Keith Mellis for tours of the award-winning Manhattan Districts 1/2/5 Garage and Spring Street Salt Shed. Two of the City’s newest iconic structures, these critical infrastructure facilities have been embraced by the West Village community. OHNY visitors were given a behind-the-scenes look at how the City’s waste stream is managed and heard from Dattner Architects and WXY team members on the design process and value of these important community facilities.
Every October, Open House New York (OHNY) provides unprecedented access to more than 250 buildings and projects across New York City. As part of that effort, Dattner Architects was excited to share a glimpse into two of our award-winning projects as well as a behind-the-scenes look into our firm for OHNY’s annual OHNY Weekend.
Open Studio at Dattner Architects
On Saturday, October 19, we opened our doors for an Open Studio tour of our office – illustrating how we approach civic architecture.
Along our studio pin-up wall, we showcased select works-in-progress across our four studios, including 425 Grand Concourse, 2840 Atlantic, 116th Precinct Station House, Brooklyn District 3 Garage, and CUNY Bronx Express. Pin-up space was also dedicated to showcasing our firm culture, industry involvement, and commitment to professional development.
As a mission-driven firm, focused on enriching civic space and the urban experience, Dattner Architects has completed hundreds of projects across the city, some large, others small – all a part of our ever-expanding portfolio. To celebrate this commitment to transforming environments and strengthening communities, we ran an internal photo contest titled: OUR CITY. OUR PROJECTS.
With 54 years of projects to choose from, Dattner Architects staff were tasked with taking photos of one of our completed projects. It could be a detail, an interior, or exterior. The only requirements were that it was a photo they personally took, that it was one of our NYC-based projects, and that the project was built/completed. All photo entries were then curated into an exhibition along the pin-up wall.
We invited John Hill – architect, author, and friend of the firm – to judge the contest. At an awards reception held at our office on Wednesday, October 16, John spoke about the winning photos as well as his general observations on NYC architecture. First, second, and third place prizes were awarded with winners receiving a signed copy of John’s recent book, NYC Walks: Guide to New Architecture, as well as gift cards to local restaurants and businesses.
OHNY visitors were invited to bring their own photos of one of our completed NYC projects on the day of our Open Studio. Those that participated pinned up their photos alongside the featured exhibition and received a Dattner Architects’ tote bag as a gift. Staff and visitors were encouraged to take a selfie at our photo booth as a keepsake and token of our gratitude.
M125 Garage & Salt Shed Tours
On Sunday, October 20, we were joined by NYC Department of Sanitation’s (DSNY) Assistant Chief Keith Mellis for tours of the award-winning Manhattan Districts 1/2/5 Garage and Spring Street Salt Shed. Two of the City’s newest iconic structures, these critical infrastructure facilities have been embraced by the West Village community. OHNY visitors were given a behind-the-scenes look at how the City’s waste stream is managed and heard from Dattner Architects and WXY team members on the design process and value of these important community facilities.
On October 1, Dattner Architects joined Pennrose LLC, RiseBoro Community Partners, New York City Housing Development Corporation (NYCHDC), New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (NYCHPD), New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH), New York City Councilman Rafael L. Espinal Jr., and Red Stone Equity Partners to break ground on a new mixed-use residential development in East New York, Brooklyn.
Located within the recently rezoned Cypress Hills area of East New York, 50 Penn will provide 100% affordable housing, meeting the requirements of the City’s Mandatory Inclusionary Housing Program. Following the NYC Zoning Resolution’s FRESH program, the development will maximize the residential floor area to offer 218 rental apartments – 42 of which will be dedicated to formerly homeless and elderly households – and a health-foods grocery store at the ground floor.
The site for this nine-story multifamily building sits adjacent to the elevated J/Z Subway (to the north of the site) and the below-grade A/C Subway. A former industrial site, it was remediated through the Brownfield Cleanup Program. The sustainable project includes green roofs, rooftop photovoltaic panels, a highly insulated exterior wall system for energy efficiency, and landscaped outdoor space for the residents’ health and well-being.
On October 1, Dattner Architects joined Pennrose LLC, RiseBoro Community Partners, New York City Housing Development Corporation (NYCHDC), New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (NYCHPD), New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH), New York City Councilman Rafael L. Espinal Jr., and Red Stone Equity Partners to break ground on a new mixed-use residential development in East New York, Brooklyn.
Located within the recently rezoned Cypress Hills area of East New York, 50 Penn will provide 100% affordable housing, meeting the requirements of the City’s Mandatory Inclusionary Housing Program. Following the NYC Zoning Resolution’s FRESH program, the development will maximize the residential floor area to offer 218 rental apartments – 42 of which will be dedicated to formerly homeless and elderly households – and a health-foods grocery store at the ground floor.
The site for this nine-story multifamily building sits adjacent to the elevated J/Z Subway (to the north of the site) and the below-grade A/C Subway. A former industrial site, it was remediated through the Brownfield Cleanup Program. The sustainable project includes green roofs, rooftop photovoltaic panels, a highly insulated exterior wall system for energy efficiency, and landscaped outdoor space for the residents’ health and well-being.
Celebrate Archtober with Dattner Architects!
Every October, Open House New York (OHNY) provides behind-the-scenes access to some of New York’s most important buildings, offering a unique opportunity to experience New York City as well and the people responsible for designing the built environment. As part of the 2019 annual OHNY Weekend, Dattner Architects will be providing a glimpse into two of our award-winning projects as well as opening our doors to the public for a behind-the-scenes look into our firm.
Saturday, October 19
Join us at our office on Saturday from 10:00am to 3:00pm! Our open studio tour will showcase decades of our work in NYC through recent photos taken by current employees. Select works-in-progress will also be on display, and visitors will have an opportunity to learn more about our firm culture, industry involvement, and commitment to professional development.
OHNY Weekenders who bring photos they have taken of a Dattner Architects’ project will receive a gift! Photos can also be emailed to info@dattner.com in advance or posted to Instagram with @DattnerArch tagged and #DattProject — but prizes are only available in person on the day of the open studio.
Sunday, October 20
The Manhattan Districts 1/2/5 Garage and Spring Street Salt Shed will be open for a glimpse into two unique award-winning municipal structures that play vital roles in the community infrastructure. Representatives from Dattner Architects, WXY, and the NYC Department of Sanitation will give guided tours to reserved guests, offering a look at how the city’s waste stream is managed and the other vital functions of these important community infrastructure facilities. This reserved tour is sold out.
Celebrate Archtober with Dattner Architects!
Every October, Open House New York (OHNY) provides behind-the-scenes access to some of New York’s most important buildings, offering a unique opportunity to experience New York City as well and the people responsible for designing the built environment. As part of the 2019 annual OHNY Weekend, Dattner Architects will be providing a glimpse into two of our award-winning projects as well as opening our doors to the public for a behind-the-scenes look into our firm.
Saturday, October 19
Join us at our office on Saturday from 10:00am to 3:00pm! Our open studio tour will showcase decades of our work in NYC through recent photos taken by current employees. Select works-in-progress will also be on display, and visitors will have an opportunity to learn more about our firm culture, industry involvement, and commitment to professional development.
OHNY Weekenders who bring photos they have taken of a Dattner Architects’ project will receive a gift! Photos can also be emailed to info@dattner.com in advance or posted to Instagram with @DattnerArch tagged and #DattProject — but prizes are only available in person on the day of the open studio.
Sunday, October 20
The Manhattan Districts 1/2/5 Garage and Spring Street Salt Shed will be open for a glimpse into two unique award-winning municipal structures that play vital roles in the community infrastructure. Representatives from Dattner Architects, WXY, and the NYC Department of Sanitation will give guided tours to reserved guests, offering a look at how the city’s waste stream is managed and the other vital functions of these important community infrastructure facilities. This reserved tour is sold out.
How can we show support and become an ally to our LGBTQIA+ colleagues and peers?
On October 17th, Dattner Architects’ Associate Principal Ruth Ro will explore these topics and more during the “Let’s Talk Identities” panel at the 47th Annual NOMA Conference and Exposition. Panelists will discuss the difference between Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression – three terms that are often misunderstood or misconstrued as the terminology around them changes and evolves. Audience members will gain a better understanding of the LGBTQIA+ spectrum and the importance in facilitating an inclusive and understanding workplace.
The NOMA Conference will be held at the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge on October 16-20, 2019. This year’s theme is BELIEVE THE HYPE: A GLOBAL COLLECTIVE OF INDUSTRY CHANGE AGENTS. This annual conference brings together building industry thought leaders, future architects, and stars of the design, real estate, planning, and construction industries.
How can we show support and become an ally to our LGBTQIA+ colleagues and peers?
On October 17th, Dattner Architects’ Associate Principal Ruth Ro will explore these topics and more during the “Let’s Talk Identities” panel at the 47th Annual NOMA Conference and Exposition. Panelists will discuss the difference between Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression – three terms that are often misunderstood or misconstrued as the terminology around them changes and evolves. Audience members will gain a better understanding of the LGBTQIA+ spectrum and the importance in facilitating an inclusive and understanding workplace.
The NOMA Conference will be held at the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge on October 16-20, 2019. This year’s theme is BELIEVE THE HYPE: A GLOBAL COLLECTIVE OF INDUSTRY CHANGE AGENTS. This annual conference brings together building industry thought leaders, future architects, and stars of the design, real estate, planning, and construction industries.
Dattner Architects is proud to share that Steiner Studios Stages 25-30 has won the 2019 Building Brooklyn Industrial Expansion Award! An annual event, the prestigious Building Brooklyn Awards celebrate the best new construction and renovation projects enriching Brooklyn’s neighborhoods.
Stages 25-30 is the latest phase of expansion at Steiner Studios – New York City’s largest film and television production facility. Comprising six new 16,000 square feet soundstages and over 170,000 square feet of production support spaces, the new building includes all the facilities necessary for production of major motion pictures, feature films, television series, and commercials. These spaces consist of soundstages, prop and set areas, dressing rooms, hair and makeup rooms, green rooms, production office suites, and a double-height, floor-to-ceiling glazed commissary. Providing direct access to the new soundstages, backlot, and the entire Steiner Studios lot, the new entrance from Kent Avenue is marked with the signature Steiner truss arch. The new entrance and the new studios are the latest Dattner Architects projects for Steiner Studios at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, where we have been working together for a decade.
On August 5th, Dattner Architects’ Principal William Stein and Associate Principal Ruth Ro joined the Steiner Studios’ team in accepting the award for Best Industrial Expansion at a ceremony at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge. We are proud of our partnership with Steiner Studios and our involvement in the growth and support of the creative industries in Brooklyn.
Dattner Architects is proud to share that Steiner Studios Stages 25-30 has won the 2019 Building Brooklyn Industrial Expansion Award! An annual event, the prestigious Building Brooklyn Awards celebrate the best new construction and renovation projects enriching Brooklyn’s neighborhoods.
Stages 25-30 is the latest phase of expansion at Steiner Studios – New York City’s largest film and television production facility. Comprising six new 16,000 square feet soundstages and over 170,000 square feet of production support spaces, the new building includes all the facilities necessary for production of major motion pictures, feature films, television series, and commercials. These spaces consist of soundstages, prop and set areas, dressing rooms, hair and makeup rooms, green rooms, production office suites, and a double-height, floor-to-ceiling glazed commissary. Providing direct access to the new soundstages, backlot, and the entire Steiner Studios lot, the new entrance from Kent Avenue is marked with the signature Steiner truss arch. The new entrance and the new studios are the latest Dattner Architects projects for Steiner Studios at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, where we have been working together for a decade.
On August 5th, Dattner Architects’ Principal William Stein and Associate Principal Ruth Ro joined the Steiner Studios’ team in accepting the award for Best Industrial Expansion at a ceremony at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge. We are proud of our partnership with Steiner Studios and our involvement in the growth and support of the creative industries in Brooklyn.
This month, Dattner Architects joined the Association of New York Catholic Homes (ANYCH), Catholic Charities of New York (CCNY), NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development (NYCHPD), Councilman Rafael Salamanca, and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr to celebrate the construction progress at 1932 Bryant Avenue.
1932 Bryant, also known as Second Farms, is set to revitalize a key site in the West Farms neighborhood of the Bronx. Located just two blocks away from the West Farms Square subway station, this 15-story structure will include 319 affordable housing units, approximately 12,000 square feet for commercial-retail use, and a 9,000 square foot community facility. A landscaped courtyard, with plantings and paved sitting areas along Bryant Avenue, will be provided for the tenants’ outdoor recreation use.
Built on a slope, the modern building incorporates four different colors of brick, employed to distinguish the various sections of the building. Black brick connects windows making columns of two and three, informing the main design of the façade. White bricks cover two corners, and golden bricks rise in a thin column from above the main entrance, creating the illusion of division in the center of the structure.
The building will comply with NYCHPD requirements for affordable housing as well as Enterprise Green Communities standards.
“Second Farms is an important part of our commitment to building affordable housing for New Yorkers … this is our commitment to ensuring a basic human right – a roof over every family’s head.” – Monsignor Kevin Sullivan, Executive Director of CCNY
Dattner Architects is proud to partner with ANYCH and CCNY in providing vital affordable housing for the citizens of the Bronx and beyond. Second Farms is expected to open in the fall of 2020.
This month, Dattner Architects joined the Association of New York Catholic Homes (ANYCH), Catholic Charities of New York (CCNY), NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development (NYCHPD), Councilman Rafael Salamanca, and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr to celebrate the construction progress at 1932 Bryant Avenue.
1932 Bryant, also known as Second Farms, is set to revitalize a key site in the West Farms neighborhood of the Bronx. Located just two blocks away from the West Farms Square subway station, this 15-story structure will include 319 affordable housing units, approximately 12,000 square feet for commercial-retail use, and a 9,000 square foot community facility. A landscaped courtyard, with plantings and paved sitting areas along Bryant Avenue, will be provided for the tenants’ outdoor recreation use.
Built on a slope, the modern building incorporates four different colors of brick, employed to distinguish the various sections of the building. Black brick connects windows making columns of two and three, informing the main design of the façade. White bricks cover two corners, and golden bricks rise in a thin column from above the main entrance, creating the illusion of division in the center of the structure.
The building will comply with NYCHPD requirements for affordable housing as well as Enterprise Green Communities standards.
“Second Farms is an important part of our commitment to building affordable housing for New Yorkers … this is our commitment to ensuring a basic human right – a roof over every family’s head.” – Monsignor Kevin Sullivan, Executive Director of CCNY
Dattner Architects is proud to partner with ANYCH and CCNY in providing vital affordable housing for the citizens of the Bronx and beyond. Second Farms is expected to open in the fall of 2020.
The Dattner Architects-designed 425 Grand Concourse is featured in “Mapping Community: Public Investment in NYC,” representing housing in the Bronx.
Last month, the American Institute of Architects New York (AIANY) held a public opening for MAPPING COMMUNITY at the Center for Architecture. The exhibition demystifies the complex process of capital planning in New York City by explaining the rules that govern the capital process for our city, the various city agencies that implement projects, and the ways everyday New Yorkers have a say in what types of investment they would like to see in their neighborhoods. MAPPING COMMUNITY also looks at how public projects are achieved at the local level by illustrating five types of public infrastructure – housing, transit, parks, schools, and libraries – and how example projects navigated through their respective local community boards.
One such example highlighted in the exhibit is 425 Grand Concourse. Located in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the Bronx, this new mixed-use and mixed-income development will create 277 units of affordable housing for low- and moderate-income families. Residents are offered a wide variety of amenities including a recreation room, landscaped roof terrace, a lounge space and fitness room, laundry rooms, bike storage, and a parking garage. The two-story base will house educational space for a public university, a medical facility, supermarket, and community support space including a social services facility. A new accessible walkway connects Walton Avenue to Grand Concourse, alongside Garrison Playground, and a new comfort station will be housed within the building for the park.
The 26-story tower is designed to Passive House standards and will consume up to 70% less energy than a conventional housing project. The largest passive house project planned for North America to date, the development will implement high efficiency building systems with an air-tight building envelope, energy recovery ventilation, and sustainable features to significantly reduce heat loss and gain. The project will also incorporate NYC Active Design Guidelines to encourage opportunities for physical activity.
Led by the development team of Trinity Financial and MBD Community Housing Corporation, and designed by Dattner Architects, 425 Grand Concourse balances the critical need for affordable homes and the need for a high-quality and attractive development that promotes street activity. As a gateway to the historic Grand Concourse, one of the Bronx’s great boulevards, the new development will anchor this important corner and enhance the Mott Haven neighborhood.
MAPPING COMMUNITY is on display at the Center for Architecture until August 31, 2019. The exhibit is free and open to the public.
The Dattner Architects-designed 425 Grand Concourse is featured in “Mapping Community: Public Investment in NYC,” representing housing in the Bronx.
Last month, the American Institute of Architects New York (AIANY) held a public opening for MAPPING COMMUNITY at the Center for Architecture. The exhibition demystifies the complex process of capital planning in New York City by explaining the rules that govern the capital process for our city, the various city agencies that implement projects, and the ways everyday New Yorkers have a say in what types of investment they would like to see in their neighborhoods. MAPPING COMMUNITY also looks at how public projects are achieved at the local level by illustrating five types of public infrastructure – housing, transit, parks, schools, and libraries – and how example projects navigated through their respective local community boards.
One such example highlighted in the exhibit is 425 Grand Concourse. Located in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the Bronx, this new mixed-use and mixed-income development will create 277 units of affordable housing for low- and moderate-income families. Residents are offered a wide variety of amenities including a recreation room, landscaped roof terrace, a lounge space and fitness room, laundry rooms, bike storage, and a parking garage. The two-story base will house educational space for a public university, a medical facility, supermarket, and community support space including a social services facility. A new accessible walkway connects Walton Avenue to Grand Concourse, alongside Garrison Playground, and a new comfort station will be housed within the building for the park.
The 26-story tower is designed to Passive House standards and will consume up to 70% less energy than a conventional housing project. The largest passive house project planned for North America to date, the development will implement high efficiency building systems with an air-tight building envelope, energy recovery ventilation, and sustainable features to significantly reduce heat loss and gain. The project will also incorporate NYC Active Design Guidelines to encourage opportunities for physical activity.
Led by the development team of Trinity Financial and MBD Community Housing Corporation, and designed by Dattner Architects, 425 Grand Concourse balances the critical need for affordable homes and the need for a high-quality and attractive development that promotes street activity. As a gateway to the historic Grand Concourse, one of the Bronx’s great boulevards, the new development will anchor this important corner and enhance the Mott Haven neighborhood.
MAPPING COMMUNITY is on display at the Center for Architecture until August 31, 2019. The exhibit is free and open to the public.
Last week New York City hosted the 2019 North American Passive House Network Conference (NAPHN). Dedicated to sharing the latest Passive House innovations with an international audience, this year’s conference encouraged presenters and attendees to discuss low carbon solutions.
On the second day of the conference, Dattner Architects’ Principal John Woelfling AIA, LEED AP, CPHT joined the multi-disciplinary panel “Multifamily Towers: MEP Integration and Operation”. Alongside co-panelists Mark Ginsberg, Lois Arena, and Ryan Lobello, John examined the intersection of architectural design and MEP Systems within the context of Passive House buildings, and explored the potential benefits of a more complete system integration between the disciplines.
John presented lessons learned from several Dattner Architects Passive House projects, including Chestnut Commons, a mixed-use, 275-unit affordable housing development in East New York, and 425 Grand Concourse, a mixed-use development with 277 units of affordable housing, community facility space, retail, and healthcare space.
Dattner Architects’ Senior Associate David Levine AIA, CPHC, LEED AP BD+C also joined the conference. David moderated the panel “Technical Relatives: Making Accessibility and Acoustics Work in Passive House Buildings”. The panelists examined Passive House design and the integration of ADA components as well as the importance of noise regulation and acoustics design within the famously quiet housing typology.
Last week New York City hosted the 2019 North American Passive House Network Conference (NAPHN). Dedicated to sharing the latest Passive House innovations with an international audience, this year’s conference encouraged presenters and attendees to discuss low carbon solutions.
On the second day of the conference, Dattner Architects’ Principal John Woelfling AIA, LEED AP, CPHT joined the multi-disciplinary panel “Multifamily Towers: MEP Integration and Operation”. Alongside co-panelists Mark Ginsberg, Lois Arena, and Ryan Lobello, John examined the intersection of architectural design and MEP Systems within the context of Passive House buildings, and explored the potential benefits of a more complete system integration between the disciplines.
John presented lessons learned from several Dattner Architects Passive House projects, including Chestnut Commons, a mixed-use, 275-unit affordable housing development in East New York, and 425 Grand Concourse, a mixed-use development with 277 units of affordable housing, community facility space, retail, and healthcare space.
Dattner Architects’ Senior Associate David Levine AIA, CPHC, LEED AP BD+C also joined the conference. David moderated the panel “Technical Relatives: Making Accessibility and Acoustics Work in Passive House Buildings”. The panelists examined Passive House design and the integration of ADA components as well as the importance of noise regulation and acoustics design within the famously quiet housing typology.
Dattner Architects is proud to announce that Caesura recently received a Design Award of Honor in Multifamily Housing from the Society of American Registered Architects of New York (SARA NY). As part of their annual awards program, SARA NY received a record 230 entries this year from professionals and students from all over the world.
Located in the heart of the Downtown Brooklyn Cultural District, Caesura is a dynamic new mixed-use building, anchoring a key corner of Lafayette Avenue and Ashland Place, across from the BAM Opera House, Theater for a New Audience, and Arts Plaza. Designed in collaboration with Bernheimer Architecture, this new distinctively modern, human-scaled building stands out from the surrounding high-rise developments, offering a break from the intensity of the city.
The design approach is “boutique” in nature, independent and unique amongst the larger scale neighbors – like an urban park surrounded by a busy city. A sculptural screen at the residential entrance by artist Susan Hefuna reinforces the building’s cultural identity.
The public spaces—from the living room style lobby to the lounge, gym, conservatory, activity room, and the sprawling roof deck—all celebrate the same contrast. The best of both worlds, comfort and softness, contrasted with concrete, metal, and stone all sharing the same theme: sustainability and a sense of place.
Above the cultural base are 123 market-rate and affordable apartments. Each apartment is its own sanctuary. Large windows, white oak floors, and light finishes throughout give each space a warm and soft glow. The mix of rental apartments accommodates a range of modern urban households. Each unit is carefully designed to create light-filled spaces with high-quality finishes. Approximately 40% of the apartments are compact units. These apartments are offered with flexible, convertible furniture—a sofa and shelving unit that coverts to a bed and an expandable dining table—to optimize the living space.
Dattner Architects is proud to announce that Caesura recently received a Design Award of Honor in Multifamily Housing from the Society of American Registered Architects of New York (SARA NY). As part of their annual awards program, SARA NY received a record 230 entries this year from professionals and students from all over the world.
Located in the heart of the Downtown Brooklyn Cultural District, Caesura is a dynamic new mixed-use building, anchoring a key corner of Lafayette Avenue and Ashland Place, across from the BAM Opera House, Theater for a New Audience, and Arts Plaza. Designed in collaboration with Bernheimer Architecture, this new distinctively modern, human-scaled building stands out from the surrounding high-rise developments, offering a break from the intensity of the city.
The design approach is “boutique” in nature, independent and unique amongst the larger scale neighbors – like an urban park surrounded by a busy city. A sculptural screen at the residential entrance by artist Susan Hefuna reinforces the building’s cultural identity.
The public spaces—from the living room style lobby to the lounge, gym, conservatory, activity room, and the sprawling roof deck—all celebrate the same contrast. The best of both worlds, comfort and softness, contrasted with concrete, metal, and stone all sharing the same theme: sustainability and a sense of place.
Above the cultural base are 123 market-rate and affordable apartments. Each apartment is its own sanctuary. Large windows, white oak floors, and light finishes throughout give each space a warm and soft glow. The mix of rental apartments accommodates a range of modern urban households. Each unit is carefully designed to create light-filled spaces with high-quality finishes. Approximately 40% of the apartments are compact units. These apartments are offered with flexible, convertible furniture—a sofa and shelving unit that coverts to a bed and an expandable dining table—to optimize the living space.
In this episode of Inside the Studio, Associate Principal Steven Frankel picks two words to sum up Dattner Architects:
“It’s a balance of thoughtfulness and creativity… we look at how our work impacts the city, we focus on the big design ideas, but we also know how to build.”
In this episode of Inside the Studio, Associate Principal Steven Frankel picks two words to sum up Dattner Architects:
“It’s a balance of thoughtfulness and creativity… we look at how our work impacts the city, we focus on the big design ideas, but we also know how to build.”
Heron Preston – creative director, content creator, influencer, and DJ – is widely considered to be a youth-culture icon. The designer’s impressive series of collaborations have consistently helped facilitate some of the most significant shifts in streetwear culture. Through his namesake label, he continues to push boundaries, tackling critical issues in the fashion industry.
Preston held his first formal Fashion Week presentation – UNIFORM, a collaboration with NYC Department of Sanitation emphasizing sustainability – in 2016 at the Dattner Architects-designed Spring Street Salt Shed in New York City. He approached Dattner Architects earlier this year to collaborate on the presentation of his Spring/Summer 2020 (SS20) Runway show – entitled “Concrete Jungle” – during Paris Men’s Fashion Week. Held at Palais de Toyko, Dattner Architects designed the show's set, which features multi-level scaffolding wrapped in a skrim, using reusable, low-waste materials. Video projections of custom New York City street vignettes, lensed by Nicholas Heller aka NewYorkNico, were projected along the scaffolding. By maximizing the impact of lighting, sound, and motion, the set design is reflective of the eco-friendly, low-waste methodology that is central to the ethos of both Heron Preston and Dattner Architects, informing their collaborative history and the many intersections within their work.
Inspired by urban living, particularly New York City, CONCRETE JUNGLE embraces the dichotomies of city life, hybridizing signature elements of workwear and formal wear into a capsule of tailored and casual pieces with an emphasis on dynamic, multi-functional interventions. In addition to the set design, Dattner Architects collaborated with Heron Preston on a SS20 runway-only iteration of Tyvek suiting featuring 3D quilted triangles and foam-impregnated lining. Worn by model Alton Mason, the customized suit was the show opener, setting the stage for SS20’s collection of up-cycled and low-carbon production pieces. The combined SS20 menswear and womenswear collection was created using a pallet of organic materials, recyclable nylon and tweed, and pineapple leather.
Dattner Architects’ design portfolio has been widely regarded for its significant impact on the urban realm. We are proud to expand this through our CONCRETE JUNGLE collaboration with Heron Preston, and the presentation of his innovative, bold, and environmentally conscious work.
Heron Preston – creative director, content creator, influencer, and DJ – is widely considered to be a youth-culture icon. The designer’s impressive series of collaborations have consistently helped facilitate some of the most significant shifts in streetwear culture. Through his namesake label, he continues to push boundaries, tackling critical issues in the fashion industry.
Preston held his first formal Fashion Week presentation – UNIFORM, a collaboration with NYC Department of Sanitation emphasizing sustainability – in 2016 at the Dattner Architects-designed Spring Street Salt Shed in New York City. He approached Dattner Architects earlier this year to collaborate on the presentation of his Spring/Summer 2020 (SS20) Runway show – entitled “Concrete Jungle” – during Paris Men’s Fashion Week. Held at Palais de Toyko, Dattner Architects designed the show's set, which features multi-level scaffolding wrapped in a skrim, using reusable, low-waste materials. Video projections of custom New York City street vignettes, lensed by Nicholas Heller aka NewYorkNico, were projected along the scaffolding. By maximizing the impact of lighting, sound, and motion, the set design is reflective of the eco-friendly, low-waste methodology that is central to the ethos of both Heron Preston and Dattner Architects, informing their collaborative history and the many intersections within their work.
Inspired by urban living, particularly New York City, CONCRETE JUNGLE embraces the dichotomies of city life, hybridizing signature elements of workwear and formal wear into a capsule of tailored and casual pieces with an emphasis on dynamic, multi-functional interventions. In addition to the set design, Dattner Architects collaborated with Heron Preston on a SS20 runway-only iteration of Tyvek suiting featuring 3D quilted triangles and foam-impregnated lining. Worn by model Alton Mason, the customized suit was the show opener, setting the stage for SS20’s collection of up-cycled and low-carbon production pieces. The combined SS20 menswear and womenswear collection was created using a pallet of organic materials, recyclable nylon and tweed, and pineapple leather.
Dattner Architects’ design portfolio has been widely regarded for its significant impact on the urban realm. We are proud to expand this through our CONCRETE JUNGLE collaboration with Heron Preston, and the presentation of his innovative, bold, and environmentally conscious work.
What is the difference between Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression? What does it mean to be an Ally and how can employers show support to their LGBTQ employees?
On June 18th, Dattner Architects’ Associate Principal Ruth Ro explored these very topics and more at FXOne’s “Let’s Talk Identities” panel. Hosted by FXCollaborative, LET’S TALK IDENTITIES helped audience members better understand the LGBTQ spectrum and the importance in creating a more understanding and inclusive workplace.
Ruth was joined by Aditya Ghosh (Architectural Designer, FXCollaborative), A.L. Hu (Designer, Solomonoff Architecture Studio), Marti G. Cummings (Founding President, Hell’s Kitchen Democrats; Board Member, Manhattan Community Board 9; Drag Artist), and Tabitha Tavalaro (Principal, Arup) with Toby Snyder (Senior Associate, FXCollaborative) as moderator.
What is the difference between Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression? What does it mean to be an Ally and how can employers show support to their LGBTQ employees?
On June 18th, Dattner Architects’ Associate Principal Ruth Ro explored these very topics and more at FXOne’s “Let’s Talk Identities” panel. Hosted by FXCollaborative, LET’S TALK IDENTITIES helped audience members better understand the LGBTQ spectrum and the importance in creating a more understanding and inclusive workplace.
Ruth was joined by Aditya Ghosh (Architectural Designer, FXCollaborative), A.L. Hu (Designer, Solomonoff Architecture Studio), Marti G. Cummings (Founding President, Hell’s Kitchen Democrats; Board Member, Manhattan Community Board 9; Drag Artist), and Tabitha Tavalaro (Principal, Arup) with Toby Snyder (Senior Associate, FXCollaborative) as moderator.
On June 15th, the southeast side of the PATH Harrison Station opened to the public. The northeast side previously opened in the fall of 2018. Port Authority of New York & New Jersey (PANYNJ) led the project with Rob Eisenstat FAIA as Chief Architect. As part of the project, Dattner Architects and WSP teamed as a Joint-Venture. The replacement and upgrade of PATH Harrison is a critical component of the Harrison Waterfront Redevelopment Plan. This new state-of-the-art facility provides the community with a fully accessible and elegantly designed, high-performance station and public space.
The replacement station consists of new station houses and new elevated platforms located where the railway viaduct crosses a major boulevard. The design of the new station houses reconfigures and significantly enhances public access to the platforms in anticipation of the 10-car PATH expansion program. PATH Harrison is airy, promoting a clarity of circulation, and the new elevated platforms’ glass and steel roof canopies protect passengers from inclement weather and sun. The station is designed to PANYNJ Sustainable Building Guidelines, LEED Silver equivalent, and is designed to respond to new FEMA projects for flood elevation.
On June 15th, the southeast side of the PATH Harrison Station opened to the public. The northeast side previously opened in the fall of 2018. Port Authority of New York & New Jersey (PANYNJ) led the project with Rob Eisenstat FAIA as Chief Architect. As part of the project, Dattner Architects and WSP teamed as a Joint-Venture. The replacement and upgrade of PATH Harrison is a critical component of the Harrison Waterfront Redevelopment Plan. This new state-of-the-art facility provides the community with a fully accessible and elegantly designed, high-performance station and public space.
The replacement station consists of new station houses and new elevated platforms located where the railway viaduct crosses a major boulevard. The design of the new station houses reconfigures and significantly enhances public access to the platforms in anticipation of the 10-car PATH expansion program. PATH Harrison is airy, promoting a clarity of circulation, and the new elevated platforms’ glass and steel roof canopies protect passengers from inclement weather and sun. The station is designed to PANYNJ Sustainable Building Guidelines, LEED Silver equivalent, and is designed to respond to new FEMA projects for flood elevation.
Our Inside the Studio video series was honored with a Merit Award at the 2019 Liberty Ball by the New York Society of Marketing Professional Services.
The series provides viewers a unique peek into our design studio through a series of interviews with current firm members. Each video is short-form—upbeat and interesting, without being fussy or gimmicky. The format and content represent our firm culture: organic, caring, dynamic, passionate, and curious. Individually and collectively these videos showcase the thoughtful, creative individuals who make up our firm.
Thank you to each of the participants for sharing their insights and enthusiasm, and to our in-house team for planning and producing the videos.
Our Inside the Studio video series was honored with a Merit Award at the 2019 Liberty Ball by the New York Society of Marketing Professional Services.
The series provides viewers a unique peek into our design studio through a series of interviews with current firm members. Each video is short-form—upbeat and interesting, without being fussy or gimmicky. The format and content represent our firm culture: organic, caring, dynamic, passionate, and curious. Individually and collectively these videos showcase the thoughtful, creative individuals who make up our firm.
Thank you to each of the participants for sharing their insights and enthusiasm, and to our in-house team for planning and producing the videos.
As cities grow, so does the need for public housing. However, much of the current and aging public housing in the United States is based on decades-old design principles and located in areas unequipped for the latest economic and cultural evolution. How do we maintain public housing without pushing other residents away?
Dattner Architects’ Principal John Woelfling AIA, LEED AP, CPHT explored this topic at the “Reinvesting in Public Housing” panel (SA414) on June 8, 2019. Held at the Las Vegas Convention, as part of the AIA Conference on Architecture 2019, John was joined by Dylan Salmons (Senior Developer, Pennrose Properties) and Dwan Stark (Senior Project Manager, NYCHA). These three experts, each with different perspectives – Architect, Private Developer, Public Agency – presented case studies of reinvestment in public housing that successfully utilizes contemporary urban planning principles that can be implemented and tailored to locations, user needs, and stakeholder requirements.
One such case study is Prospect Plaza. Designed by Dattner Architects, Prospect Plaza is a mixed-use affordable housing redevelopment project encompassing five buildings and three blocks in Brownsville, Brooklyn. It was developed by NYC Housing Authority (NYCHA) and NYC Housing Preservation and Development (NYC HPD), alongside Pennrose Properties, Blue Sea Development, Duvernay + Brooks, and Rosenberg Housing Group working together as Oceanhill II LLC.
Constructed in three phrases, the full development replaces former NYCHA apartment blocks housing 1,200 people, which were emptied in 2000, with a promise to families they could move back following renovations. For over a decade the buildings sat empty and deteriorating. Perseverance, creativity, and commitment led to the successful public-private redevelopment of the site. Prospect Plaza now adds much needed affordable housing, a new supermarket with healthy food choices, active design elements to benefit the entire neighborhood, an integrated community center, and a new public park. The new park is a partnership with the NYC Parks Department and incorporates multi-generational uses with active and passive recreation areas, including play areas for children, a basketball court, game tables, seating, landscaped walkways, and open areas. The project’s partnership with NYCHA helps to ensure that the next generation of New Yorkers will have access to safe, sustainable, and well-designed public housing within this affordable housing development.
Reinvestment in public housing is a commitment from public and private entities, designers, and the community. John, Dylan, and Dwan helped attendees understand how to effectively work with stakeholders to achieve their vision of a successful development and learn how to articulate the importance of design in creating healthy, affordable, and vibrant communities.
As cities grow, so does the need for public housing. However, much of the current and aging public housing in the United States is based on decades-old design principles and located in areas unequipped for the latest economic and cultural evolution. How do we maintain public housing without pushing other residents away?
Dattner Architects’ Principal John Woelfling AIA, LEED AP, CPHT explored this topic at the “Reinvesting in Public Housing” panel (SA414) on June 8, 2019. Held at the Las Vegas Convention, as part of the AIA Conference on Architecture 2019, John was joined by Dylan Salmons (Senior Developer, Pennrose Properties) and Dwan Stark (Senior Project Manager, NYCHA). These three experts, each with different perspectives – Architect, Private Developer, Public Agency – presented case studies of reinvestment in public housing that successfully utilizes contemporary urban planning principles that can be implemented and tailored to locations, user needs, and stakeholder requirements.
One such case study is Prospect Plaza. Designed by Dattner Architects, Prospect Plaza is a mixed-use affordable housing redevelopment project encompassing five buildings and three blocks in Brownsville, Brooklyn. It was developed by NYC Housing Authority (NYCHA) and NYC Housing Preservation and Development (NYC HPD), alongside Pennrose Properties, Blue Sea Development, Duvernay + Brooks, and Rosenberg Housing Group working together as Oceanhill II LLC.
Constructed in three phrases, the full development replaces former NYCHA apartment blocks housing 1,200 people, which were emptied in 2000, with a promise to families they could move back following renovations. For over a decade the buildings sat empty and deteriorating. Perseverance, creativity, and commitment led to the successful public-private redevelopment of the site. Prospect Plaza now adds much needed affordable housing, a new supermarket with healthy food choices, active design elements to benefit the entire neighborhood, an integrated community center, and a new public park. The new park is a partnership with the NYC Parks Department and incorporates multi-generational uses with active and passive recreation areas, including play areas for children, a basketball court, game tables, seating, landscaped walkways, and open areas. The project’s partnership with NYCHA helps to ensure that the next generation of New Yorkers will have access to safe, sustainable, and well-designed public housing within this affordable housing development.
Reinvestment in public housing is a commitment from public and private entities, designers, and the community. John, Dylan, and Dwan helped attendees understand how to effectively work with stakeholders to achieve their vision of a successful development and learn how to articulate the importance of design in creating healthy, affordable, and vibrant communities.
In this episode of Inside the Studio, Brandon Wang discusses how his interests and extracurricular activities at Dattner Architects have influenced his understanding of the design process—and what he looks forward to about becoming licensed.
In this episode of Inside the Studio, Brandon Wang discusses how his interests and extracurricular activities at Dattner Architects have influenced his understanding of the design process—and what he looks forward to about becoming licensed.
How do you define wellness? What factors are visible and invisible? Tangible and intangible? How can the design community communicate wellness to users and the public? Why is designing for wellness important?
Dattner Architects’ Director of Interiors explored this increasingly relevant topic and more at the “Wellness in Living: Elevating Design in Affordable Housing” panel on May 20, 2019. Held at the Javits Center, as part of the ICFF Talks Conference, Sara was joined by Christoph Stumph (Vice President, Trinity Financial), Elena Brescia (Principal, SCAPE), Thomas Ciano (Vice President of Real Estate Operation, Monadnock Development), Anna Obraztsova (Vice President, Delos), and Deborah Rose (Deputy COO, ICL) with Amanda Kaminsky (Founder & Principal, Building Product Ecosystems) as moderator.
Affordable housing has evolved significantly over time. While always rooted in providing low- and moderate-income Americans with a home that is within their means, it is often institutionalized and focused on cost and durability, rather than how a home can be impactful in changing people's lives.
At Dattner Architects, we believe interior spaces are transformative. With the power to shape the experience of each person, the interiors of a home, office, classroom, library, and hospital convey more than just the physical components of their design. These intimate spaces have the power to impact each person emotionally and subconsciously. Unlike a building's exterior/facade, these are the spaces we inhabit, where we come in closest contact, enabling them to have the greatest impact in our lives. Thoughtful interior architecture can inspire, empower, heal, and teach.
In designing for the public realm, our mission is that great design should be accessible to all. Mindful of the needs, health, and wellness of our affordable housing clients, thoughtful design, healthy and inspirational materials, and appropriate lighting can inspire and empower those who are most vulnerable. We are changing the paradigm of affordable housing. Well-designed and healthy buildings have a strong human impact on the daily lives of the individuals that inhabit them, improving the quality of life and instilling the pride of “home.” Each affordable housing project has the ability to positively impact the neighborhood, revitalize communities, and create safer environments. Furthermore, non-profit and community service organizations who closely collaborate and develop these projects are having greater visibility for their organization’s mission.
The “Wellness in Living” panel brought together voices from these various backgrounds, allowing for a well-rounded and well-informed discussion on wellness and the commitment to providing a healthy and safe space for families to live and play.
How do you define wellness? What factors are visible and invisible? Tangible and intangible? How can the design community communicate wellness to users and the public? Why is designing for wellness important?
Dattner Architects’ Director of Interiors explored this increasingly relevant topic and more at the “Wellness in Living: Elevating Design in Affordable Housing” panel on May 20, 2019. Held at the Javits Center, as part of the ICFF Talks Conference, Sara was joined by Christoph Stumph (Vice President, Trinity Financial), Elena Brescia (Principal, SCAPE), Thomas Ciano (Vice President of Real Estate Operation, Monadnock Development), Anna Obraztsova (Vice President, Delos), and Deborah Rose (Deputy COO, ICL) with Amanda Kaminsky (Founder & Principal, Building Product Ecosystems) as moderator.
Affordable housing has evolved significantly over time. While always rooted in providing low- and moderate-income Americans with a home that is within their means, it is often institutionalized and focused on cost and durability, rather than how a home can be impactful in changing people's lives.
At Dattner Architects, we believe interior spaces are transformative. With the power to shape the experience of each person, the interiors of a home, office, classroom, library, and hospital convey more than just the physical components of their design. These intimate spaces have the power to impact each person emotionally and subconsciously. Unlike a building's exterior/facade, these are the spaces we inhabit, where we come in closest contact, enabling them to have the greatest impact in our lives. Thoughtful interior architecture can inspire, empower, heal, and teach.
In designing for the public realm, our mission is that great design should be accessible to all. Mindful of the needs, health, and wellness of our affordable housing clients, thoughtful design, healthy and inspirational materials, and appropriate lighting can inspire and empower those who are most vulnerable. We are changing the paradigm of affordable housing. Well-designed and healthy buildings have a strong human impact on the daily lives of the individuals that inhabit them, improving the quality of life and instilling the pride of “home.” Each affordable housing project has the ability to positively impact the neighborhood, revitalize communities, and create safer environments. Furthermore, non-profit and community service organizations who closely collaborate and develop these projects are having greater visibility for their organization’s mission.
The “Wellness in Living” panel brought together voices from these various backgrounds, allowing for a well-rounded and well-informed discussion on wellness and the commitment to providing a healthy and safe space for families to live and play.
In this episode of Inside the Studio, Rachel Ehrlich, a Housing Studio Director and Senior Associate at Dattner Architects, talks about making meaningful contributions to the city at “the center of the universe” through good design and team leadership.
In this episode of Inside the Studio, Rachel Ehrlich, a Housing Studio Director and Senior Associate at Dattner Architects, talks about making meaningful contributions to the city at “the center of the universe” through good design and team leadership.
Largely unseen—and usually unappreciated—a seldom regarded architecture represents an essential prerequisite for urban life. The provision of clean water, the disposal and treatment of human waste, the collection of solid waste, the cleaning and salting of streets, the shipment of waste out of the city—are all critical infrastructure we can’t live without. More visible, but equally essential, are the transit facilities allowing urban movement and the structures housing the firefighters and police who maintain a safe city. These buildings are the necessary underpinning for the entire urban constellation of work places, commercial establishments, housing, educational facilities, cultural buildings, streets, sidewalks, and parks.
Kicking off the 2019 NYCxDesign week – New York City’s annual celebration of all things design – Richard Dattner led a Design Talks presentation featuring and defining New York City’s Essential Architecture. Richard founded the firm in 1964. Under his leadership and creative direction, Dattner Architects has designed a wide variety of award-winning projects. With Dattner Architects’ strong roots in the design of critical urban infrastructure, we are proud to lead the conversation as well as convey how modern infrastructure facilities can be functional, aesthetically pleasing, and integrated into the fabric of the communities they serve.
Largely unseen—and usually unappreciated—a seldom regarded architecture represents an essential prerequisite for urban life. The provision of clean water, the disposal and treatment of human waste, the collection of solid waste, the cleaning and salting of streets, the shipment of waste out of the city—are all critical infrastructure we can’t live without. More visible, but equally essential, are the transit facilities allowing urban movement and the structures housing the firefighters and police who maintain a safe city. These buildings are the necessary underpinning for the entire urban constellation of work places, commercial establishments, housing, educational facilities, cultural buildings, streets, sidewalks, and parks.
Kicking off the 2019 NYCxDesign week – New York City’s annual celebration of all things design – Richard Dattner led a Design Talks presentation featuring and defining New York City’s Essential Architecture. Richard founded the firm in 1964. Under his leadership and creative direction, Dattner Architects has designed a wide variety of award-winning projects. With Dattner Architects’ strong roots in the design of critical urban infrastructure, we are proud to lead the conversation as well as convey how modern infrastructure facilities can be functional, aesthetically pleasing, and integrated into the fabric of the communities they serve.
When we asked four architects to name the woman who most inspired them, the unanimous response was "my mom." They shared insights into the role they played in supporting, encouraging, and inspiring them on their career paths. Today we celebrate all mothers!
When we asked four architects to name the woman who most inspired them, the unanimous response was "my mom." They shared insights into the role they played in supporting, encouraging, and inspiring them on their career paths. Today we celebrate all mothers!
Dattner Architects’ Carbon Copy Skyscraper received an honorable mention in eVolo Magazine’s 2019 Skyscraper Competition. Established in 2006, the competition annually awards innovative ideas that challenge conventions of vertical architecture.
Out of 478 total projects received this year, the Jury selected three winners and 27 honorable mentions.
Dattner’s submission proposed a solution to the rampant deforestation and resulting disruption of the carbon cycle through an infrastructure of large-scale horizontal and vertical timber grids that aim to counterbalance deforestation with a taller and denser “skyforest.” This systemic solution relies on minimal human intervention and posits a new natural habitat for animals, birds, and trees while sequestering greenhouse gasses.
The concept incorporates a modular system of tree-supporting structures that extend vertically off of the forest floor using a three-dimensional grid, leaving the forest floor open for continued plant growth, animal migration, bird flight, and vehicular and human passage. Each tree is planted in a high tensile fabric pouch that contains the root ball and is secured on all four sides within 20’ x 20’ x 20’ modular timber frames. The trees are placed in a staggered pattern vertically within the structure to allow sun and rain to reach each tree.
The modularity of the system allows for the structure to seamlessly respond to natural obstacles and changes in topography. When an obstruction on the forest floor meets the grid, it compensates for the loss of tree modules by increasing in height.
Planted as saplings, the mixed tree species will encourage biodiversity. As they grow, their falling seeds will take root in the suspended soil and eventually take over the entire structure. Both the trees and the timber structure sequester carbon dioxide that would otherwise remain in the atmosphere. Finally, natural decay will destroy the structures, which will have to be re-built, reusing the high strength tensile fabric.
As human development outpaces the planet’s capacity to sustain it, this project plays its part in restoring earth’s equilibrium through carbon sequestration and super reforestation.
Dattner Architects’ Carbon Copy Skyscraper received an honorable mention in eVolo Magazine’s 2019 Skyscraper Competition. Established in 2006, the competition annually awards innovative ideas that challenge conventions of vertical architecture.
Out of 478 total projects received this year, the Jury selected three winners and 27 honorable mentions.
Dattner’s submission proposed a solution to the rampant deforestation and resulting disruption of the carbon cycle through an infrastructure of large-scale horizontal and vertical timber grids that aim to counterbalance deforestation with a taller and denser “skyforest.” This systemic solution relies on minimal human intervention and posits a new natural habitat for animals, birds, and trees while sequestering greenhouse gasses.
The concept incorporates a modular system of tree-supporting structures that extend vertically off of the forest floor using a three-dimensional grid, leaving the forest floor open for continued plant growth, animal migration, bird flight, and vehicular and human passage. Each tree is planted in a high tensile fabric pouch that contains the root ball and is secured on all four sides within 20’ x 20’ x 20’ modular timber frames. The trees are placed in a staggered pattern vertically within the structure to allow sun and rain to reach each tree.
The modularity of the system allows for the structure to seamlessly respond to natural obstacles and changes in topography. When an obstruction on the forest floor meets the grid, it compensates for the loss of tree modules by increasing in height.
Planted as saplings, the mixed tree species will encourage biodiversity. As they grow, their falling seeds will take root in the suspended soil and eventually take over the entire structure. Both the trees and the timber structure sequester carbon dioxide that would otherwise remain in the atmosphere. Finally, natural decay will destroy the structures, which will have to be re-built, reusing the high strength tensile fabric.
As human development outpaces the planet’s capacity to sustain it, this project plays its part in restoring earth’s equilibrium through carbon sequestration and super reforestation.
In this episode of Inside the Studio, designer Juan Perez talks about practicing in NYC, his current project, and how the work aligns with both the mission of Dattner Architects and his own principles.
In this episode of Inside the Studio, designer Juan Perez talks about practicing in NYC, his current project, and how the work aligns with both the mission of Dattner Architects and his own principles.
On April 15th, The Forum at Columbia University was recognized with a Merit Award at the AIANY Honors and Awards Luncheon. Held each April at Cipriani Wall Street, the Luncheon honors recipients of the AIANY Design Awards. In this year’s competition, there were five distinct categories: Architecture, Interiors, Urban Design, Projects, and a new addition, Sustainability. While the architecture class is specific in distinguishing design excellence in completed buildings, the entire awards program gives praise to architects and clients that push the boundaries and take risks.
Among 27 winners, the Renzo Piano Building Workshop and Dattner Architects-designed Forum was applauded for navigating a challenging site in an innovative and simple way.
Opened in the fall of 2018, the Forum completes a triad of new buildings, complementing the neighboring Jerome L. Greene Science Center and Lenfest Center. Serving as a welcoming and transparent gateway to Columbia University, the glass-enclosed Forum is a highly visible and iconic component of campus.
Jury members mentioned overall themes amongst the Design Winners – the important connection to the site and being a “good neighbor” to the surrounding community. The Forum’s ground floor flexible spaces establish an “Urban Layer” and are designed to encourage thought-leaders and scholars from across the university and the world to come together to share ideas. The new facility spaces are open to the Morningside Heights community, creating an important connection between the neighborhood and the City.
This new academic conference center provides much-needed education and civic engagement space as well as a shared resource for students, faculty, and the local community. The multipurpose facility features a state-of-the-art auditorium, break-out and meeting rooms, faculty offices, and open gathering spaces, including a public garden, café, and information center. The auditorium, whose function requires opaqueness, is expressed with a prefabricated concrete skin, whereas the offices, which require daylight, have a glazed façade, and the transparent ground floor both conceptually and physically openly blends to the public.
The Jury commended the Forum’s “modest expression of the interior life of the building.” We are proud to have collaborated on this important landmark project.
On April 15th, The Forum at Columbia University was recognized with a Merit Award at the AIANY Honors and Awards Luncheon. Held each April at Cipriani Wall Street, the Luncheon honors recipients of the AIANY Design Awards. In this year’s competition, there were five distinct categories: Architecture, Interiors, Urban Design, Projects, and a new addition, Sustainability. While the architecture class is specific in distinguishing design excellence in completed buildings, the entire awards program gives praise to architects and clients that push the boundaries and take risks.
Among 27 winners, the Renzo Piano Building Workshop and Dattner Architects-designed Forum was applauded for navigating a challenging site in an innovative and simple way.
Opened in the fall of 2018, the Forum completes a triad of new buildings, complementing the neighboring Jerome L. Greene Science Center and Lenfest Center. Serving as a welcoming and transparent gateway to Columbia University, the glass-enclosed Forum is a highly visible and iconic component of campus.
Jury members mentioned overall themes amongst the Design Winners – the important connection to the site and being a “good neighbor” to the surrounding community. The Forum’s ground floor flexible spaces establish an “Urban Layer” and are designed to encourage thought-leaders and scholars from across the university and the world to come together to share ideas. The new facility spaces are open to the Morningside Heights community, creating an important connection between the neighborhood and the City.
This new academic conference center provides much-needed education and civic engagement space as well as a shared resource for students, faculty, and the local community. The multipurpose facility features a state-of-the-art auditorium, break-out and meeting rooms, faculty offices, and open gathering spaces, including a public garden, café, and information center. The auditorium, whose function requires opaqueness, is expressed with a prefabricated concrete skin, whereas the offices, which require daylight, have a glazed façade, and the transparent ground floor both conceptually and physically openly blends to the public.
The Jury commended the Forum’s “modest expression of the interior life of the building.” We are proud to have collaborated on this important landmark project.
In our latest Inside the Studio interview, Senior Associate Mia Lee discusses how she discovered the profession, what drew her to Dattner Architects, and the joy of enriching the urban experience both within her own community and the further reaches of New York City.
In our latest Inside the Studio interview, Senior Associate Mia Lee discusses how she discovered the profession, what drew her to Dattner Architects, and the joy of enriching the urban experience both within her own community and the further reaches of New York City.
Dattner Architects is proud to announce that two of our projects won awards for Excellence in Development from the Urban Land Institute-New York. Revealed during last night’s 2019 ULI-NY’s Awards Gala, Essex Crossing Phase 1 won in the Mixed-Use category and Columbia University’s new Manhattanville Campus Phase 1 won in the Institutional Development category. Both projects represent developments that are transforming New York and designed to ensure positive impacts in their communities for generations to come. They were recognized as being “exceptional development projects that exemplify ULI New York’s mission and values,” including innovation, responsible land use, and beneficial community impact.
Essex Crossing is a 1.9 million square foot development in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, encompassing over 1,000 new residences, 400,000 square feet of office space, and 450,000 square feet of retail.
“Essex Crossing is a testament to how holistic planning with community partners can yield transformative mixed-use projects, and we are honored for this recognition.” – Don Capoccia, partner at Delancey Street Associates and Principal at BFC Partners.
Located at 175 Delancey Street, the Goldin – designed by Dattner Architects – was one of the first buildings to be completed as part of the transformative development. The 15-story building includes senior apartments. Named after longtime LES housing activist, Frances Goldin, the 100 one-bedroom units are compact but bright with modern and elegant finishes. The residential tower is located on top of a five-story with rooftop gardens, one of which is reserved for the residents, the other shared with the senior center. The design and planning of 175 Delancey is intended to change the perception of affordable senior housing. A variety of senior-oriented support programs, including cultural, social, and medical, are present in the building – allowing residents to live independently, even if their mobility diminishes.
Dattner Architects also designed all the spaces at the base of the building including an Ambulatory Care Center, the GrandLo Café, and social service and administrative spaces for Grand Street Settlement and Henry Street Settlement.
The Goldin at Essex Crossing was developed by Delancey Street Associates – a joint venture of L+M Development Partners, BFC Partners, and Taconic Investment Partners.
Columbia University-Manhattanville is a 17-acre urban campus in Morningside Heights. Phase 1 comprises of three new buildings, the Jerome L. Greene Science Center, Lenfest Center, and Forum. The Forum was designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop with Dattner Architects as Executive Architect; it serves as a welcoming and transparent gateway to the Manhattanville campus. Triangular in plan, this new academic conference center spans three levels above and one level below grade with the main lobby and retail space establishing an “Urban Layer” at the street level.
Conceived to encourage and support opportunities for collaboration across disciplines and between thought-leaders from all over the world, the Forum features a state-of-the-art 437-seat auditorium to host academic conferences, meetings, and symposia. Additional break-out and meeting rooms, faculty offices, and open gathering spaces – including a public garden, café, and information center – provide generous shared meeting space. The Forum was recently certified LEED Gold.
"This new campus is a once-in-a-century opportunity to expand one of the greatest universities in the world and to do so in ways that reflect modern sensibilities about design, the academic mission, and the relationships with local communities and neighborhoods.” – Lee C. Bollinger, Columbia University President. This open, collaborative urban campus is changing how the university researches, teaches, and communicates.
Dattner Architects is proud to announce that two of our projects won awards for Excellence in Development from the Urban Land Institute-New York. Revealed during last night’s 2019 ULI-NY’s Awards Gala, Essex Crossing Phase 1 won in the Mixed-Use category and Columbia University’s new Manhattanville Campus Phase 1 won in the Institutional Development category. Both projects represent developments that are transforming New York and designed to ensure positive impacts in their communities for generations to come. They were recognized as being “exceptional development projects that exemplify ULI New York’s mission and values,” including innovation, responsible land use, and beneficial community impact.
Essex Crossing is a 1.9 million square foot development in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, encompassing over 1,000 new residences, 400,000 square feet of office space, and 450,000 square feet of retail.
“Essex Crossing is a testament to how holistic planning with community partners can yield transformative mixed-use projects, and we are honored for this recognition.” – Don Capoccia, partner at Delancey Street Associates and Principal at BFC Partners.
Located at 175 Delancey Street, the Goldin – designed by Dattner Architects – was one of the first buildings to be completed as part of the transformative development. The 15-story building includes senior apartments. Named after longtime LES housing activist, Frances Goldin, the 100 one-bedroom units are compact but bright with modern and elegant finishes. The residential tower is located on top of a five-story with rooftop gardens, one of which is reserved for the residents, the other shared with the senior center. The design and planning of 175 Delancey is intended to change the perception of affordable senior housing. A variety of senior-oriented support programs, including cultural, social, and medical, are present in the building – allowing residents to live independently, even if their mobility diminishes.
Dattner Architects also designed all the spaces at the base of the building including an Ambulatory Care Center, the GrandLo Café, and social service and administrative spaces for Grand Street Settlement and Henry Street Settlement.
The Goldin at Essex Crossing was developed by Delancey Street Associates – a joint venture of L+M Development Partners, BFC Partners, and Taconic Investment Partners.
Columbia University-Manhattanville is a 17-acre urban campus in Morningside Heights. Phase 1 comprises of three new buildings, the Jerome L. Greene Science Center, Lenfest Center, and Forum. The Forum was designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop with Dattner Architects as Executive Architect; it serves as a welcoming and transparent gateway to the Manhattanville campus. Triangular in plan, this new academic conference center spans three levels above and one level below grade with the main lobby and retail space establishing an “Urban Layer” at the street level.
Conceived to encourage and support opportunities for collaboration across disciplines and between thought-leaders from all over the world, the Forum features a state-of-the-art 437-seat auditorium to host academic conferences, meetings, and symposia. Additional break-out and meeting rooms, faculty offices, and open gathering spaces – including a public garden, café, and information center – provide generous shared meeting space. The Forum was recently certified LEED Gold.
"This new campus is a once-in-a-century opportunity to expand one of the greatest universities in the world and to do so in ways that reflect modern sensibilities about design, the academic mission, and the relationships with local communities and neighborhoods.” – Lee C. Bollinger, Columbia University President. This open, collaborative urban campus is changing how the university researches, teaches, and communicates.
The third installment of our Inside the Studio series features Founding Principal Richard Dattner, FAIA discussing civic architecture, his favorite design technology, and the most gratifying project of his career.
The third installment of our Inside the Studio series features Founding Principal Richard Dattner, FAIA discussing civic architecture, his favorite design technology, and the most gratifying project of his career.
We design schools to thrive as learning communities where children develop cognitive, physical, emotional, and social skills in a variety of settings. In response to pedagogical shifts and the evolution of the student body, YOF and Dattner Architects embarked upon a master plan to improve the academic and social environment of their school. The plan outlined a series of phased additions and renovations that support traditional teaching methods as well as interactive modes such as seminars, team-based learning, self-directed study, and hands-on learning.
Classrooms for the future – Informed by current thinking about how children learn, Dattner Architects designs classroom environments attuned to students’ different stages of development and the full range of learning modalities. Joel Braverman High School offers classrooms that provide welcoming and inspiring environments that are easily adaptable to fit the activity or pedagogical method the teacher chooses for that day’s lesson.
We see tomorrow’s classrooms as “learning studios”—flexible environments that promote different modes of learning within the same space. The master plan established zones for small group project study, individual self-directed learning, and larger discussions and presentations. Many of these shared, flexible spaces also provide a connection to the outdoors, both indirectly, allowing for natural light, and directly, providing a connection to outdoor play terraces that extend the learning environment beyond the building. “Learning studios” are also clustered around a central Student Commons, forming distinct “learning communities” that encourage collaboration and strengthen the students’ sense of shared identity.
Learning is not restricted to the classroom; it often occurs in shared spaces, in group settings, and through formal as well as informal instruction. The physical environment can become a place of inherent collaboration and team-building when meaningful, flexible spaces are made available to students and teachers. While the Student Commons reinforces the concept of informal learning, space for studying, student gatherings, and socializing between classes, the double-height Beit Midrash emphasizes the dual nature of the school’s program. An important place for both study and prayer, the room's lower region is comprised of a full ring of custom bookshelves, containing literature to aid in the study of the Torah, and above the texts, the walls open up to a 15-foot high curtainwall, culminating in a dramatic ceiling.
Scheduled for completion in 2020, the design team has embarked upon the final phase of the project, integrating truly innovative programming and technology into the design of new classrooms and gathering space.
We design schools to thrive as learning communities where children develop cognitive, physical, emotional, and social skills in a variety of settings. In response to pedagogical shifts and the evolution of the student body, YOF and Dattner Architects embarked upon a master plan to improve the academic and social environment of their school. The plan outlined a series of phased additions and renovations that support traditional teaching methods as well as interactive modes such as seminars, team-based learning, self-directed study, and hands-on learning.
Classrooms for the future – Informed by current thinking about how children learn, Dattner Architects designs classroom environments attuned to students’ different stages of development and the full range of learning modalities. Joel Braverman High School offers classrooms that provide welcoming and inspiring environments that are easily adaptable to fit the activity or pedagogical method the teacher chooses for that day’s lesson.
We see tomorrow’s classrooms as “learning studios”—flexible environments that promote different modes of learning within the same space. The master plan established zones for small group project study, individual self-directed learning, and larger discussions and presentations. Many of these shared, flexible spaces also provide a connection to the outdoors, both indirectly, allowing for natural light, and directly, providing a connection to outdoor play terraces that extend the learning environment beyond the building. “Learning studios” are also clustered around a central Student Commons, forming distinct “learning communities” that encourage collaboration and strengthen the students’ sense of shared identity.
Learning is not restricted to the classroom; it often occurs in shared spaces, in group settings, and through formal as well as informal instruction. The physical environment can become a place of inherent collaboration and team-building when meaningful, flexible spaces are made available to students and teachers. While the Student Commons reinforces the concept of informal learning, space for studying, student gatherings, and socializing between classes, the double-height Beit Midrash emphasizes the dual nature of the school’s program. An important place for both study and prayer, the room's lower region is comprised of a full ring of custom bookshelves, containing literature to aid in the study of the Torah, and above the texts, the walls open up to a 15-foot high curtainwall, culminating in a dramatic ceiling.
Scheduled for completion in 2020, the design team has embarked upon the final phase of the project, integrating truly innovative programming and technology into the design of new classrooms and gathering space.
Dattner Architects’ new INSIDE THE STUDIO video series continues with Ruth Ro AIA, LEED BD+C, Associate Principal. In Ruth’s interview, she shares why she is passionate about social infrastructure, her favorite thing about being an architect, and what she loves about NYC.
Dattner Architects’ new INSIDE THE STUDIO video series continues with Ruth Ro AIA, LEED BD+C, Associate Principal. In Ruth’s interview, she shares why she is passionate about social infrastructure, her favorite thing about being an architect, and what she loves about NYC.
Opening February 20th, 10 Halletts Point is the first building of seven completed in this new 2.4 million-square-foot mixed-use waterfront community planned and designed by Dattner Architects for the Durst Organization. With stunning views of the Manhattan skyline, this new neighborhood is located within minutes of Astoria’s vibrant arts, culture, and culinary scene and offers easy access to the NYC ferry.
The 526,000 square foot 10 Halletts Point features two 22-story towers rising from a large podium topped with a lush outdoor terrace. To support the 404 residential units, the building includes 25,000 square feet of amenity space with fitness center / yoga center, children’s area, and community library space with co-working facilities. Clad in a custom copper and glass skin, which wraps around the towers, responding to the solar orientation and opening up towards the internal raised courtyard. 10 Halletts Point redefines green living with an approach that respects nature and promotes resident wellbeing. The Dattner-designed project is targeting LEED Gold for Building Design and Construction for the building, with emphasis on four core elements: water, energy, air and earth.
Scheduled to open in May, 10 Halletts will also provide the "the first grocery story to open in the area in years". Once complete, the multi-phase Halletts Point will be a vibrant mixed-use waterfront destination with a new public waterfront esplanade, contemporary living options, and retail space.
Opening February 20th, 10 Halletts Point is the first building of seven completed in this new 2.4 million-square-foot mixed-use waterfront community planned and designed by Dattner Architects for the Durst Organization. With stunning views of the Manhattan skyline, this new neighborhood is located within minutes of Astoria’s vibrant arts, culture, and culinary scene and offers easy access to the NYC ferry.
The 526,000 square foot 10 Halletts Point features two 22-story towers rising from a large podium topped with a lush outdoor terrace. To support the 404 residential units, the building includes 25,000 square feet of amenity space with fitness center / yoga center, children’s area, and community library space with co-working facilities. Clad in a custom copper and glass skin, which wraps around the towers, responding to the solar orientation and opening up towards the internal raised courtyard. 10 Halletts Point redefines green living with an approach that respects nature and promotes resident wellbeing. The Dattner-designed project is targeting LEED Gold for Building Design and Construction for the building, with emphasis on four core elements: water, energy, air and earth.
Scheduled to open in May, 10 Halletts will also provide the "the first grocery story to open in the area in years". Once complete, the multi-phase Halletts Point will be a vibrant mixed-use waterfront destination with a new public waterfront esplanade, contemporary living options, and retail space.
The first in a new series of short video interviews produced by Dattner Architects, this episode of Inside the Studio profiles Patrick McAffrey AIA. Patrick shares why he practices architecture in New York City, what civic architecture means to his work, and where to find the best food in the neighborhood.
The first in a new series of short video interviews produced by Dattner Architects, this episode of Inside the Studio profiles Patrick McAffrey AIA. Patrick shares why he practices architecture in New York City, what civic architecture means to his work, and where to find the best food in the neighborhood.
Dattner Architects is proud to announce our new Associate promotions, which recognize individual professional accomplishments, leadership, and commitment to our firm and our mission. Our new Senior Associates are David Levine and Mia Lee. Jen Switala, Adam Siegel, John Seward, Philippe Martelly, and Mary Beth Lardaro have become Associates.
Senior Associates
A leader in Dattner Architects’ Sustainable Practice Group, David Levine AIA, LEED AP BD+C, CPHC was one of the firm’s first architects to achieve certification as a Certified Passive House Consultant.
Deeply interested in architecture’s manifestation at all scales, Mia Lee AIA approaches design holistically and is fascinated by the many ways in which the built environment is experienced.
Associates
Dedicated to socially responsible design, Jen Switala AIA believes that architecture evokes something different in each individual, and that this variety of experience creates a meaningful complexity to the urban realm.
Informed by his background as a musician, Adam Siegel AIA, LEED AP approaches design with the appreciation that a creative process involves many layers of complexity, rules, opportunities, and limitations.
Before studying architecture, John Seward AIA, LEED AP BD+C flew on C-17s in the Air Force for four years, experiencing the world and learning the value of discipline and collaboration.
Philippe Martelly AIA comes from a family of educators and is naturally adept at mentoring and team building, contributing to his belief that architects have a responsibility to the profession to help produce good architects.
As the Human Resources Director, Mary Beth Lardaro focuses on nurturing an equitable workplace culture that celebrates diversity, provides professional development opportunities for all employees, and supports the firm’s civic mission.
EVOLUTION OF OUR PRACTICE
This year, William Stein FAIA transitions to Senior Consulting Principal. In this new role, Bill remains in a leadership position, engaged with projects, the firm, and with his professional associations, including serving on the board of the Citizens Housing Planning Council and chairing a NYC Code Revision Committee.
The evolution of Dattner Architects also includes the appointment of a Director and Resource Leader for each of our four studios. Rachel Ehrlich AIA, LEED AP BD+C; Keith Engel AIA, CHPD, LEED AP BD+C; Eric Epstein AIA, LEED AP; and Gia Mainiero AIA, LEED AP BD+C are serving as Studio Directors, overseeing practice areas. Our Studio Resource Leaders are Mia Lee AIA; Heather McKinstry AIA, LEED AP; Shefali Sanghvi LEED AP BD+C; and Adam Siegel AIA, LEED AP. Studio Directors and Studio Resource Leaders work together within and across the studios to promote the exchange of design ideas; to foster knowledge sharing; and to build community and culture.
Dattner Architects is proud to announce our new Associate promotions, which recognize individual professional accomplishments, leadership, and commitment to our firm and our mission. Our new Senior Associates are David Levine and Mia Lee. Jen Switala, Adam Siegel, John Seward, Philippe Martelly, and Mary Beth Lardaro have become Associates.
Senior Associates
A leader in Dattner Architects’ Sustainable Practice Group, David Levine AIA, LEED AP BD+C, CPHC was one of the firm’s first architects to achieve certification as a Certified Passive House Consultant.
Deeply interested in architecture’s manifestation at all scales, Mia Lee AIA approaches design holistically and is fascinated by the many ways in which the built environment is experienced.
Associates
Dedicated to socially responsible design, Jen Switala AIA believes that architecture evokes something different in each individual, and that this variety of experience creates a meaningful complexity to the urban realm.
Informed by his background as a musician, Adam Siegel AIA, LEED AP approaches design with the appreciation that a creative process involves many layers of complexity, rules, opportunities, and limitations.
Before studying architecture, John Seward AIA, LEED AP BD+C flew on C-17s in the Air Force for four years, experiencing the world and learning the value of discipline and collaboration.
Philippe Martelly AIA comes from a family of educators and is naturally adept at mentoring and team building, contributing to his belief that architects have a responsibility to the profession to help produce good architects.
As the Human Resources Director, Mary Beth Lardaro focuses on nurturing an equitable workplace culture that celebrates diversity, provides professional development opportunities for all employees, and supports the firm’s civic mission.
EVOLUTION OF OUR PRACTICE
This year, William Stein FAIA transitions to Senior Consulting Principal. In this new role, Bill remains in a leadership position, engaged with projects, the firm, and with his professional associations, including serving on the board of the Citizens Housing Planning Council and chairing a NYC Code Revision Committee.
The evolution of Dattner Architects also includes the appointment of a Director and Resource Leader for each of our four studios. Rachel Ehrlich AIA, LEED AP BD+C; Keith Engel AIA, CHPD, LEED AP BD+C; Eric Epstein AIA, LEED AP; and Gia Mainiero AIA, LEED AP BD+C are serving as Studio Directors, overseeing practice areas. Our Studio Resource Leaders are Mia Lee AIA; Heather McKinstry AIA, LEED AP; Shefali Sanghvi LEED AP BD+C; and Adam Siegel AIA, LEED AP. Studio Directors and Studio Resource Leaders work together within and across the studios to promote the exchange of design ideas; to foster knowledge sharing; and to build community and culture.
Dattner Architects is proud to announce our 2020 promotions. In recognition of his contributions to our firm and his evolving role in the practice, Eric Epstein has been elevated to Principal. Rachel Ehrlich is our new Associate Principal and Emily Kotsaftis has been named Senior Associate. Our new Associates are Earl Jones, Heather McKinstry, and Shefali Sanghvi. Mia Lee has been promoted to Studio Director. These promotions reflect individual dedication to our firm and a shared commitment to our mission to positively impact communities through the design of sustainable, civic architecture.
Clockwise From Left: Shefali Sanghvi, Eric Epstein, Earl Jones, Emily Kotsaftis, Rachel Ehrlich, Mia Lee (Not Pictured: Heather McKinstry, who is on maternity leave.)
PRINCIPAL
In Eric Epstein AIA, LEED AP's new role as Principal, he will lead projects in Dattner Architects' Educational and Institutional sectors. Seeking opportunities to bring people together and provide a sense of place through thoughtful, meaningful architecture guides Eric’s work across this broad set of program-driven building typologies.
ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL
Passionate about building social equity and reinvesting in local communities, Rachel Ehrlich AIA, LEED AP BD+C joined Dattner Architects in 2007. She has dedicated her career to affordable housing with a specialty in supportive, senior, and special needs housing. She is a Studio Director for one of the firm’s housing studios.
SENIOR ASSOCIATE
In the 19 years since joining Dattner Architects, Emily Kotsaftis AIA, LEED AP has focused her career in the design and construction of innovative transit stations and the integration of infrastructure into each community. As a consensus builder, she brings a high level of professionalism to each of her projects and builds strong relationships with clients and stakeholders.
ASSOCIATES
As Digital Design Director, Earl Jones Assoc. AIA manages the firm’s advanced computing, 3-D modeling, and BIM implementation. His architectural training and experience working for both architecture and engineering firms as a BIM manager allows him to communicate and collaborate easily between designers to create and manage a cohesive, efficient workflow.
Heather McKinstry AIA, LEED AP, CPHC believes that sustainable architecture is a critical part of creating a more equitable world. As a Certified Passive House Consultant, she sees architecture’s most important role as providing occupants with healthy, sustainable spaces to live, work, learn, and play.
Shefali Sanghvi AIA, LEED AP BD+C has a deep background in affordable housing, including new construction and renovations, senior housing, and supportive housing. She approaches each project with a passion for socially, environmentally, and financially sustainable design. Shefali also applies this dedication internally as a co-chair to the firm’s Sustainable Practice Group.
STUDIO DIRECTOR
With a diverse architectural background ranging from inspired interiors to comprehensive master planning, Mia Lee AIA joined Dattner Architects in 2010. She is dedicated to practicing architecture that results in spaces that positively impact people’s lives. As a Studio Director, Mia will work across projects to promote the exchange of design ideas, foster knowledge sharing, and promote the professional growth of our employees.
As this year comes to an end, we find ourselves reflecting on some of the highlights of 2019.
Rankings & Awards
Dattner Architects is proud to have been identified by Building Design + Construction (BD+C) as one of the country’s top architecture firms as well as a leader in the Multifamily Housing, K-12 Education, Higher Education, Office, Healthcare, Cultural, Government, and Industrial sectors. As part of BD+C’s Giants 300 Report, we were also recognized for our work in Green Buildings and Reconstruction.
The Real Deal (TRD) also named Dattner Architects one of New York City’s top overall architecture firms, including ranking fourth in Brooklyn and first in the Bronx, and the 10th most prolific firm in New York City over the past decade.
CURBED NY recognized 10 of the most important buildings from the past decade, including the Spring Street Salt Shed and Via Verde, while SECRET NYC listed the Number 7 Subway Line Extension & 34 Street Hudson Yards Station as one of the 10 most beautiful subway stations in New York City. We are proud to have designed these unique, eye-catching structures that have helped define New York City’s built environment.
Serving as a welcoming and transparent gateway to Columbia University, the glass-enclosed Forum was recognized with a Merit Award at the AIANY Honors and Awards Luncheon. This new academic conference center provides much-needed education and civic engagement space as well as a shared resource for students, faculty, and the local community. The Forum, as part of Columbia University’s new Manhattanville Campus Phase 1, was also honored with ULI-NY’s Award for Excellence in Institutional Development.
ULI-NY also recognized the Goldin, as part of the Essex Crossing Phase 1 project, with an Award for Excellence in Mixed-Use Development. Adding to the Goldin’s continued recognition are awards from AIA National and BSA. The first building to be completed in the larger 1.9 million square foot Essex Crossing development, the Goldin provides much-needed affordable senior housing, healthcare, and community services.
Caesura received a Design Award of Honor in Multifamily Housing from the Society of American Registered Architects of New York. Located in the heart of the Downtown Brooklyn Cultural District, Caesura is a dynamic new mixed-use building, anchoring a key corner of Lafayette Avenue and Ashland Place, across from the BAM Opera House, Theater for a New Audience, and Arts Plaza.
Groundbreakings & Ribbon Cuttings
We joined our clients and partnering community leaders for special events, including a groundbreaking at 50 Penn and a ribbon cutting at the Charles F. Murphy Early Childhood Development Center. These special projects are giving much-needed affordable housing and sought-after Pre-K education to East New York and Coney Island, respectively.
OHNY Weekend
A longtime supporter of Open House New York (OHNY), we are a proud participant of the annual OHNY Weekend. We opened up our offices for an Open Studio tour, giving visitors behind-the-scenes access into our firm. Tours were also given at the Manhattan Districts 1/2/5 Garage and Spring Street Salt Shed – two of the City’s newest iconic structures.
Architecture + Fashion
Inspired by our shared sustainable ideologies and practices, Dattner Architects and Heron Preston joined forces for Preston’s SS20 collection. A creative director, content creator, influencer, and DJ, Preston is widely considered to be a youth-culture icon. The designer held his first formal Fashion Week presentation in 2016 at the Spring Street Salt Shed and he pays homage to the Salt Shed with this year’s runway opening tailored Tyvek suit.
These are some of the many highlights from a fruitful 2019. We are grateful to our clients and collaborators, and look forward to continuing to make our City and beyond a greener, safer, and more vibrant place to live.
As we reflect on the past decade, we are filled with gratitude for each opportunity to design transformational, impactful projects. We are incredibly proud of the recognition our projects have earned in the press, from our peers, and through design awards, and—most importantly—by those who live in, work in, learn in, and travel through our projects every day.
The ten projects from the past decade featured as representative of the breadth of our portfolio are (top to bottom, left to right): Battery Park City School PS/IS 276; Spring Street Salt Shed; Rory Meyers Children's Adventure Garden & Exploration Center; Revitalizing the Urban Extents; Hub; East New York Health Hub; PS 186 / Boys & Girls Club of Harlem; Number 7 Subway Line Extension; Via Verde; Princeton University Tennis Pavilion.
Thank you to our clients, consultants, colleagues, contractors, and friends for your trust and collaboration.
We wish each of you a happy and healthy new year!
Dattner Architects has been selected to design Kingsbrook Estates in Central Brooklyn, transforming the Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center North Campus into a new 266-unit affordable housing development. As part of Governor Cuomo’s Vital Brooklyn initiative, which promises to create 4,000 units of affordable housing in Central Brooklyn, Kingsbrook Estates will offer affordable housing and a wide array of health, wellness, employment, and support services for residents and the community at-large.
"The transformation of the Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center North Campus is the latest step forward in our effort to revitalize Central Brooklyn with a $578 million investment in affordable housing. The new Kingsbrook Estates will be an outstanding development that delivers top-quality affordable housing and much needed health and social services to residents of Central Brooklyn." – Governor Cuomo
The three-building development will give residents access to health and wellness classes, vocational training, physical activity programs, and integrated care. Amenities include a community garden, outdoor exercise equipment, walkways, children’s play areas, outdoor kitchens, an indoor teaching kitchen, community spaces, laundry rooms, and bike storage. A nurse’s station will provide on-site services and counseling space. One Brooklyn Health System and Kingsbrook Estates will also provide all-inclusive care for the elderly in the development’s 7,000 square foot PACE Center.
Kingsbrook Estates is designed to meet Enterprise Green Communities and ENERGY STAR requirements, and includes solar photovoltaic panels and green roof systems.
Clients for Kingsbrook Estates include Monadnock Development, CB-Emmanuel Realty, and Brooklyn Community Housing and Services. They were recently awarded the project through New York State Division of Homes and Community Renewal (HCR).
"Monadnock is thrilled to be awarded Vital Brooklyn Sites E,F,G & H, Kingsbrook Estates, and we look forward to working with NYS HCR and the entire One Brooklyn Health System leadership to develop high quality, affordable housing in East Flatbush, Brooklyn. We want to thank Governor Andrew Cuomo and NYS HCR Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas for their leadership and ongoing commitment to housing the most vulnerable New Yorkers." – Nicholas Lembo, Chairman of Monadnock Development
Dattner Architects is proud to be a part of the Kingsbrook Estates team and we look forward to giving the residents of Central Brooklyn a safe, healthy, and affordable space to live and thrive.
“As a 20-year resident of the East Flatbush community, I am pleased that the Cuomo Administration is making this investment. As an architect in the community, my firm and I are excited to help transform the Kingsbrook campus to include much needed affordable, inter-generational, and supportive housing. Our site plan is a combination of adaptive re-use and contextual design that will integrate with and enhance the community.” – John Woelfling, Principal at Dattner Architects
CURBED NY has recognized 10 of the most important buildings from the past decade, including the Spring Street Salt Shed and Via Verde!
The Salt Shed was recognized for its unique and rare eye-catching design for a civic building, while Via Verde “proved that designers and developers do not need to sacrifice form for function when building affordable housing."
Dattner Architects is proud to have designed these inspired and highly functional buildings that have helped define New York City’s built environment. We look forward to the next 10 years and beyond in this fine city! Many thanks to our clients, collaborators, and team of consultants.
Dattner Architects is proud to announce that The Goldin at Essex Crossing has recently won two prestigious awards: AIA Design for Aging Review Award and BSA Housing Design Award.
In 1967, Seward Park Area tenants were relocated from their homes to make way for a massive planned urban renewal project. The project never came to fruition and the site remained vacant. 50 years later, the decades-old promise to revitalize this important corner of Manhattan’s Lower East Side (LES) was realized with the opening of the Goldin at Essex Crossing. The building is named after local resident and activist, Frances Goldin, who fought to bring new affordable housing to the neighborhood.
Sited at 175 Delancey Street, the Goldin is the first building to be completed in the larger 1.9 million square foot Essex Crossing development initiated through a public-private partnership. The Goldin provides much-needed affordable senior housing, healthcare, and community services. The 15-story mixed-use building comprises 96,200 square feet of residential space with 100 senior housing units, atop a four-story podium with ground floor retail, a large ambulatory care center, a café that supports job training, and community facilities operated by two venerable area nonprofit organizations.
The project transforms the perception of affordable senior housing with a distinctive contemporary design using a striking brick expression. The Goldin is designed to convey a warm, vibrant, and welcoming residential setting that is vital to affordable senior housing. The well-proportioned one-bedroom apartments are bright with high quality, modern, elegant finishes. The design enables residents to live independently, while being a part of a community with supportive resources. The Goldin provides a variety of senior-oriented cultural, social, and medical programs to support independent living and enhance the quality of life. These programs also serve the wider neighborhood, ensuring a variety of services and amenities not possible in a more conventionally programmed project. Two park-like rooftop gardens provide recreational space and a connection with nature in a dense urban environment.
In addition to the building and residences, the architectural team designed the mixed-use programming at the base of the building, including fit-outs for the NYU Langone Medical Center and nonprofit social services providers, Grand Street Settlement (GSS) Community Center, Lower East Side Partnership BID offices, Henry Street Settlement Workforce Development Center, Little Stars of Broome Street Early Childcare Center operated by the Chinese American Planning Council, and The Grand Lo cafe on the ground level, open to the community, is part of a culinary training program offered by GSS. The Joan H. & Preston Robert Tisch Center is a state-of-the art facility encompassing a Physical Therapy practice, an Ambulatory Surgery Center, and two family/primary care practices. The base also houses a neighborhood bicycle shop and property management offices for the overall Essex Crossing development. To ensure a collaborative process from the start of design through construction, the design team served as an intermediary between NYU Langone, Grand Street Settlement, Henry Street Settlement and Delancey Street Associates, the project developers.
The AIA Design for Aging Review showcases facilities and projects that demonstrate innovative solutions to improving environments and quality of life for seniors. Winning a Merit Award, the Goldin was commended by the jury for being an excellent example of urban living – one that “embraces the cultural diversity and exceeds sustainable requirements.”
The BSA Housing Design Award recognizes design excellence in housing of all types and scales. The hierarchy of the projects awarded this year, and the jury comments, will be revealed at the annual Design Awards Gala on January 23, 2020 in Boston.
On Friday, November 8th, Dattner Architects joined Catholic Charities Brooklyn & Queens and partnering community leaders for the dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony at Charles F. Murphy Early Childhood Development Center.
Located in the heart of Coney Island, this new Head Start Center provides sought-after Pre-K education for 65 local children between the ages of 2-5 years old. The building fosters the social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development of preschoolers in a safe environment, guided by the philosophy of the Montessori approach to early childhood education. Indoor/outdoor learning and play spaces are clustered by age. The three-story, 17,000 square foot steel-reinforced building also features a kitchen, multi-purpose room, various administrative and utility spaces, five classrooms, and office areas. Through large classroom windows and circulation spaces, the Center promotes community visibility, civic awareness, and connectivity
Elevated above the flood plain, resiliency, sustainability, and active design inform the design of the building with bermed entrances, stepped roofs, brise soleil, and large open windows. Stepped roofs allow for outdoor gardens, learning spaces, and play areas.
The warm yellow and light gray façade portion of the building is a fiber-cement board rainscreen using integral-colored panels fastened to an aluminum subgirt system. The panels, as well as the subgirt elements and fasteners, are extremely durable and are unaffected by water. The gaps between the panels allow the air pressure within the wall cavity to be equalized with that of the pressure on the exterior of the building, thereby allowing water and vapor to freely drain and evaporate.
The design pays homage to its location. The warm yellow tones and long staggered panels of the cantilevered volume are a reference to the iconic Coney Island boardwalk. The panels extend along the soffit of the volume (over the entrance steps) and continue through as the ceiling of the lobby, creating the feeling of being under the boardwalk. The dark gray façade is also a fiber-cement board system, but it is detailed in a horizontal lapping pattern. This references the small-scaled wood lap siding homes commonly found in Coney Island.
Funded through FEMA, this new facility serves the community in two important ways. It is a critical provider of Pre-K education for the neighborhood and will offer safe harbor to the community in the event of a major tropical storm.
“This project realizes a vision for a new early childhood development center that provides a safe space for children to learn, play, and grow. Dattner Architects is proud to be part of the Catholic Charities team in building a facility that helps to revitalize a neighborhood affected by Hurricane Sandy.” – Jeffrey Dugan, Principal at Dattner Architects
On November 20, Dattner Architects’ Principal John Woelfling will be discussing “Multifamily Passive House – Different Systems and Designs” at the Greenbuild International Conference & Expo. He will be joined on the panel by Mark Ginsberg (Partner, Curtis + Ginsberg Architects) and Dylan Martello (Senior Building Systems Consultant, Steven Winter Associates). Collectively, John, Mark, and Dylan have designed more than 25 multifamily Passive House projects. Greenbuild attendees will gain a better understanding of the design, construction, and operations issues faced in multifamily Passive House buildings as well as the alternate systems used to meet Passive House standards.
Greenbuild is the largest annual event for green building professionals to learn and source the latest cutting-edge solutions to improve sustainability and quality of life in buildings and communities. Held from November 19-22 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, this year’s conference includes a keynote speech from former President Barack Obama.
Every October, Open House New York (OHNY) provides unprecedented access to more than 250 buildings and projects across New York City. As part of that effort, Dattner Architects was excited to share a glimpse into two of our award-winning projects as well as a behind-the-scenes look into our firm for OHNY’s annual OHNY Weekend.
Open Studio at Dattner Architects
On Saturday, October 19, we opened our doors for an Open Studio tour of our office – illustrating how we approach civic architecture.
Along our studio pin-up wall, we showcased select works-in-progress across our four studios, including 425 Grand Concourse, 2840 Atlantic, 116th Precinct Station House, Brooklyn District 3 Garage, and CUNY Bronx Express. Pin-up space was also dedicated to showcasing our firm culture, industry involvement, and commitment to professional development.
As a mission-driven firm, focused on enriching civic space and the urban experience, Dattner Architects has completed hundreds of projects across the city, some large, others small – all a part of our ever-expanding portfolio. To celebrate this commitment to transforming environments and strengthening communities, we ran an internal photo contest titled: OUR CITY. OUR PROJECTS.
With 54 years of projects to choose from, Dattner Architects staff were tasked with taking photos of one of our completed projects. It could be a detail, an interior, or exterior. The only requirements were that it was a photo they personally took, that it was one of our NYC-based projects, and that the project was built/completed. All photo entries were then curated into an exhibition along the pin-up wall.
We invited John Hill – architect, author, and friend of the firm – to judge the contest. At an awards reception held at our office on Wednesday, October 16, John spoke about the winning photos as well as his general observations on NYC architecture. First, second, and third place prizes were awarded with winners receiving a signed copy of John’s recent book, NYC Walks: Guide to New Architecture, as well as gift cards to local restaurants and businesses.
OHNY visitors were invited to bring their own photos of one of our completed NYC projects on the day of our Open Studio. Those that participated pinned up their photos alongside the featured exhibition and received a Dattner Architects’ tote bag as a gift. Staff and visitors were encouraged to take a selfie at our photo booth as a keepsake and token of our gratitude.
M125 Garage & Salt Shed Tours
On Sunday, October 20, we were joined by NYC Department of Sanitation’s (DSNY) Assistant Chief Keith Mellis for tours of the award-winning Manhattan Districts 1/2/5 Garage and Spring Street Salt Shed. Two of the City’s newest iconic structures, these critical infrastructure facilities have been embraced by the West Village community. OHNY visitors were given a behind-the-scenes look at how the City’s waste stream is managed and heard from Dattner Architects and WXY team members on the design process and value of these important community facilities.
On October 1, Dattner Architects joined Pennrose LLC, RiseBoro Community Partners, New York City Housing Development Corporation (NYCHDC), New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (NYCHPD), New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH), New York City Councilman Rafael L. Espinal Jr., and Red Stone Equity Partners to break ground on a new mixed-use residential development in East New York, Brooklyn.
Located within the recently rezoned Cypress Hills area of East New York, 50 Penn will provide 100% affordable housing, meeting the requirements of the City’s Mandatory Inclusionary Housing Program. Following the NYC Zoning Resolution’s FRESH program, the development will maximize the residential floor area to offer 218 rental apartments – 42 of which will be dedicated to formerly homeless and elderly households – and a health-foods grocery store at the ground floor.
The site for this nine-story multifamily building sits adjacent to the elevated J/Z Subway (to the north of the site) and the below-grade A/C Subway. A former industrial site, it was remediated through the Brownfield Cleanup Program. The sustainable project includes green roofs, rooftop photovoltaic panels, a highly insulated exterior wall system for energy efficiency, and landscaped outdoor space for the residents’ health and well-being.
Celebrate Archtober with Dattner Architects!
Every October, Open House New York (OHNY) provides behind-the-scenes access to some of New York’s most important buildings, offering a unique opportunity to experience New York City as well and the people responsible for designing the built environment. As part of the 2019 annual OHNY Weekend, Dattner Architects will be providing a glimpse into two of our award-winning projects as well as opening our doors to the public for a behind-the-scenes look into our firm.
Saturday, October 19
Join us at our office on Saturday from 10:00am to 3:00pm! Our open studio tour will showcase decades of our work in NYC through recent photos taken by current employees. Select works-in-progress will also be on display, and visitors will have an opportunity to learn more about our firm culture, industry involvement, and commitment to professional development.
OHNY Weekenders who bring photos they have taken of a Dattner Architects’ project will receive a gift! Photos can also be emailed to info@dattner.com in advance or posted to Instagram with @DattnerArch tagged and #DattProject — but prizes are only available in person on the day of the open studio.
Sunday, October 20
The Manhattan Districts 1/2/5 Garage and Spring Street Salt Shed will be open for a glimpse into two unique award-winning municipal structures that play vital roles in the community infrastructure. Representatives from Dattner Architects, WXY, and the NYC Department of Sanitation will give guided tours to reserved guests, offering a look at how the city’s waste stream is managed and the other vital functions of these important community infrastructure facilities. This reserved tour is sold out.
How can we show support and become an ally to our LGBTQIA+ colleagues and peers?
On October 17th, Dattner Architects’ Associate Principal Ruth Ro will explore these topics and more during the “Let’s Talk Identities” panel at the 47th Annual NOMA Conference and Exposition. Panelists will discuss the difference between Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression – three terms that are often misunderstood or misconstrued as the terminology around them changes and evolves. Audience members will gain a better understanding of the LGBTQIA+ spectrum and the importance in facilitating an inclusive and understanding workplace.
The NOMA Conference will be held at the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge on October 16-20, 2019. This year’s theme is BELIEVE THE HYPE: A GLOBAL COLLECTIVE OF INDUSTRY CHANGE AGENTS. This annual conference brings together building industry thought leaders, future architects, and stars of the design, real estate, planning, and construction industries.
Dattner Architects is proud to share that Steiner Studios Stages 25-30 has won the 2019 Building Brooklyn Industrial Expansion Award! An annual event, the prestigious Building Brooklyn Awards celebrate the best new construction and renovation projects enriching Brooklyn’s neighborhoods.
Stages 25-30 is the latest phase of expansion at Steiner Studios – New York City’s largest film and television production facility. Comprising six new 16,000 square feet soundstages and over 170,000 square feet of production support spaces, the new building includes all the facilities necessary for production of major motion pictures, feature films, television series, and commercials. These spaces consist of soundstages, prop and set areas, dressing rooms, hair and makeup rooms, green rooms, production office suites, and a double-height, floor-to-ceiling glazed commissary. Providing direct access to the new soundstages, backlot, and the entire Steiner Studios lot, the new entrance from Kent Avenue is marked with the signature Steiner truss arch. The new entrance and the new studios are the latest Dattner Architects projects for Steiner Studios at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, where we have been working together for a decade.
On August 5th, Dattner Architects’ Principal William Stein and Associate Principal Ruth Ro joined the Steiner Studios’ team in accepting the award for Best Industrial Expansion at a ceremony at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge. We are proud of our partnership with Steiner Studios and our involvement in the growth and support of the creative industries in Brooklyn.
This month, Dattner Architects joined the Association of New York Catholic Homes (ANYCH), Catholic Charities of New York (CCNY), NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development (NYCHPD), Councilman Rafael Salamanca, and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr to celebrate the construction progress at 1932 Bryant Avenue.
1932 Bryant, also known as Second Farms, is set to revitalize a key site in the West Farms neighborhood of the Bronx. Located just two blocks away from the West Farms Square subway station, this 15-story structure will include 319 affordable housing units, approximately 12,000 square feet for commercial-retail use, and a 9,000 square foot community facility. A landscaped courtyard, with plantings and paved sitting areas along Bryant Avenue, will be provided for the tenants’ outdoor recreation use.
Built on a slope, the modern building incorporates four different colors of brick, employed to distinguish the various sections of the building. Black brick connects windows making columns of two and three, informing the main design of the façade. White bricks cover two corners, and golden bricks rise in a thin column from above the main entrance, creating the illusion of division in the center of the structure.
The building will comply with NYCHPD requirements for affordable housing as well as Enterprise Green Communities standards.
“Second Farms is an important part of our commitment to building affordable housing for New Yorkers … this is our commitment to ensuring a basic human right – a roof over every family’s head.” – Monsignor Kevin Sullivan, Executive Director of CCNY
Dattner Architects is proud to partner with ANYCH and CCNY in providing vital affordable housing for the citizens of the Bronx and beyond. Second Farms is expected to open in the fall of 2020.
The Dattner Architects-designed 425 Grand Concourse is featured in “Mapping Community: Public Investment in NYC,” representing housing in the Bronx.
Last month, the American Institute of Architects New York (AIANY) held a public opening for MAPPING COMMUNITY at the Center for Architecture. The exhibition demystifies the complex process of capital planning in New York City by explaining the rules that govern the capital process for our city, the various city agencies that implement projects, and the ways everyday New Yorkers have a say in what types of investment they would like to see in their neighborhoods. MAPPING COMMUNITY also looks at how public projects are achieved at the local level by illustrating five types of public infrastructure – housing, transit, parks, schools, and libraries – and how example projects navigated through their respective local community boards.
One such example highlighted in the exhibit is 425 Grand Concourse. Located in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the Bronx, this new mixed-use and mixed-income development will create 277 units of affordable housing for low- and moderate-income families. Residents are offered a wide variety of amenities including a recreation room, landscaped roof terrace, a lounge space and fitness room, laundry rooms, bike storage, and a parking garage. The two-story base will house educational space for a public university, a medical facility, supermarket, and community support space including a social services facility. A new accessible walkway connects Walton Avenue to Grand Concourse, alongside Garrison Playground, and a new comfort station will be housed within the building for the park.
The 26-story tower is designed to Passive House standards and will consume up to 70% less energy than a conventional housing project. The largest passive house project planned for North America to date, the development will implement high efficiency building systems with an air-tight building envelope, energy recovery ventilation, and sustainable features to significantly reduce heat loss and gain. The project will also incorporate NYC Active Design Guidelines to encourage opportunities for physical activity.
Led by the development team of Trinity Financial and MBD Community Housing Corporation, and designed by Dattner Architects, 425 Grand Concourse balances the critical need for affordable homes and the need for a high-quality and attractive development that promotes street activity. As a gateway to the historic Grand Concourse, one of the Bronx’s great boulevards, the new development will anchor this important corner and enhance the Mott Haven neighborhood.
MAPPING COMMUNITY is on display at the Center for Architecture until August 31, 2019. The exhibit is free and open to the public.
Last week New York City hosted the 2019 North American Passive House Network Conference (NAPHN). Dedicated to sharing the latest Passive House innovations with an international audience, this year’s conference encouraged presenters and attendees to discuss low carbon solutions.
On the second day of the conference, Dattner Architects’ Principal John Woelfling AIA, LEED AP, CPHT joined the multi-disciplinary panel “Multifamily Towers: MEP Integration and Operation”. Alongside co-panelists Mark Ginsberg, Lois Arena, and Ryan Lobello, John examined the intersection of architectural design and MEP Systems within the context of Passive House buildings, and explored the potential benefits of a more complete system integration between the disciplines.
John presented lessons learned from several Dattner Architects Passive House projects, including Chestnut Commons, a mixed-use, 275-unit affordable housing development in East New York, and 425 Grand Concourse, a mixed-use development with 277 units of affordable housing, community facility space, retail, and healthcare space.
Dattner Architects’ Senior Associate David Levine AIA, CPHC, LEED AP BD+C also joined the conference. David moderated the panel “Technical Relatives: Making Accessibility and Acoustics Work in Passive House Buildings”. The panelists examined Passive House design and the integration of ADA components as well as the importance of noise regulation and acoustics design within the famously quiet housing typology.
Dattner Architects is proud to announce that Caesura recently received a Design Award of Honor in Multifamily Housing from the Society of American Registered Architects of New York (SARA NY). As part of their annual awards program, SARA NY received a record 230 entries this year from professionals and students from all over the world.
Located in the heart of the Downtown Brooklyn Cultural District, Caesura is a dynamic new mixed-use building, anchoring a key corner of Lafayette Avenue and Ashland Place, across from the BAM Opera House, Theater for a New Audience, and Arts Plaza. Designed in collaboration with Bernheimer Architecture, this new distinctively modern, human-scaled building stands out from the surrounding high-rise developments, offering a break from the intensity of the city.
The design approach is “boutique” in nature, independent and unique amongst the larger scale neighbors – like an urban park surrounded by a busy city. A sculptural screen at the residential entrance by artist Susan Hefuna reinforces the building’s cultural identity.
The public spaces—from the living room style lobby to the lounge, gym, conservatory, activity room, and the sprawling roof deck—all celebrate the same contrast. The best of both worlds, comfort and softness, contrasted with concrete, metal, and stone all sharing the same theme: sustainability and a sense of place.
Above the cultural base are 123 market-rate and affordable apartments. Each apartment is its own sanctuary. Large windows, white oak floors, and light finishes throughout give each space a warm and soft glow. The mix of rental apartments accommodates a range of modern urban households. Each unit is carefully designed to create light-filled spaces with high-quality finishes. Approximately 40% of the apartments are compact units. These apartments are offered with flexible, convertible furniture—a sofa and shelving unit that coverts to a bed and an expandable dining table—to optimize the living space.
In this episode of Inside the Studio, Associate Principal Steven Frankel picks two words to sum up Dattner Architects:
“It’s a balance of thoughtfulness and creativity… we look at how our work impacts the city, we focus on the big design ideas, but we also know how to build.”
Heron Preston – creative director, content creator, influencer, and DJ – is widely considered to be a youth-culture icon. The designer’s impressive series of collaborations have consistently helped facilitate some of the most significant shifts in streetwear culture. Through his namesake label, he continues to push boundaries, tackling critical issues in the fashion industry.
Preston held his first formal Fashion Week presentation – UNIFORM, a collaboration with NYC Department of Sanitation emphasizing sustainability – in 2016 at the Dattner Architects-designed Spring Street Salt Shed in New York City. He approached Dattner Architects earlier this year to collaborate on the presentation of his Spring/Summer 2020 (SS20) Runway show – entitled “Concrete Jungle” – during Paris Men’s Fashion Week. Held at Palais de Toyko, Dattner Architects designed the show's set, which features multi-level scaffolding wrapped in a skrim, using reusable, low-waste materials. Video projections of custom New York City street vignettes, lensed by Nicholas Heller aka NewYorkNico, were projected along the scaffolding. By maximizing the impact of lighting, sound, and motion, the set design is reflective of the eco-friendly, low-waste methodology that is central to the ethos of both Heron Preston and Dattner Architects, informing their collaborative history and the many intersections within their work.
Inspired by urban living, particularly New York City, CONCRETE JUNGLE embraces the dichotomies of city life, hybridizing signature elements of workwear and formal wear into a capsule of tailored and casual pieces with an emphasis on dynamic, multi-functional interventions. In addition to the set design, Dattner Architects collaborated with Heron Preston on a SS20 runway-only iteration of Tyvek suiting featuring 3D quilted triangles and foam-impregnated lining. Worn by model Alton Mason, the customized suit was the show opener, setting the stage for SS20’s collection of up-cycled and low-carbon production pieces. The combined SS20 menswear and womenswear collection was created using a pallet of organic materials, recyclable nylon and tweed, and pineapple leather.
Dattner Architects’ design portfolio has been widely regarded for its significant impact on the urban realm. We are proud to expand this through our CONCRETE JUNGLE collaboration with Heron Preston, and the presentation of his innovative, bold, and environmentally conscious work.
What is the difference between Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression? What does it mean to be an Ally and how can employers show support to their LGBTQ employees?
On June 18th, Dattner Architects’ Associate Principal Ruth Ro explored these very topics and more at FXOne’s “Let’s Talk Identities” panel. Hosted by FXCollaborative, LET’S TALK IDENTITIES helped audience members better understand the LGBTQ spectrum and the importance in creating a more understanding and inclusive workplace.
Ruth was joined by Aditya Ghosh (Architectural Designer, FXCollaborative), A.L. Hu (Designer, Solomonoff Architecture Studio), Marti G. Cummings (Founding President, Hell’s Kitchen Democrats; Board Member, Manhattan Community Board 9; Drag Artist), and Tabitha Tavalaro (Principal, Arup) with Toby Snyder (Senior Associate, FXCollaborative) as moderator.
On June 15th, the southeast side of the PATH Harrison Station opened to the public. The northeast side previously opened in the fall of 2018. Port Authority of New York & New Jersey (PANYNJ) led the project with Rob Eisenstat FAIA as Chief Architect. As part of the project, Dattner Architects and WSP teamed as a Joint-Venture. The replacement and upgrade of PATH Harrison is a critical component of the Harrison Waterfront Redevelopment Plan. This new state-of-the-art facility provides the community with a fully accessible and elegantly designed, high-performance station and public space.
The replacement station consists of new station houses and new elevated platforms located where the railway viaduct crosses a major boulevard. The design of the new station houses reconfigures and significantly enhances public access to the platforms in anticipation of the 10-car PATH expansion program. PATH Harrison is airy, promoting a clarity of circulation, and the new elevated platforms’ glass and steel roof canopies protect passengers from inclement weather and sun. The station is designed to PANYNJ Sustainable Building Guidelines, LEED Silver equivalent, and is designed to respond to new FEMA projects for flood elevation.
Our Inside the Studio video series was honored with a Merit Award at the 2019 Liberty Ball by the New York Society of Marketing Professional Services.
The series provides viewers a unique peek into our design studio through a series of interviews with current firm members. Each video is short-form—upbeat and interesting, without being fussy or gimmicky. The format and content represent our firm culture: organic, caring, dynamic, passionate, and curious. Individually and collectively these videos showcase the thoughtful, creative individuals who make up our firm.
Thank you to each of the participants for sharing their insights and enthusiasm, and to our in-house team for planning and producing the videos.
As cities grow, so does the need for public housing. However, much of the current and aging public housing in the United States is based on decades-old design principles and located in areas unequipped for the latest economic and cultural evolution. How do we maintain public housing without pushing other residents away?
Dattner Architects’ Principal John Woelfling AIA, LEED AP, CPHT explored this topic at the “Reinvesting in Public Housing” panel (SA414) on June 8, 2019. Held at the Las Vegas Convention, as part of the AIA Conference on Architecture 2019, John was joined by Dylan Salmons (Senior Developer, Pennrose Properties) and Dwan Stark (Senior Project Manager, NYCHA). These three experts, each with different perspectives – Architect, Private Developer, Public Agency – presented case studies of reinvestment in public housing that successfully utilizes contemporary urban planning principles that can be implemented and tailored to locations, user needs, and stakeholder requirements.
One such case study is Prospect Plaza. Designed by Dattner Architects, Prospect Plaza is a mixed-use affordable housing redevelopment project encompassing five buildings and three blocks in Brownsville, Brooklyn. It was developed by NYC Housing Authority (NYCHA) and NYC Housing Preservation and Development (NYC HPD), alongside Pennrose Properties, Blue Sea Development, Duvernay + Brooks, and Rosenberg Housing Group working together as Oceanhill II LLC.
Constructed in three phrases, the full development replaces former NYCHA apartment blocks housing 1,200 people, which were emptied in 2000, with a promise to families they could move back following renovations. For over a decade the buildings sat empty and deteriorating. Perseverance, creativity, and commitment led to the successful public-private redevelopment of the site. Prospect Plaza now adds much needed affordable housing, a new supermarket with healthy food choices, active design elements to benefit the entire neighborhood, an integrated community center, and a new public park. The new park is a partnership with the NYC Parks Department and incorporates multi-generational uses with active and passive recreation areas, including play areas for children, a basketball court, game tables, seating, landscaped walkways, and open areas. The project’s partnership with NYCHA helps to ensure that the next generation of New Yorkers will have access to safe, sustainable, and well-designed public housing within this affordable housing development.
Reinvestment in public housing is a commitment from public and private entities, designers, and the community. John, Dylan, and Dwan helped attendees understand how to effectively work with stakeholders to achieve their vision of a successful development and learn how to articulate the importance of design in creating healthy, affordable, and vibrant communities.
In this episode of Inside the Studio, Brandon Wang discusses how his interests and extracurricular activities at Dattner Architects have influenced his understanding of the design process—and what he looks forward to about becoming licensed.
How do you define wellness? What factors are visible and invisible? Tangible and intangible? How can the design community communicate wellness to users and the public? Why is designing for wellness important?
Dattner Architects’ Director of Interiors explored this increasingly relevant topic and more at the “Wellness in Living: Elevating Design in Affordable Housing” panel on May 20, 2019. Held at the Javits Center, as part of the ICFF Talks Conference, Sara was joined by Christoph Stumph (Vice President, Trinity Financial), Elena Brescia (Principal, SCAPE), Thomas Ciano (Vice President of Real Estate Operation, Monadnock Development), Anna Obraztsova (Vice President, Delos), and Deborah Rose (Deputy COO, ICL) with Amanda Kaminsky (Founder & Principal, Building Product Ecosystems) as moderator.
Affordable housing has evolved significantly over time. While always rooted in providing low- and moderate-income Americans with a home that is within their means, it is often institutionalized and focused on cost and durability, rather than how a home can be impactful in changing people's lives.
At Dattner Architects, we believe interior spaces are transformative. With the power to shape the experience of each person, the interiors of a home, office, classroom, library, and hospital convey more than just the physical components of their design. These intimate spaces have the power to impact each person emotionally and subconsciously. Unlike a building's exterior/facade, these are the spaces we inhabit, where we come in closest contact, enabling them to have the greatest impact in our lives. Thoughtful interior architecture can inspire, empower, heal, and teach.
In designing for the public realm, our mission is that great design should be accessible to all. Mindful of the needs, health, and wellness of our affordable housing clients, thoughtful design, healthy and inspirational materials, and appropriate lighting can inspire and empower those who are most vulnerable. We are changing the paradigm of affordable housing. Well-designed and healthy buildings have a strong human impact on the daily lives of the individuals that inhabit them, improving the quality of life and instilling the pride of “home.” Each affordable housing project has the ability to positively impact the neighborhood, revitalize communities, and create safer environments. Furthermore, non-profit and community service organizations who closely collaborate and develop these projects are having greater visibility for their organization’s mission.
The “Wellness in Living” panel brought together voices from these various backgrounds, allowing for a well-rounded and well-informed discussion on wellness and the commitment to providing a healthy and safe space for families to live and play.
In this episode of Inside the Studio, Rachel Ehrlich, a Housing Studio Director and Senior Associate at Dattner Architects, talks about making meaningful contributions to the city at “the center of the universe” through good design and team leadership.
Largely unseen—and usually unappreciated—a seldom regarded architecture represents an essential prerequisite for urban life. The provision of clean water, the disposal and treatment of human waste, the collection of solid waste, the cleaning and salting of streets, the shipment of waste out of the city—are all critical infrastructure we can’t live without. More visible, but equally essential, are the transit facilities allowing urban movement and the structures housing the firefighters and police who maintain a safe city. These buildings are the necessary underpinning for the entire urban constellation of work places, commercial establishments, housing, educational facilities, cultural buildings, streets, sidewalks, and parks.
Kicking off the 2019 NYCxDesign week – New York City’s annual celebration of all things design – Richard Dattner led a Design Talks presentation featuring and defining New York City’s Essential Architecture. Richard founded the firm in 1964. Under his leadership and creative direction, Dattner Architects has designed a wide variety of award-winning projects. With Dattner Architects’ strong roots in the design of critical urban infrastructure, we are proud to lead the conversation as well as convey how modern infrastructure facilities can be functional, aesthetically pleasing, and integrated into the fabric of the communities they serve.
When we asked four architects to name the woman who most inspired them, the unanimous response was "my mom." They shared insights into the role they played in supporting, encouraging, and inspiring them on their career paths. Today we celebrate all mothers!
Dattner Architects’ Carbon Copy Skyscraper received an honorable mention in eVolo Magazine’s 2019 Skyscraper Competition. Established in 2006, the competition annually awards innovative ideas that challenge conventions of vertical architecture.
Out of 478 total projects received this year, the Jury selected three winners and 27 honorable mentions.
Dattner’s submission proposed a solution to the rampant deforestation and resulting disruption of the carbon cycle through an infrastructure of large-scale horizontal and vertical timber grids that aim to counterbalance deforestation with a taller and denser “skyforest.” This systemic solution relies on minimal human intervention and posits a new natural habitat for animals, birds, and trees while sequestering greenhouse gasses.
The concept incorporates a modular system of tree-supporting structures that extend vertically off of the forest floor using a three-dimensional grid, leaving the forest floor open for continued plant growth, animal migration, bird flight, and vehicular and human passage. Each tree is planted in a high tensile fabric pouch that contains the root ball and is secured on all four sides within 20’ x 20’ x 20’ modular timber frames. The trees are placed in a staggered pattern vertically within the structure to allow sun and rain to reach each tree.
The modularity of the system allows for the structure to seamlessly respond to natural obstacles and changes in topography. When an obstruction on the forest floor meets the grid, it compensates for the loss of tree modules by increasing in height.
Planted as saplings, the mixed tree species will encourage biodiversity. As they grow, their falling seeds will take root in the suspended soil and eventually take over the entire structure. Both the trees and the timber structure sequester carbon dioxide that would otherwise remain in the atmosphere. Finally, natural decay will destroy the structures, which will have to be re-built, reusing the high strength tensile fabric.
As human development outpaces the planet’s capacity to sustain it, this project plays its part in restoring earth’s equilibrium through carbon sequestration and super reforestation.
In this episode of Inside the Studio, designer Juan Perez talks about practicing in NYC, his current project, and how the work aligns with both the mission of Dattner Architects and his own principles.
On April 15th, The Forum at Columbia University was recognized with a Merit Award at the AIANY Honors and Awards Luncheon. Held each April at Cipriani Wall Street, the Luncheon honors recipients of the AIANY Design Awards. In this year’s competition, there were five distinct categories: Architecture, Interiors, Urban Design, Projects, and a new addition, Sustainability. While the architecture class is specific in distinguishing design excellence in completed buildings, the entire awards program gives praise to architects and clients that push the boundaries and take risks.
Among 27 winners, the Renzo Piano Building Workshop and Dattner Architects-designed Forum was applauded for navigating a challenging site in an innovative and simple way.
Opened in the fall of 2018, the Forum completes a triad of new buildings, complementing the neighboring Jerome L. Greene Science Center and Lenfest Center. Serving as a welcoming and transparent gateway to Columbia University, the glass-enclosed Forum is a highly visible and iconic component of campus.
Jury members mentioned overall themes amongst the Design Winners – the important connection to the site and being a “good neighbor” to the surrounding community. The Forum’s ground floor flexible spaces establish an “Urban Layer” and are designed to encourage thought-leaders and scholars from across the university and the world to come together to share ideas. The new facility spaces are open to the Morningside Heights community, creating an important connection between the neighborhood and the City.
This new academic conference center provides much-needed education and civic engagement space as well as a shared resource for students, faculty, and the local community. The multipurpose facility features a state-of-the-art auditorium, break-out and meeting rooms, faculty offices, and open gathering spaces, including a public garden, café, and information center. The auditorium, whose function requires opaqueness, is expressed with a prefabricated concrete skin, whereas the offices, which require daylight, have a glazed façade, and the transparent ground floor both conceptually and physically openly blends to the public.
The Jury commended the Forum’s “modest expression of the interior life of the building.” We are proud to have collaborated on this important landmark project.
In our latest Inside the Studio interview, Senior Associate Mia Lee discusses how she discovered the profession, what drew her to Dattner Architects, and the joy of enriching the urban experience both within her own community and the further reaches of New York City.
Dattner Architects is proud to announce that two of our projects won awards for Excellence in Development from the Urban Land Institute-New York. Revealed during last night’s 2019 ULI-NY’s Awards Gala, Essex Crossing Phase 1 won in the Mixed-Use category and Columbia University’s new Manhattanville Campus Phase 1 won in the Institutional Development category. Both projects represent developments that are transforming New York and designed to ensure positive impacts in their communities for generations to come. They were recognized as being “exceptional development projects that exemplify ULI New York’s mission and values,” including innovation, responsible land use, and beneficial community impact.
Essex Crossing is a 1.9 million square foot development in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, encompassing over 1,000 new residences, 400,000 square feet of office space, and 450,000 square feet of retail.
“Essex Crossing is a testament to how holistic planning with community partners can yield transformative mixed-use projects, and we are honored for this recognition.” – Don Capoccia, partner at Delancey Street Associates and Principal at BFC Partners.
Located at 175 Delancey Street, the Goldin – designed by Dattner Architects – was one of the first buildings to be completed as part of the transformative development. The 15-story building includes senior apartments. Named after longtime LES housing activist, Frances Goldin, the 100 one-bedroom units are compact but bright with modern and elegant finishes. The residential tower is located on top of a five-story with rooftop gardens, one of which is reserved for the residents, the other shared with the senior center. The design and planning of 175 Delancey is intended to change the perception of affordable senior housing. A variety of senior-oriented support programs, including cultural, social, and medical, are present in the building – allowing residents to live independently, even if their mobility diminishes.
Dattner Architects also designed all the spaces at the base of the building including an Ambulatory Care Center, the GrandLo Café, and social service and administrative spaces for Grand Street Settlement and Henry Street Settlement.
The Goldin at Essex Crossing was developed by Delancey Street Associates – a joint venture of L+M Development Partners, BFC Partners, and Taconic Investment Partners.
Columbia University-Manhattanville is a 17-acre urban campus in Morningside Heights. Phase 1 comprises of three new buildings, the Jerome L. Greene Science Center, Lenfest Center, and Forum. The Forum was designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop with Dattner Architects as Executive Architect; it serves as a welcoming and transparent gateway to the Manhattanville campus. Triangular in plan, this new academic conference center spans three levels above and one level below grade with the main lobby and retail space establishing an “Urban Layer” at the street level.
Conceived to encourage and support opportunities for collaboration across disciplines and between thought-leaders from all over the world, the Forum features a state-of-the-art 437-seat auditorium to host academic conferences, meetings, and symposia. Additional break-out and meeting rooms, faculty offices, and open gathering spaces – including a public garden, café, and information center – provide generous shared meeting space. The Forum was recently certified LEED Gold.
"This new campus is a once-in-a-century opportunity to expand one of the greatest universities in the world and to do so in ways that reflect modern sensibilities about design, the academic mission, and the relationships with local communities and neighborhoods.” – Lee C. Bollinger, Columbia University President. This open, collaborative urban campus is changing how the university researches, teaches, and communicates.
The third installment of our Inside the Studio series features Founding Principal Richard Dattner, FAIA discussing civic architecture, his favorite design technology, and the most gratifying project of his career.
We design schools to thrive as learning communities where children develop cognitive, physical, emotional, and social skills in a variety of settings. In response to pedagogical shifts and the evolution of the student body, YOF and Dattner Architects embarked upon a master plan to improve the academic and social environment of their school. The plan outlined a series of phased additions and renovations that support traditional teaching methods as well as interactive modes such as seminars, team-based learning, self-directed study, and hands-on learning.
Classrooms for the future – Informed by current thinking about how children learn, Dattner Architects designs classroom environments attuned to students’ different stages of development and the full range of learning modalities. Joel Braverman High School offers classrooms that provide welcoming and inspiring environments that are easily adaptable to fit the activity or pedagogical method the teacher chooses for that day’s lesson.
We see tomorrow’s classrooms as “learning studios”—flexible environments that promote different modes of learning within the same space. The master plan established zones for small group project study, individual self-directed learning, and larger discussions and presentations. Many of these shared, flexible spaces also provide a connection to the outdoors, both indirectly, allowing for natural light, and directly, providing a connection to outdoor play terraces that extend the learning environment beyond the building. “Learning studios” are also clustered around a central Student Commons, forming distinct “learning communities” that encourage collaboration and strengthen the students’ sense of shared identity.
Learning is not restricted to the classroom; it often occurs in shared spaces, in group settings, and through formal as well as informal instruction. The physical environment can become a place of inherent collaboration and team-building when meaningful, flexible spaces are made available to students and teachers. While the Student Commons reinforces the concept of informal learning, space for studying, student gatherings, and socializing between classes, the double-height Beit Midrash emphasizes the dual nature of the school’s program. An important place for both study and prayer, the room's lower region is comprised of a full ring of custom bookshelves, containing literature to aid in the study of the Torah, and above the texts, the walls open up to a 15-foot high curtainwall, culminating in a dramatic ceiling.
Scheduled for completion in 2020, the design team has embarked upon the final phase of the project, integrating truly innovative programming and technology into the design of new classrooms and gathering space.
Dattner Architects’ new INSIDE THE STUDIO video series continues with Ruth Ro AIA, LEED BD+C, Associate Principal. In Ruth’s interview, she shares why she is passionate about social infrastructure, her favorite thing about being an architect, and what she loves about NYC.
Opening February 20th, 10 Halletts Point is the first building of seven completed in this new 2.4 million-square-foot mixed-use waterfront community planned and designed by Dattner Architects for the Durst Organization. With stunning views of the Manhattan skyline, this new neighborhood is located within minutes of Astoria’s vibrant arts, culture, and culinary scene and offers easy access to the NYC ferry.
The 526,000 square foot 10 Halletts Point features two 22-story towers rising from a large podium topped with a lush outdoor terrace. To support the 404 residential units, the building includes 25,000 square feet of amenity space with fitness center / yoga center, children’s area, and community library space with co-working facilities. Clad in a custom copper and glass skin, which wraps around the towers, responding to the solar orientation and opening up towards the internal raised courtyard. 10 Halletts Point redefines green living with an approach that respects nature and promotes resident wellbeing. The Dattner-designed project is targeting LEED Gold for Building Design and Construction for the building, with emphasis on four core elements: water, energy, air and earth.
Scheduled to open in May, 10 Halletts will also provide the "the first grocery story to open in the area in years". Once complete, the multi-phase Halletts Point will be a vibrant mixed-use waterfront destination with a new public waterfront esplanade, contemporary living options, and retail space.
The first in a new series of short video interviews produced by Dattner Architects, this episode of Inside the Studio profiles Patrick McAffrey AIA. Patrick shares why he practices architecture in New York City, what civic architecture means to his work, and where to find the best food in the neighborhood.
Dattner Architects is proud to announce our new Associate promotions, which recognize individual professional accomplishments, leadership, and commitment to our firm and our mission. Our new Senior Associates are David Levine and Mia Lee. Jen Switala, Adam Siegel, John Seward, Philippe Martelly, and Mary Beth Lardaro have become Associates.
Senior Associates
A leader in Dattner Architects’ Sustainable Practice Group, David Levine AIA, LEED AP BD+C, CPHC was one of the firm’s first architects to achieve certification as a Certified Passive House Consultant.
Deeply interested in architecture’s manifestation at all scales, Mia Lee AIA approaches design holistically and is fascinated by the many ways in which the built environment is experienced.
Associates
Dedicated to socially responsible design, Jen Switala AIA believes that architecture evokes something different in each individual, and that this variety of experience creates a meaningful complexity to the urban realm.
Informed by his background as a musician, Adam Siegel AIA, LEED AP approaches design with the appreciation that a creative process involves many layers of complexity, rules, opportunities, and limitations.
Before studying architecture, John Seward AIA, LEED AP BD+C flew on C-17s in the Air Force for four years, experiencing the world and learning the value of discipline and collaboration.
Philippe Martelly AIA comes from a family of educators and is naturally adept at mentoring and team building, contributing to his belief that architects have a responsibility to the profession to help produce good architects.
As the Human Resources Director, Mary Beth Lardaro focuses on nurturing an equitable workplace culture that celebrates diversity, provides professional development opportunities for all employees, and supports the firm’s civic mission.
EVOLUTION OF OUR PRACTICE
This year, William Stein FAIA transitions to Senior Consulting Principal. In this new role, Bill remains in a leadership position, engaged with projects, the firm, and with his professional associations, including serving on the board of the Citizens Housing Planning Council and chairing a NYC Code Revision Committee.
The evolution of Dattner Architects also includes the appointment of a Director and Resource Leader for each of our four studios. Rachel Ehrlich AIA, LEED AP BD+C; Keith Engel AIA, CHPD, LEED AP BD+C; Eric Epstein AIA, LEED AP; and Gia Mainiero AIA, LEED AP BD+C are serving as Studio Directors, overseeing practice areas. Our Studio Resource Leaders are Mia Lee AIA; Heather McKinstry AIA, LEED AP; Shefali Sanghvi LEED AP BD+C; and Adam Siegel AIA, LEED AP. Studio Directors and Studio Resource Leaders work together within and across the studios to promote the exchange of design ideas; to foster knowledge sharing; and to build community and culture.
