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 New York State and 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 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.
Compiled by Preservation magazine, “40 Under 40 Places” assembles 40 of the most important, compelling, and interesting American places under 40 years old. The list includes sites both urban and rural, and high-end and low-budget. While places are not typically considered “historic” until they have been around for at least 50 years, Preservation magazine has chosen to highlight these younger sites to broaden public awareness of the value of saving these significant locations BEFORE they become truly historic. Dattner Architects and Grimshaw Architects’ Via Verde is one of seven sites featured in 40 Under 40’s Housing category.
Nearly a decade ago, NYC HPD, AIA New York, NYSERDA, and Enterprise Community Partners sponsored an international architectural competition to transform a former South Bronx freight yard. The goal was to create affordable, sustainable housing in an era of accelerating urban growth. The Phipps Houses/Jonathan Rose Companies/Dattner Architects/Grimshaw Architects’ winning entry, Via Verde was completed in 2012 as an affordable, sustainable, mixed-use development.
“It’s such a unique site that the design is not replicable, but since we designed it there has been a lot of innovative work on affordable housing in New York City that incorporates and builds on elements of Via Verde.” – William Stein FAIA, Dattner Architects’ Principal
The building takes the form of a “tendril” rising from grade to the tower, enclosing the courtyard and emphasizing a relationship to the natural world. A dynamic garden serves as the organizing element for residents and the community. The ground level courtyard spirals upward through a series of programmed roof gardens, creating a promenade for residents. The top floor of the tower contains a multi-purpose community room with access to a terrace and spectacular views. The gardens create opportunities for active planting, fruit and vegetable cultivation, recreation, and social gathering, while providing added benefits of storm water control and enhanced insulation. The ground floor features retail, a community health center, and live-work units, creating a lively street presence.
Since its completion, Via Verde continues to be an example of how to develop the next generation of social housing. Dattner Architects’ Principal William Stein FAIA reflects on Via Verde’s enduring impact: “[Via Verde] is symbolic in that government agencies, developers, architects, and designers think about affordable housing not as being utilitarian, but aspirational and holistic.”
From January 7-18, 2019, the public will be able to vote for their favorite places with top vote-getters featured in the Spring 2019 issue of Preservation. Preservation is the award-winning magazine of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Compiled by Preservation magazine, “40 Under 40 Places” assembles 40 of the most important, compelling, and interesting American places under 40 years old. The list includes sites both urban and rural, and high-end and low-budget. While places are not typically considered “historic” until they have been around for at least 50 years, Preservation magazine has chosen to highlight these younger sites to broaden public awareness of the value of saving these significant locations BEFORE they become truly historic. Dattner Architects and Grimshaw Architects’ Via Verde is one of seven sites featured in 40 Under 40’s Housing category.
Nearly a decade ago, NYC HPD, AIA New York, NYSERDA, and Enterprise Community Partners sponsored an international architectural competition to transform a former South Bronx freight yard. The goal was to create affordable, sustainable housing in an era of accelerating urban growth. The Phipps Houses/Jonathan Rose Companies/Dattner Architects/Grimshaw Architects’ winning entry, Via Verde was completed in 2012 as an affordable, sustainable, mixed-use development.
“It’s such a unique site that the design is not replicable, but since we designed it there has been a lot of innovative work on affordable housing in New York City that incorporates and builds on elements of Via Verde.” – William Stein FAIA, Dattner Architects’ Principal
The building takes the form of a “tendril” rising from grade to the tower, enclosing the courtyard and emphasizing a relationship to the natural world. A dynamic garden serves as the organizing element for residents and the community. The ground level courtyard spirals upward through a series of programmed roof gardens, creating a promenade for residents. The top floor of the tower contains a multi-purpose community room with access to a terrace and spectacular views. The gardens create opportunities for active planting, fruit and vegetable cultivation, recreation, and social gathering, while providing added benefits of storm water control and enhanced insulation. The ground floor features retail, a community health center, and live-work units, creating a lively street presence.
Since its completion, Via Verde continues to be an example of how to develop the next generation of social housing. Dattner Architects’ Principal William Stein FAIA reflects on Via Verde’s enduring impact: “[Via Verde] is symbolic in that government agencies, developers, architects, and designers think about affordable housing not as being utilitarian, but aspirational and holistic.”
From January 7-18, 2019, the public will be able to vote for their favorite places with top vote-getters featured in the Spring 2019 issue of Preservation. Preservation is the award-winning magazine of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Dattner Architects is proud to announce that our Founding Principal Richard Dattner has been awarded the Clara Fox Lifetime Achievement Award from the New York Housing Conference (NYHC) in recognition of the transformative impact on affordable housing his work has had, and the inspiration he has provided so many to design the much-needed quality housing that our city deserves.
Richard is the first architect to receive this recognition and was honored at the NYHC’s award luncheon on December 4.
Richard received his Bachelor of Architecture degree from MIT in 1960 and founded Dattner Architects four years later. Under his leadership and creative direction, the firm was built on a strong foundation of civic architecture. Today, Dattner Architects’ portfolio includes a wide array of project types from residential, education, healthcare, and recreation to transportation, infrastructure, institutional, and commercial. Our work has enriched the ever-growing urban fabric with distinctive, innovative, and inspiring buildings—positively impacting countless residents
Ranging from small to mid-rise to high-rise affordable, supportive, and market-rate for rental and ownership, including micro or compact units, Dattner Architects has designed more than 14,000 apartments in New York City. Richard has long promoted the term ‘Social Housing’ to replace the ‘affordable’ and ‘public’ designations currently used, believing that quality housing should be accessible to all. He talked about this very notion during his acceptance speech saying, “The simple—but essential—prerequisite for ‘Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness’ is a decent place to live within one’s means.”
“I’m … thankful to New York City for the opportunities—unequalled in any other American city—which enable the creation of a dignified, varied, and inclusive civic environment. The talented architects working in our firm—from 20 countries and as many states—reflect the remarkable diversity of our great city. They all share my enthusiasm for creating new buildings, restoring existing ones, and enhancing New York’s neighborhoods,” Richard Dattner FAIA.
Recognizing that it “takes a village” to build even a single affordable residential project in this city, Richard thanked the firm’s partners, fellow NYHC award honorees, and all those in attendance.
Dattner Architects is proud to announce that our Founding Principal Richard Dattner has been awarded the Clara Fox Lifetime Achievement Award from the New York Housing Conference (NYHC) in recognition of the transformative impact on affordable housing his work has had, and the inspiration he has provided so many to design the much-needed quality housing that our city deserves.
Richard is the first architect to receive this recognition and was honored at the NYHC’s award luncheon on December 4.
Richard received his Bachelor of Architecture degree from MIT in 1960 and founded Dattner Architects four years later. Under his leadership and creative direction, the firm was built on a strong foundation of civic architecture. Today, Dattner Architects’ portfolio includes a wide array of project types from residential, education, healthcare, and recreation to transportation, infrastructure, institutional, and commercial. Our work has enriched the ever-growing urban fabric with distinctive, innovative, and inspiring buildings—positively impacting countless residents
Ranging from small to mid-rise to high-rise affordable, supportive, and market-rate for rental and ownership, including micro or compact units, Dattner Architects has designed more than 14,000 apartments in New York City. Richard has long promoted the term ‘Social Housing’ to replace the ‘affordable’ and ‘public’ designations currently used, believing that quality housing should be accessible to all. He talked about this very notion during his acceptance speech saying, “The simple—but essential—prerequisite for ‘Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness’ is a decent place to live within one’s means.”
“I’m … thankful to New York City for the opportunities—unequalled in any other American city—which enable the creation of a dignified, varied, and inclusive civic environment. The talented architects working in our firm—from 20 countries and as many states—reflect the remarkable diversity of our great city. They all share my enthusiasm for creating new buildings, restoring existing ones, and enhancing New York’s neighborhoods,” Richard Dattner FAIA.
Recognizing that it “takes a village” to build even a single affordable residential project in this city, Richard thanked the firm’s partners, fellow NYHC award honorees, and all those in attendance.
Last Thursday, November 1, Dattner Architects joined 29 other teams for CANstruction 2018. CANstruction is both an annual design competition and unique food charity. The competition challenges teams of architects, engineers, and contractors to build sculptures made entirely out of canned food. The large-scale structures are currently on full display at Brookfield Place until November 15. All cans will later be donated to City Harvest for distribution to those in need during the holiday season.
Dattner Architects’ design contains 2,552 cans of Black Beans, Tomato Paste, Regular Vienna Sausages, and Hot Vienna Sausages that will each be donated to help feed the hungry. Inspired by the foundation and protection that a construction boot gives, the Dattner team wanted to create a sculpture that could be a symbol of how we can fulfill our social responsibility through design – that together, we can give hunger the BOOT, one can at a time.
We are grateful to be a part of such a meaningful event and look forward to competing again next year.
Voting is open for the People’s Choice Award. Our entry, “CANstruction Boot,” is #13.
Last Thursday, November 1, Dattner Architects joined 29 other teams for CANstruction 2018. CANstruction is both an annual design competition and unique food charity. The competition challenges teams of architects, engineers, and contractors to build sculptures made entirely out of canned food. The large-scale structures are currently on full display at Brookfield Place until November 15. All cans will later be donated to City Harvest for distribution to those in need during the holiday season.
Dattner Architects’ design contains 2,552 cans of Black Beans, Tomato Paste, Regular Vienna Sausages, and Hot Vienna Sausages that will each be donated to help feed the hungry. Inspired by the foundation and protection that a construction boot gives, the Dattner team wanted to create a sculpture that could be a symbol of how we can fulfill our social responsibility through design – that together, we can give hunger the BOOT, one can at a time.
We are grateful to be a part of such a meaningful event and look forward to competing again next year.
Voting is open for the People’s Choice Award. Our entry, “CANstruction Boot,” is #13.
Every New Yorker deserves a safe and affordable place to live, in a neighborhood providing opportunities and resources to get ahead. Housing and living costs are soaring and active gentrification drives rents up and lower-income residents out. With the affordable housing crisis on the rise, architects and city planners are “going green” to help address the problem. The Atlantic tackles this issue and the importance of sustainable design in a recent October 2018 article featuring two transformative projects, including Dattner Architects and Grimshaw Architects’ Via Verde – The Green Way.
Nearly a decade ago, NYC HPD, AIA New York, NYSERDA, and Enterprise Community Partners sponsored an international architectural competition to transform a former South Bronx freight yard. The challenge was to create a plan for affordable, sustainable housing units in an era of accelerating urban growth. The Phipps Houses/Jonathan Rose Companies/Dattner Architects/Grimshaw Architects' winning entry in the New Housing New York Legacy Competition, Via Verde was completed in 2012 as an affordable, sustainable, 222-unit residential development providing healthy, urban living in the South Bronx. The project reflects a public commitment to create the next generation of social housing.
Apartments are arranged in three distinct residential typologies: a 20-story tower at the north end of the site; a 6- to 13-story mid-rise duplex apartment component; and 2- to 4-story townhouses to the south around a series of gardens. The building takes the form of a “tendril” rising from grade to the tower, enclosing the courtyard and emphasizing a relationship to the natural world. A dynamic garden serves as the organizing element for residents and the community. The ground level courtyard spirals upward through a series of programmed roof gardens, creating a promenade for residents. The top floor of the tower contains a multi-purpose community room with access to a terrace and spectacular views. The gardens create opportunities for active planting, fruit and vegetable cultivation, recreation, and social gathering, while providing added benefits of storm water control and enhanced insulation. The ground floor features retail, a community health center, and live-work units, creating a lively street presence.
Affordability and sustainability are not mutually exclusive–sustainable design does not necessarily mean higher costs. Via Verde achieved LEED NC Gold certification and features stepped roofs providing solar access, a green roof, community vegetable gardens, green interior finishes, rainwater harvesting, and drought-tolerant vegetation. These sustainability measures saved on up-front construction costs while retaining scarce energy resources.
A model for future development–locally, regionally, and beyond–Via Verde has set a new standard for sustainable, urban housing. Quoted in The Atlantic, Dattner Architects’ Principal Bill Stein reflects on the enduring impact that Via Verde and similar developments have on neighborhoods and cities: “People are pretty happy. They take a lot of pride in the building and you can sense a real sense of community there. Via Verde has become a symbol for the resurgence of the South Bronx.”
Every New Yorker deserves a safe and affordable place to live, in a neighborhood providing opportunities and resources to get ahead. Housing and living costs are soaring and active gentrification drives rents up and lower-income residents out. With the affordable housing crisis on the rise, architects and city planners are “going green” to help address the problem. The Atlantic tackles this issue and the importance of sustainable design in a recent October 2018 article featuring two transformative projects, including Dattner Architects and Grimshaw Architects’ Via Verde – The Green Way.
Nearly a decade ago, NYC HPD, AIA New York, NYSERDA, and Enterprise Community Partners sponsored an international architectural competition to transform a former South Bronx freight yard. The challenge was to create a plan for affordable, sustainable housing units in an era of accelerating urban growth. The Phipps Houses/Jonathan Rose Companies/Dattner Architects/Grimshaw Architects' winning entry in the New Housing New York Legacy Competition, Via Verde was completed in 2012 as an affordable, sustainable, 222-unit residential development providing healthy, urban living in the South Bronx. The project reflects a public commitment to create the next generation of social housing.
Apartments are arranged in three distinct residential typologies: a 20-story tower at the north end of the site; a 6- to 13-story mid-rise duplex apartment component; and 2- to 4-story townhouses to the south around a series of gardens. The building takes the form of a “tendril” rising from grade to the tower, enclosing the courtyard and emphasizing a relationship to the natural world. A dynamic garden serves as the organizing element for residents and the community. The ground level courtyard spirals upward through a series of programmed roof gardens, creating a promenade for residents. The top floor of the tower contains a multi-purpose community room with access to a terrace and spectacular views. The gardens create opportunities for active planting, fruit and vegetable cultivation, recreation, and social gathering, while providing added benefits of storm water control and enhanced insulation. The ground floor features retail, a community health center, and live-work units, creating a lively street presence.
Affordability and sustainability are not mutually exclusive–sustainable design does not necessarily mean higher costs. Via Verde achieved LEED NC Gold certification and features stepped roofs providing solar access, a green roof, community vegetable gardens, green interior finishes, rainwater harvesting, and drought-tolerant vegetation. These sustainability measures saved on up-front construction costs while retaining scarce energy resources.
A model for future development–locally, regionally, and beyond–Via Verde has set a new standard for sustainable, urban housing. Quoted in The Atlantic, Dattner Architects’ Principal Bill Stein reflects on the enduring impact that Via Verde and similar developments have on neighborhoods and cities: “People are pretty happy. They take a lot of pride in the building and you can sense a real sense of community there. Via Verde has become a symbol for the resurgence of the South Bronx.”
On Monday, October 29th, Dattner Architects joined Institute for Community Living (ICL), Community Healthcare Network, Paul Francis from the NYS Health & Human Services, NYS Office of Mental Health Commissioner Ann Sullivan, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, City Council Rafael Espinal, and partnering community leaders for the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at the East New York Health Hub.
Institute for Community Living and community members came together to celebrate a 31-year commitment to improving lives and strengthening neighborhoods. With a nonprofit goal of providing health care services in the most underserved areas of the city, ICL truly does essential work to advocate for the community’s physical, mental, and behavioral health needs. The opening of the Hub will have a transformative impact on East New York.
Dattner Architects retained and rehabilitated a portion of the existing three-story, turn-of-the-century structure, and paired it with new construction to expand ICL’s programs from 9,000 to 45,000 square feet. East New York Health Hub, conceived as a one-stop-shop community health facility, provides nine different health programs ranging from mental health and social services to care coordination. The building’s design encourages both physical and mental healing through visual connections to nature and the community. Garden and terrace spaces, views, and access to light and air reinforce the link to the natural environment, while framing activities to engage the street and support the relationship with the community. All spaces were designed with careful consideration for ICL’s diverse support programs and promote safety, wellness, and a sense of community.
During this ribbon cutting ceremony, members from the Institute for Community Living reflected on the opening of this new facility.
“Today is the culmination of a dream that began with the people of East New York who guided us every step of the way to ensure that the East New York Health Hub is welcoming and accessible to all. There is one door into the Hub: Everyone who walks through that door will have access to the highest levels of health and mental health care and to crucial community resources.” - Institute for Community Living
This community-based care center will build vital health assets and drive long-term outcomes for the people and families in East New York. We are proud to have collaborated on such an important community facility!
On Monday, October 29th, Dattner Architects joined Institute for Community Living (ICL), Community Healthcare Network, Paul Francis from the NYS Health & Human Services, NYS Office of Mental Health Commissioner Ann Sullivan, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, City Council Rafael Espinal, and partnering community leaders for the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at the East New York Health Hub.
Institute for Community Living and community members came together to celebrate a 31-year commitment to improving lives and strengthening neighborhoods. With a nonprofit goal of providing health care services in the most underserved areas of the city, ICL truly does essential work to advocate for the community’s physical, mental, and behavioral health needs. The opening of the Hub will have a transformative impact on East New York.
Dattner Architects retained and rehabilitated a portion of the existing three-story, turn-of-the-century structure, and paired it with new construction to expand ICL’s programs from 9,000 to 45,000 square feet. East New York Health Hub, conceived as a one-stop-shop community health facility, provides nine different health programs ranging from mental health and social services to care coordination. The building’s design encourages both physical and mental healing through visual connections to nature and the community. Garden and terrace spaces, views, and access to light and air reinforce the link to the natural environment, while framing activities to engage the street and support the relationship with the community. All spaces were designed with careful consideration for ICL’s diverse support programs and promote safety, wellness, and a sense of community.
During this ribbon cutting ceremony, members from the Institute for Community Living reflected on the opening of this new facility.
“Today is the culmination of a dream that began with the people of East New York who guided us every step of the way to ensure that the East New York Health Hub is welcoming and accessible to all. There is one door into the Hub: Everyone who walks through that door will have access to the highest levels of health and mental health care and to crucial community resources.” - Institute for Community Living
This community-based care center will build vital health assets and drive long-term outcomes for the people and families in East New York. We are proud to have collaborated on such an important community facility!
With our aging population expected to double in the next few decades, a new issue has been identified in that we are also aging for longer. As life expectancy changes so does our view of getting older. Understanding the evolution of the aging population and its effect on the built environment, the design industry recognizes the need to plan and build for this need. Metropolis Magazine's October Edition, themed Ecologies of Wellness - Design with Nature, weaves in the important subject of Design for Aging – featuring ground-breaking initiatives and noteworthy projects that are significantly impacting both our industry and our communities.
Bringing attention to the evolution of the aging population, how the design community is intrinsically involved, and identifying opportunities and challenges within our built environment, Dattner Architects is proud Metropolis selected our recently completed project, The Goldin at Essex Crossing, to represent how design can strengthen and enrich a community and how this "New Development Is Rebuilding a Community Lost 50 Years Ago."
Opened to residents over age 55, The Goldin, is one of the first buildings to be completed as part of Essex Crossing, a major 1.65 million square foot development in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. This new 15-story building provides much-needed affordable senior housing and community service space to the neighborhood. Named after a longtime LES housing activist, 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 commercial base 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.
With our aging population expected to double in the next few decades, a new issue has been identified in that we are also aging for longer. As life expectancy changes so does our view of getting older. Understanding the evolution of the aging population and its effect on the built environment, the design industry recognizes the need to plan and build for this need. Metropolis Magazine's October Edition, themed Ecologies of Wellness - Design with Nature, weaves in the important subject of Design for Aging – featuring ground-breaking initiatives and noteworthy projects that are significantly impacting both our industry and our communities.
Bringing attention to the evolution of the aging population, how the design community is intrinsically involved, and identifying opportunities and challenges within our built environment, Dattner Architects is proud Metropolis selected our recently completed project, The Goldin at Essex Crossing, to represent how design can strengthen and enrich a community and how this "New Development Is Rebuilding a Community Lost 50 Years Ago."
Opened to residents over age 55, The Goldin, is one of the first buildings to be completed as part of Essex Crossing, a major 1.65 million square foot development in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. This new 15-story building provides much-needed affordable senior housing and community service space to the neighborhood. Named after a longtime LES housing activist, 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 commercial base 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 is proud to announce that Caesura received a national Honor Award in the 2018 SARA Design Competition! The Society of American Registered Architects (SARA), an organization focused on promoting growth and advancement of architectural professionals, hosts this annual awards program to recognize design excellence nationally and abroad in architecture and allied disciplines.
Caesura is a distinctively modern, human-scaled building that stands out from the surrounding high-rise buildings in Downtown Brooklyn’s Cultural District. The building offers a break from the intensity of the city—a thoughtful balance of sanctuary and community, and the natural and cultural. A textured terra-cotta base contrasts a lighter brick tower, while a shifting pattern of windows creates a lively rhythm.
This mixed-use, mixed-income 12-story building offers 123 units above the cultural base. This space is home to the Center for Fiction—the only organization in the United States devoted solely to the vital art of fiction—as well as the Mark Morris Dance Center rehearsal studios and retail space facing the Arts Plaza.
Above the cultural facilities, a variety of affordable and market-rate apartments, ranging from micro units to two-bedrooms, accommodate a range of modern urban households. Each unit is carefully laid out to create light-filled spaces with high-quality, contemporary finishes. Caesura uniquely maximizes shared communal areas by offering a fitness center and bike room to encourage an active lifestyle, a common goods lending library, a community lounge for social gatherings, and a double-height conservatory for yoga and quiet contemplation. This project was designed in collaboration with Bernheimer Architecture.
This year’s awards competition recognized 31 honorees. Jury members ranked projects based on clarity of concept, strength of solution, community relevance, and overall innovative and design aesthetics. This year’s awards were presented at the 62nd Annual SARA National Conference, in Miami, FL this past weekend.
Dattner Architects is proud to announce that Caesura received a national Honor Award in the 2018 SARA Design Competition! The Society of American Registered Architects (SARA), an organization focused on promoting growth and advancement of architectural professionals, hosts this annual awards program to recognize design excellence nationally and abroad in architecture and allied disciplines.
Caesura is a distinctively modern, human-scaled building that stands out from the surrounding high-rise buildings in Downtown Brooklyn’s Cultural District. The building offers a break from the intensity of the city—a thoughtful balance of sanctuary and community, and the natural and cultural. A textured terra-cotta base contrasts a lighter brick tower, while a shifting pattern of windows creates a lively rhythm.
This mixed-use, mixed-income 12-story building offers 123 units above the cultural base. This space is home to the Center for Fiction—the only organization in the United States devoted solely to the vital art of fiction—as well as the Mark Morris Dance Center rehearsal studios and retail space facing the Arts Plaza.
Above the cultural facilities, a variety of affordable and market-rate apartments, ranging from micro units to two-bedrooms, accommodate a range of modern urban households. Each unit is carefully laid out to create light-filled spaces with high-quality, contemporary finishes. Caesura uniquely maximizes shared communal areas by offering a fitness center and bike room to encourage an active lifestyle, a common goods lending library, a community lounge for social gatherings, and a double-height conservatory for yoga and quiet contemplation. This project was designed in collaboration with Bernheimer Architecture.
This year’s awards competition recognized 31 honorees. Jury members ranked projects based on clarity of concept, strength of solution, community relevance, and overall innovative and design aesthetics. This year’s awards were presented at the 62nd Annual SARA National Conference, in Miami, FL this past weekend.
The Dattner Architects and WSP-designed Number 7 Subway Line Extension at Hudson Yards Station has been honored with a Merit Award in the Structures category during the inaugural AIANY + ASLANY Transportation + Infrastructure (T+I) Awards. This brand new award program recognizes exceptional design by New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania AIA and ASLA members. Award winners reflect a commitment to sustainability, community engagement, and civic architecture.
The first new extension and station added to the New York City subway system in over 25 years, our project extends the Number 7 Subway line from its present terminus at Times Square along 41st Street and then south along Eleventh Avenue. The design for this deep station addresses 21st century passenger safety, comfort, and convenience, as well as the technical system challenges such as egress, power, and ventilation.
Universal design concepts guided passenger circulation, introducing the transit system’s first glass-enclosed inclined elevators, providing ADA access and promoting visual connection and safety among all riders. Open stairways lead from the mezzanine to a 35’ wide, column-less train platform, further enhancing riders’ sense of security and safety.
Glass canopied station entrances are integrated into Hudson Park, and focalize this new public open space that serves Hudson Yards, Javits Convention Center, and the High Line. The Station’s Main Entrance leads to the Upper Mezzanine fare zone and is graced with brilliant public art and abundant natural light. A Secondary Entrance was opened on September 1, 2018 to accommodate the anticipated continued growth of passenger flows. Throughout the Station material choices and color palettes capitalize on indirect lighting to produce glowing architectural form.
The extension provides a new station at 34th Street, new station entrances onto public plazas, and four supporting systems buildings that provide power, ventilation, and egress for the station and the running tunnel portions of the line extension. This major infrastructure upgrade has spurred what is being called the largest development in the U.S.: Hudson Yards. More than 50 million square feet of development is anticipated.
An integral part of New York City Department of City Planning’s redevelopment plan for the far west side of Manhattan, the 34 Street-Hudson Yards Station exemplifies how modern transit facilities can be functional, aesthetically pleasing, and integrated into the fabric of the communities they serve.
The Dattner Architects and WSP-designed Number 7 Subway Line Extension at Hudson Yards Station has been honored with a Merit Award in the Structures category during the inaugural AIANY + ASLANY Transportation + Infrastructure (T+I) Awards. This brand new award program recognizes exceptional design by New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania AIA and ASLA members. Award winners reflect a commitment to sustainability, community engagement, and civic architecture.
The first new extension and station added to the New York City subway system in over 25 years, our project extends the Number 7 Subway line from its present terminus at Times Square along 41st Street and then south along Eleventh Avenue. The design for this deep station addresses 21st century passenger safety, comfort, and convenience, as well as the technical system challenges such as egress, power, and ventilation.
Universal design concepts guided passenger circulation, introducing the transit system’s first glass-enclosed inclined elevators, providing ADA access and promoting visual connection and safety among all riders. Open stairways lead from the mezzanine to a 35’ wide, column-less train platform, further enhancing riders’ sense of security and safety.
Glass canopied station entrances are integrated into Hudson Park, and focalize this new public open space that serves Hudson Yards, Javits Convention Center, and the High Line. The Station’s Main Entrance leads to the Upper Mezzanine fare zone and is graced with brilliant public art and abundant natural light. A Secondary Entrance was opened on September 1, 2018 to accommodate the anticipated continued growth of passenger flows. Throughout the Station material choices and color palettes capitalize on indirect lighting to produce glowing architectural form.
The extension provides a new station at 34th Street, new station entrances onto public plazas, and four supporting systems buildings that provide power, ventilation, and egress for the station and the running tunnel portions of the line extension. This major infrastructure upgrade has spurred what is being called the largest development in the U.S.: Hudson Yards. More than 50 million square feet of development is anticipated.
An integral part of New York City Department of City Planning’s redevelopment plan for the far west side of Manhattan, the 34 Street-Hudson Yards Station exemplifies how modern transit facilities can be functional, aesthetically pleasing, and integrated into the fabric of the communities they serve.
In celebration of architecture, urban design, and New York City, we were honored to take part in this year’s Open House New York (OHNY) Weekend! From project tours to a behind-the-scenes look into our firm, Dattner Architects was excited to share our passion, commitment, and holistic approach to making our city better through distinctive and innovative design.
Tours
Every October, OHNY provides unprecedented access to more than 250 buildings and projects across New York City’s five boroughs. As part of that effort, we were proud to provide tours through some of our most high-profile and award-winning projects, including the Hub and the Manhattan Districts 1/2/5 Garage & Spring Street Salt Shed.
Team members from Dattner Architects led four tour groups through the Hub, our much-anticipated mixed-use residential building in Downtown Brooklyn. Winner of the Building Brooklyn Residential High-Rise Award – celebrating the best built and renovation buildings in the borough – the Hub is currently the tallest building in Brooklyn and features over 40,000 square feet of amenities.
The design team led visitors from the Hub’s lobby to the amenities floor and up to the penthouse and Sky Lounge. With floor-to-ceiling windows throughout the apartments, OHNY attendees were impressed with the expansive views of the New York Harbor and Manhattan skyline. From the 75-foot three-lane lap pool and the lushly landscaped sundeck to the media room and fully-equipped gym, the diversity of amenities was a hot topic of conversation. Overall, every group was excited and engaged, creating a relaxed and fun environment.
Back in Manhattan, overlooking the Hudson River, we were joined by WXY and NYC Department of Sanitation’s (DSNY) Assistant Chief Keith Mellis to tour OHNY Weekenders through the award-winning Manhattan Districts 1/2/5 Garage and Spring Street Salt Shed. These two iconic structures always elicit great enthusiasm from visitors, and it is rewarding for our designers to share in that passion while on these tours.
Moreover, the DSNY is a part of every New Yorker’s every day existence, but the garbage collection process is not well known to the public. Therefore, these tours not only serve as an opportunity for us to demonstrate the value of these infrastructure facilities and their presence in the community, but also for DSNY to explain their processes and workflow.
Open Studio at Dattner Architects
This year, OHNY provided access to not only projects, but also to studios and offices of some of the city’s leading architects and designers. On Sunday, October 14, we opened our doors to give visitors a behind-the-scenes look at how we approach civic architecture. From who we are and where we work to what we do and why we do it, our goal was to convey both our passion for architecture and our commitment to enriching the built environment.
Along our studio pin-up wall, we showcased a select group of works-in-progress, including 116th Precinct Station House, WSFSSH at West 108, and Scarsdale Public Library. In addition, the conference rooms exhibited our competition entries and award submissions, like our recently awarded Plasma Power: Getting to Zero Waste in the New Millennium.
In celebration of architecture, urban design, and New York City, we were honored to take part in this year’s Open House New York (OHNY) Weekend! From project tours to a behind-the-scenes look into our firm, Dattner Architects was excited to share our passion, commitment, and holistic approach to making our city better through distinctive and innovative design.
Tours
Every October, OHNY provides unprecedented access to more than 250 buildings and projects across New York City’s five boroughs. As part of that effort, we were proud to provide tours through some of our most high-profile and award-winning projects, including the Hub and the Manhattan Districts 1/2/5 Garage & Spring Street Salt Shed.
Team members from Dattner Architects led four tour groups through the Hub, our much-anticipated mixed-use residential building in Downtown Brooklyn. Winner of the Building Brooklyn Residential High-Rise Award – celebrating the best built and renovation buildings in the borough – the Hub is currently the tallest building in Brooklyn and features over 40,000 square feet of amenities.
The design team led visitors from the Hub’s lobby to the amenities floor and up to the penthouse and Sky Lounge. With floor-to-ceiling windows throughout the apartments, OHNY attendees were impressed with the expansive views of the New York Harbor and Manhattan skyline. From the 75-foot three-lane lap pool and the lushly landscaped sundeck to the media room and fully-equipped gym, the diversity of amenities was a hot topic of conversation. Overall, every group was excited and engaged, creating a relaxed and fun environment.
Back in Manhattan, overlooking the Hudson River, we were joined by WXY and NYC Department of Sanitation’s (DSNY) Assistant Chief Keith Mellis to tour OHNY Weekenders through the award-winning Manhattan Districts 1/2/5 Garage and Spring Street Salt Shed. These two iconic structures always elicit great enthusiasm from visitors, and it is rewarding for our designers to share in that passion while on these tours.
Moreover, the DSNY is a part of every New Yorker’s every day existence, but the garbage collection process is not well known to the public. Therefore, these tours not only serve as an opportunity for us to demonstrate the value of these infrastructure facilities and their presence in the community, but also for DSNY to explain their processes and workflow.
Open Studio at Dattner Architects
This year, OHNY provided access to not only projects, but also to studios and offices of some of the city’s leading architects and designers. On Sunday, October 14, we opened our doors to give visitors a behind-the-scenes look at how we approach civic architecture. From who we are and where we work to what we do and why we do it, our goal was to convey both our passion for architecture and our commitment to enriching the built environment.
Along our studio pin-up wall, we showcased a select group of works-in-progress, including 116th Precinct Station House, WSFSSH at West 108, and Scarsdale Public Library. In addition, the conference rooms exhibited our competition entries and award submissions, like our recently awarded Plasma Power: Getting to Zero Waste in the New Millennium.
October is here, and with that we are proud to celebrate Archtober as well as the annual Open House New York (OHNY) weekend! Dattner Architects will be providing behind-the-scenes access to two of our award winning projects as well as opening our doors to the public for a behind-the-scenes look into our firm and our works-in-progress.
Saturday, October 13
On Saturday, we will give tours of the Hub – currently Brooklyn’s tallest tower and home to 40,000 square feet of amenities atop a low-rise base of double-height retail spaces. Fostering a social lifestyle, amenities include a 75-foot year-round lap pool, a lushly landscaped sundeck and lawn, indoor and outdoor movie screens, a dog run, kids playroom, party room, and a Sky Lounge and terrace on the 53rd floor. Complementing the character of the neighborhood, the stepped profile of this 600-foot residential tower provides scale and articulation, while affording numerous corner windows throughout the apartments.
Sunday, October 14
Also sign up to tour the Manhattan Districts 1/2/5 Garage and Spring Street Salt Shed. Visitors will be guided through the garage, up to the green roof, and into the Salt Shed, providing a behind-the-scenes glimpse into what it takes to manage the city’s waste stream, and to keep our streets clean. Led by members from DSNY, Dattner Architects, and WXY, the tours will showcase how and why these infrastructure facilities have become two of the City’s newest iconic structures.
Join us in our office on Sunday anytime between the hours of 10:00am to 3:00pm! We will offer Open Access to OHNY Weekenders with an Open Studio tour and discussion, showcasing our commitment to enriching civic space and the urban experience through our process, projects, and social commitment. Select works-in-progress will be on view, and visitors will have an opportunity to gain insights into our firm culture, illustrating our dedication to industry involvement, professional development, philanthropy, and advocacy.
October is here, and with that we are proud to celebrate Archtober as well as the annual Open House New York (OHNY) weekend! Dattner Architects will be providing behind-the-scenes access to two of our award winning projects as well as opening our doors to the public for a behind-the-scenes look into our firm and our works-in-progress.
Saturday, October 13
On Saturday, we will give tours of the Hub – currently Brooklyn’s tallest tower and home to 40,000 square feet of amenities atop a low-rise base of double-height retail spaces. Fostering a social lifestyle, amenities include a 75-foot year-round lap pool, a lushly landscaped sundeck and lawn, indoor and outdoor movie screens, a dog run, kids playroom, party room, and a Sky Lounge and terrace on the 53rd floor. Complementing the character of the neighborhood, the stepped profile of this 600-foot residential tower provides scale and articulation, while affording numerous corner windows throughout the apartments.
Sunday, October 14
Also sign up to tour the Manhattan Districts 1/2/5 Garage and Spring Street Salt Shed. Visitors will be guided through the garage, up to the green roof, and into the Salt Shed, providing a behind-the-scenes glimpse into what it takes to manage the city’s waste stream, and to keep our streets clean. Led by members from DSNY, Dattner Architects, and WXY, the tours will showcase how and why these infrastructure facilities have become two of the City’s newest iconic structures.
Join us in our office on Sunday anytime between the hours of 10:00am to 3:00pm! We will offer Open Access to OHNY Weekenders with an Open Studio tour and discussion, showcasing our commitment to enriching civic space and the urban experience through our process, projects, and social commitment. Select works-in-progress will be on view, and visitors will have an opportunity to gain insights into our firm culture, illustrating our dedication to industry involvement, professional development, philanthropy, and advocacy.
On September 26, Dattner Architects joined Columbia University and Renzo Piano Building Workshop for the opening of THE FORUM at Columbia University’s Manhattanville Campus. Serving as a welcoming and transparent gateway to the new 17-acre urban campus, the Forum provides much-needed educational and civic engagement space, supporting and further enhancing Columbia’s academic mission while providing a shared resource for students, faculty, and the local community at large.
Completing a triad of new buildings, the 56,000 square foot, glass-enclosed Forum is open to the public at the street level, echoing elements of the neighboring Jerome L. Greene Science Center and Lenfest Center. Complementary to the first two buildings, which are dedicated to science and the arts, respectively, the Forum adds communication and community into the fold – fundamental elements needed to establish and anchor the campus. Triangular in shape, this new academic conference center is a highly visible and iconic component of campus, comprised of 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, this multipurpose facility 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.
Designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop with Dattner Architects as Executive Architect and Caples Jefferson Architects as Associate Architect, the functions accommodated within dictate the building’s architectural vocabulary. 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 4,200 square foot café offers a casual place for light meals and conversation over coffee, and will also serve as a catering facility. The building’s 2,000 square foot ground floor lobby provides flexible space for a range of activities, from pop-up exhibits to University events, and other public gatherings. in addition to being designed to LEED Gold standards, the Forum is also part of a NYSERDA initiative.
Complementing the new campus’ connections between Columbia and its local community, the Forum serves both as a gateway to Manhattanville and a case study for how one of the city’s largest landowners can coexist with a community. Providing a public-facing alternative to the sequestered academic environments of the past, this open, collaborative urban campus is changing how the university researches, teaches, and communicates.
On September 26, Dattner Architects joined Columbia University and Renzo Piano Building Workshop for the opening of THE FORUM at Columbia University’s Manhattanville Campus. Serving as a welcoming and transparent gateway to the new 17-acre urban campus, the Forum provides much-needed educational and civic engagement space, supporting and further enhancing Columbia’s academic mission while providing a shared resource for students, faculty, and the local community at large.
Completing a triad of new buildings, the 56,000 square foot, glass-enclosed Forum is open to the public at the street level, echoing elements of the neighboring Jerome L. Greene Science Center and Lenfest Center. Complementary to the first two buildings, which are dedicated to science and the arts, respectively, the Forum adds communication and community into the fold – fundamental elements needed to establish and anchor the campus. Triangular in shape, this new academic conference center is a highly visible and iconic component of campus, comprised of 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, this multipurpose facility 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.
Designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop with Dattner Architects as Executive Architect and Caples Jefferson Architects as Associate Architect, the functions accommodated within dictate the building’s architectural vocabulary. 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 4,200 square foot café offers a casual place for light meals and conversation over coffee, and will also serve as a catering facility. The building’s 2,000 square foot ground floor lobby provides flexible space for a range of activities, from pop-up exhibits to University events, and other public gatherings. in addition to being designed to LEED Gold standards, the Forum is also part of a NYSERDA initiative.
Complementing the new campus’ connections between Columbia and its local community, the Forum serves both as a gateway to Manhattanville and a case study for how one of the city’s largest landowners can coexist with a community. Providing a public-facing alternative to the sequestered academic environments of the past, this open, collaborative urban campus is changing how the university researches, teaches, and communicates.
The Goldin at Essex Crossing has been named “Grand Winner” for Affordable Senior Housing in the 2018 Multifamily Executive (MFE) Awards!
“Affordable Apartments Serve as a Centerpiece of NYC Mixed-Use Project” - MFE
50 years ago, Seward Park Urban Renewal Area residents were forced to relocate due to the demolition of their buildings, making way for a supposed massive urban renewal project. Instead, the site remained vacant for decades. Now, Delancey Street Associates and Dattner Architects have come together to provide affordable senior housing, giving priority to the previous residents to come back and live at The Goldin at Essex Crossing – calling the area home once more.
Located on the Lower East Side (LES) of the city, the building is designed to cater to the needs of an aging population. Offering 99 one-bedroom units, 590 square feet to 620 square feet in size, for low-income seniors, the development’s podium is home to the 55,000-square-foot New York University Langone Joan H. and Preston Robert Tisch Center as well as a social-services provider, Grand Street Settlement, that offers “close-to-home” programming, engaging senior residents and community members in on-site activities. Integrated within the context of this community through both design and programming, the ground floor also includes retail space for small businesses, including the GrandLo Café, a social enterprise eatery that will provide jobs to local youths and offer programming focusing on business and entrepreneurial skills.
Named after longtime LES housing activist, Frances Goldin, the development is oriented so that residents may enjoy expansive views of the Manhattan skyline with rooftop gardens providing beautiful recreational space. The building includes solar panels to reduce the cost of the building’s electricity, and is designed to meet Enterprise Green Communities and NYSERDA requirements.
This densely programmed, versatile new building demonstrates what is possible, even on a modest budget, in providing high-quality housing, health care, job training, and community services in a single location. Redefining how people view senior housing, The Goldin at Essex Crossing offers a glimpse into this new development’s impact on the diverse tapestry of the Lower East Side.
A nationwide awards submission, the MFE Awards select the most innovative multifamily housing projects each year. From nearly 450 entries this year, MFE selected 28 developments, amenities, and programs – 17 Grand Winners and 11 Merit Winners – that showcase creativity, thoughtfulness, inventiveness, and exceptional design. Overall, the 2018 MFE Award winners define what it means to design and build communities to an unmatched standard. Each project helps to “reimagine an exciting, life-altering future for multifamily community design, investment, development, and management.”
The Goldin at Essex Crossing has been named “Grand Winner” for Affordable Senior Housing in the 2018 Multifamily Executive (MFE) Awards!
“Affordable Apartments Serve as a Centerpiece of NYC Mixed-Use Project” - MFE
50 years ago, Seward Park Urban Renewal Area residents were forced to relocate due to the demolition of their buildings, making way for a supposed massive urban renewal project. Instead, the site remained vacant for decades. Now, Delancey Street Associates and Dattner Architects have come together to provide affordable senior housing, giving priority to the previous residents to come back and live at The Goldin at Essex Crossing – calling the area home once more.
Located on the Lower East Side (LES) of the city, the building is designed to cater to the needs of an aging population. Offering 99 one-bedroom units, 590 square feet to 620 square feet in size, for low-income seniors, the development’s podium is home to the 55,000-square-foot New York University Langone Joan H. and Preston Robert Tisch Center as well as a social-services provider, Grand Street Settlement, that offers “close-to-home” programming, engaging senior residents and community members in on-site activities. Integrated within the context of this community through both design and programming, the ground floor also includes retail space for small businesses, including the GrandLo Café, a social enterprise eatery that will provide jobs to local youths and offer programming focusing on business and entrepreneurial skills.
Named after longtime LES housing activist, Frances Goldin, the development is oriented so that residents may enjoy expansive views of the Manhattan skyline with rooftop gardens providing beautiful recreational space. The building includes solar panels to reduce the cost of the building’s electricity, and is designed to meet Enterprise Green Communities and NYSERDA requirements.
This densely programmed, versatile new building demonstrates what is possible, even on a modest budget, in providing high-quality housing, health care, job training, and community services in a single location. Redefining how people view senior housing, The Goldin at Essex Crossing offers a glimpse into this new development’s impact on the diverse tapestry of the Lower East Side.
A nationwide awards submission, the MFE Awards select the most innovative multifamily housing projects each year. From nearly 450 entries this year, MFE selected 28 developments, amenities, and programs – 17 Grand Winners and 11 Merit Winners – that showcase creativity, thoughtfulness, inventiveness, and exceptional design. Overall, the 2018 MFE Award winners define what it means to design and build communities to an unmatched standard. Each project helps to “reimagine an exciting, life-altering future for multifamily community design, investment, development, and management.”
Dattner Architects' Principal John Woelfling AIA, LEED AP, CPHT co-led a panel discussion at the 13th Annual North American Passive House Conference (NAPHC) in Boston, Massachusetts. Held on September 22, the panel focused on the design and construction solutions that have been developed for a large-scale, mixed-use passive house project, 425 Grand Concourse, in the South Bronx. As Principal-in-Charge of the project, John represented the design team and spoke alongside Christoph Stump from Trinity Financial.
Presenting the importance of a multi-disciplinary approach to developing an integrated passive house design, John and Christoph identified some of the complexities and constructability issues related to high-rise passive house construction and potential solutions derived from this project. One of the largest Passive House projects in North America, this large-scale, mixed-use project is the result of an integrated and collaborative process that considered the perspectives of the developer/owner, primary design disciplines, contractor, and the future community/residents.
Named one of the country's most Innovative 72 design firms by Building Design + Construction, Dattner Architects has a long-standing commitment to sustainable design characterized by a flexible, project-specific approach that combines passive and low-tech solutions with more active systems, analysis, and controls.
NAPHC is presented by Passive House Institute US in partnership with Passive House Alliance US. The leading passive building conference for climate-specific zero energy design, construction, and building science expertise, conference attendees get real-world case studies on projects ranging from single family homes to high-rises, the latest on mechanical systems, building science, and construction details.
Dattner Architects' Principal John Woelfling AIA, LEED AP, CPHT co-led a panel discussion at the 13th Annual North American Passive House Conference (NAPHC) in Boston, Massachusetts. Held on September 22, the panel focused on the design and construction solutions that have been developed for a large-scale, mixed-use passive house project, 425 Grand Concourse, in the South Bronx. As Principal-in-Charge of the project, John represented the design team and spoke alongside Christoph Stump from Trinity Financial.
Presenting the importance of a multi-disciplinary approach to developing an integrated passive house design, John and Christoph identified some of the complexities and constructability issues related to high-rise passive house construction and potential solutions derived from this project. One of the largest Passive House projects in North America, this large-scale, mixed-use project is the result of an integrated and collaborative process that considered the perspectives of the developer/owner, primary design disciplines, contractor, and the future community/residents.
Named one of the country's most Innovative 72 design firms by Building Design + Construction, Dattner Architects has a long-standing commitment to sustainable design characterized by a flexible, project-specific approach that combines passive and low-tech solutions with more active systems, analysis, and controls.
NAPHC is presented by Passive House Institute US in partnership with Passive House Alliance US. The leading passive building conference for climate-specific zero energy design, construction, and building science expertise, conference attendees get real-world case studies on projects ranging from single family homes to high-rises, the latest on mechanical systems, building science, and construction details.
Rethinking the Future (RTF), an organization “born from the idea of creating a new window on international trends in architecture and design that looks on to the solutions for the need of the era,” selected the winners of their new awards program, Global Architecture & Design Award. Focused on recognizing innovation in architecture and design that meets human needs while preserving the environment, we are proud to announce that our concept, “Plasma Power: Getting to Zero Waste in the New Millennium,” was chosen among 748 projects from over 50 countries in the Public Building Concept category.
Our concept employs architecture, design, and education to address the on-going challenge of reducing urban waste. Over the years, cities have developed solutions to the problem of waste disposal by recycling, composting, and converting garbage into alternate energy. While these measure offset some of the pollution, there is still more work that can be done. Our design creates a new municipal prototype that utilizes advancing technology by converting trash into a synthesis gas.
Integrated into the urban waterfront, the waste processing equipment is concentrated in a circular plan to minimize its footprint. A perforated mesh skin visually hides the truck ramp and conveyor areas, providing safety to visitors and restricting access of unauthorized personnel. Visitors may wander and explore the spiral walkway leading to the rooftop park. Here one can view the processing of waste in a series of “hives” enclosing the largest pieces of equipment. This new waste system is not only a benefit to the environment but also provides a new park to urban neighborhoods.
In the Global Architecture award, we explored how three cities could apply Plasma Power Technology:
New York City. Today, only 25% of NYC’s solid waste is recycled or composted. To meet its Zero Waste goal in 2030, Plasma Plants will replace the City’s existing Five Marine Transfer Stations that now ship trash to landfills.
Oslo. Norway is already a leader in waste to energy conversion and imports trash on the international market as source of fuel. A Plasma Plant on the Oslowaterfront will complement a conventional waste to energy operation in Klemetsrud, in the city suburbs.
Tokyo Bay. Densely populated Japan has been a pioneer of trash based land creation in Tokyo and other port cities. A plasma plant on an existing artificial Island in the Tokyo Baywill be integrated into the Umi-No-Mori public park now under construction.
Entries were carefully evaluated across 30 different categories by a team of international experts from different facets of our industry. Check out the inspiring winning projects here!
“These projects demonstrate how design can make a positive impact on communities around the world. Each geographic place needs architects dedicated to understanding the challenges and opportunities latent in the physical world around them. The best of these designs tapped into this significant understanding of place and transformed the places to better connect, stimulate, and challenge the people around them.” –Juror, Sven Shockey | Vice President | Design Director | SmithGroup
Rethinking the Future (RTF), an organization “born from the idea of creating a new window on international trends in architecture and design that looks on to the solutions for the need of the era,” selected the winners of their new awards program, Global Architecture & Design Award. Focused on recognizing innovation in architecture and design that meets human needs while preserving the environment, we are proud to announce that our concept, “Plasma Power: Getting to Zero Waste in the New Millennium,” was chosen among 748 projects from over 50 countries in the Public Building Concept category.
Our concept employs architecture, design, and education to address the on-going challenge of reducing urban waste. Over the years, cities have developed solutions to the problem of waste disposal by recycling, composting, and converting garbage into alternate energy. While these measure offset some of the pollution, there is still more work that can be done. Our design creates a new municipal prototype that utilizes advancing technology by converting trash into a synthesis gas.
Integrated into the urban waterfront, the waste processing equipment is concentrated in a circular plan to minimize its footprint. A perforated mesh skin visually hides the truck ramp and conveyor areas, providing safety to visitors and restricting access of unauthorized personnel. Visitors may wander and explore the spiral walkway leading to the rooftop park. Here one can view the processing of waste in a series of “hives” enclosing the largest pieces of equipment. This new waste system is not only a benefit to the environment but also provides a new park to urban neighborhoods.
In the Global Architecture award, we explored how three cities could apply Plasma Power Technology:
New York City. Today, only 25% of NYC’s solid waste is recycled or composted. To meet its Zero Waste goal in 2030, Plasma Plants will replace the City’s existing Five Marine Transfer Stations that now ship trash to landfills.
Oslo. Norway is already a leader in waste to energy conversion and imports trash on the international market as source of fuel. A Plasma Plant on the Oslowaterfront will complement a conventional waste to energy operation in Klemetsrud, in the city suburbs.
Tokyo Bay. Densely populated Japan has been a pioneer of trash based land creation in Tokyo and other port cities. A plasma plant on an existing artificial Island in the Tokyo Baywill be integrated into the Umi-No-Mori public park now under construction.
Entries were carefully evaluated across 30 different categories by a team of international experts from different facets of our industry. Check out the inspiring winning projects here!
“These projects demonstrate how design can make a positive impact on communities around the world. Each geographic place needs architects dedicated to understanding the challenges and opportunities latent in the physical world around them. The best of these designs tapped into this significant understanding of place and transformed the places to better connect, stimulate, and challenge the people around them.” –Juror, Sven Shockey | Vice President | Design Director | SmithGroup
As part of Building Design+Construction (BD+C)’s Giants 300 Report, Dattner Architects is proud to be recognized as one of the country’s top architecture firms!
As a known leader in the design of multi-family housing, and acknowledged as number 18 out of 150 in the multi-family housing sector, much of our success comes from our determination to create sustainable, safe, and holistic designs for so many diverse users, and our commitment to understanding and integrating evolving sector trends and design technologies. Our work is a testament to our passion for design excellence coupled with collaborating with clients and design teams that hold the same values. Currently, we are working on three of the country’s largest multi-family passive house projects, each of which incorporate vital affordable housing, and earlier in the year, we saw the realization of two projects helping to define the growing Downtown Brooklyn Neighborhood, the neighborhoods tallest tower, the Hub, and the more recent Caesura, a respite within the heart of the neighborhood.
Included among the top Healthcare design firms, our healthcare portfolio has steadily grown for over 20 years. Within the past year, we are proud to have worked with so many new and existing clients, designing facilities that support community health and wellness, compliment larger institution missions, and provide each patient with a positive experience. Currently working on a number of diverse projects in this sector, we enjoy a close collaboration with doctors, nurses, and administrators where we can best develop a tailored program and plan for each project, that supports their unique program values.
We are also proud to be identified as one of the country’s leading university architecture firms. Our approach to higher education work begins by considering how design can improve learning outcomes for each individual institution. Understanding, first, the overall goal of retaining students, maximizing learning, and ensuring each student’s successful and gratifying advancement, we seek to create designs that achieve these goals and embody each university’s individual culture and structure. While much of our higher education work is currently in progress, one of our most notable projects, the Columbia University Forum & Academic Conference Center, with Renzo Piano, is set to open this fall. Forming the gateway to Columbia University’s Manhattanville Campus, the academic conference center is intended to encourage and support opportunities for collaboration across disciplines and interactions between the University, the local community, and the professional world.
We believe that Architecture is an integral part of society, and the practice of architecture can and should be considered a social practice, focused on design through equity and inclusion. Good design does not stop at aesthetics and form for one idealized user – good design creates spaces of open access, and advocates for spatial justice and the right to the city – from affordable housing, to equal education and healthcare, to equitable transportation options, and more.
As part of Building Design+Construction (BD+C)’s Giants 300 Report, Dattner Architects is proud to be recognized as one of the country’s top architecture firms!
As a known leader in the design of multi-family housing, and acknowledged as number 18 out of 150 in the multi-family housing sector, much of our success comes from our determination to create sustainable, safe, and holistic designs for so many diverse users, and our commitment to understanding and integrating evolving sector trends and design technologies. Our work is a testament to our passion for design excellence coupled with collaborating with clients and design teams that hold the same values. Currently, we are working on three of the country’s largest multi-family passive house projects, each of which incorporate vital affordable housing, and earlier in the year, we saw the realization of two projects helping to define the growing Downtown Brooklyn Neighborhood, the neighborhoods tallest tower, the Hub, and the more recent Caesura, a respite within the heart of the neighborhood.
Included among the top Healthcare design firms, our healthcare portfolio has steadily grown for over 20 years. Within the past year, we are proud to have worked with so many new and existing clients, designing facilities that support community health and wellness, compliment larger institution missions, and provide each patient with a positive experience. Currently working on a number of diverse projects in this sector, we enjoy a close collaboration with doctors, nurses, and administrators where we can best develop a tailored program and plan for each project, that supports their unique program values.
We are also proud to be identified as one of the country’s leading university architecture firms. Our approach to higher education work begins by considering how design can improve learning outcomes for each individual institution. Understanding, first, the overall goal of retaining students, maximizing learning, and ensuring each student’s successful and gratifying advancement, we seek to create designs that achieve these goals and embody each university’s individual culture and structure. While much of our higher education work is currently in progress, one of our most notable projects, the Columbia University Forum & Academic Conference Center, with Renzo Piano, is set to open this fall. Forming the gateway to Columbia University’s Manhattanville Campus, the academic conference center is intended to encourage and support opportunities for collaboration across disciplines and interactions between the University, the local community, and the professional world.
We believe that Architecture is an integral part of society, and the practice of architecture can and should be considered a social practice, focused on design through equity and inclusion. Good design does not stop at aesthetics and form for one idealized user – good design creates spaces of open access, and advocates for spatial justice and the right to the city – from affordable housing, to equal education and healthcare, to equitable transportation options, and more.
With bicycle ridership on the rise, bike storage rooms and kitchens are fast becoming a popular amenity in multi-family housing projects. Featured in a recent article by Building Design + Construction, Caesura is one of the latest residential developments to include a modern bike storage room. The space includes racks that stack bikes vertically, a key space-saving space element, as well as a tire pump and bike repair station.
Caesura is a new dynamic 12-story, mixed-use building located in the heart of the Downtown Brooklyn Cultural District – anchoring a key corner of Lafayette Avenue and Ashland Place, across from the BAM Opera House, Theater for a New Audience, and Arts Plaza. With so much to see and do, Caesura residents can easily explore their vibrant neighborhood by bike with the added convenience and security of a bike room at home.
With bicycle ridership on the rise, bike storage rooms and kitchens are fast becoming a popular amenity in multi-family housing projects. Featured in a recent article by Building Design + Construction, Caesura is one of the latest residential developments to include a modern bike storage room. The space includes racks that stack bikes vertically, a key space-saving space element, as well as a tire pump and bike repair station.
Caesura is a new dynamic 12-story, mixed-use building located in the heart of the Downtown Brooklyn Cultural District – anchoring a key corner of Lafayette Avenue and Ashland Place, across from the BAM Opera House, Theater for a New Audience, and Arts Plaza. With so much to see and do, Caesura residents can easily explore their vibrant neighborhood by bike with the added convenience and security of a bike room at home.
Dattner Architects’ Principal Richard Dattner FAIA was recently honored with the MIT Architecture Alumni Civic Design Award.
Richard received his Bachelor of Architecture from MIT in 1960, and founded Dattner Architects in 1964. At the 150 Years of Architecture at MIT New York City Reception, J. Meejin Yoon (Department Head & Professor, Department of Architecture, MIT) recognized Richard with a powerful address:
“[Richard’s] family fled Poland in 1940 and moved through Italy and Cuba before landing in the United States… growing up in Buffalo before coming to MIT. He founded his practice just four years after graduation – well known for his playgrounds, and housing projects – he stayed committed to working in the public sector even when federal funds reduced. NY Times architecture critic Herbert Muschamp remarked that Dattner deserves a ticker tape parade up Broadway for his willingness to ‘endure the often brutal process of working for a government agency.’ His practice has built much of the public structures of contemporary New York – everything from public schools across the boroughs, to parks, to sewage treatment plants, transportation stations, and public energy utilities and service buildings.
In his celebration of the everyday, place-making, respect for context, economy of means, concern for the user, and attention to materials and structure, he has worked to make better the world quite literally one playground, one park, and one civic structure at a time.”
Richard’s leadership is invaluable. Always there to teach, encourage, and guide, he is at the forefront of what we do at Dattner Architects. We are proud that MIT has recognized his vision and accomplishments with this award!
Dattner Architects’ Principal Richard Dattner FAIA was recently honored with the MIT Architecture Alumni Civic Design Award.
Richard received his Bachelor of Architecture from MIT in 1960, and founded Dattner Architects in 1964. At the 150 Years of Architecture at MIT New York City Reception, J. Meejin Yoon (Department Head & Professor, Department of Architecture, MIT) recognized Richard with a powerful address:
“[Richard’s] family fled Poland in 1940 and moved through Italy and Cuba before landing in the United States… growing up in Buffalo before coming to MIT. He founded his practice just four years after graduation – well known for his playgrounds, and housing projects – he stayed committed to working in the public sector even when federal funds reduced. NY Times architecture critic Herbert Muschamp remarked that Dattner deserves a ticker tape parade up Broadway for his willingness to ‘endure the often brutal process of working for a government agency.’ His practice has built much of the public structures of contemporary New York – everything from public schools across the boroughs, to parks, to sewage treatment plants, transportation stations, and public energy utilities and service buildings.
In his celebration of the everyday, place-making, respect for context, economy of means, concern for the user, and attention to materials and structure, he has worked to make better the world quite literally one playground, one park, and one civic structure at a time.”
Richard’s leadership is invaluable. Always there to teach, encourage, and guide, he is at the forefront of what we do at Dattner Architects. We are proud that MIT has recognized his vision and accomplishments with this award!
Dattner Architects is proud to announce that Hub has won the 2018 Building Brooklyn Residential High-Rise Award!
Hub is a dynamic presence on the Brooklyn skyline and it brings vitality and urban appeal to what was the site of a former parking lot and office building. The building’s ground floor retail on Schermerhorn and Livingston Streets, plus its dynamic three-story retail wing on Flatbush Avenue, creates a vibrant, engaging street presence for pedestrians and those who live and work in the neighborhood. The building’s sought-after location at 333 Schermerhorn Street is accessible to the area’s energetic cultural centers, eateries, and transportation.
Comprised of studio, one-, and two-bedroom apartments with 9’-10’+ ceiling heights, the soaring residential tower provides 750 apartments, 150 of which are affordable units. Each of the 50+ layouts are fine-tuned to create efficient, yet individualized residences – many with floor-to-ceiling windows and stunning views of the New York Harbor and Manhattan skyline. Apartment finishes include custom Italian cabinetry, solar shades, and five-inch wide oak wood flooring throughout. The stepped profile of the 600-foot high tower recalls the timeless skyscrapers of the 1920s and 30s with a contemporary expression. Horizontal and vertical stepping articulates the tower, while affording numerous corner windows throughout the apartments.
Boasting 40,000 square feet of amenities, Hub invites residents to participate in programming at Club 333. Featuring a robust calendar of events, programming often includes neighborhood partners and local businesses, and encourages tenants to get more involved with or give back to their surrounding Downtown Brooklyn community.
An annual event, Building Brooklyn Awards celebrate the best built and renovation projects that enrich Brooklyn’s neighborhoods. The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce will recognize the winners at an Awards Program and Cocktail Reception on August 1st at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge.
Dattner Architects is proud to announce that Hub has won the 2018 Building Brooklyn Residential High-Rise Award!
Hub is a dynamic presence on the Brooklyn skyline and it brings vitality and urban appeal to what was the site of a former parking lot and office building. The building’s ground floor retail on Schermerhorn and Livingston Streets, plus its dynamic three-story retail wing on Flatbush Avenue, creates a vibrant, engaging street presence for pedestrians and those who live and work in the neighborhood. The building’s sought-after location at 333 Schermerhorn Street is accessible to the area’s energetic cultural centers, eateries, and transportation.
Comprised of studio, one-, and two-bedroom apartments with 9’-10’+ ceiling heights, the soaring residential tower provides 750 apartments, 150 of which are affordable units. Each of the 50+ layouts are fine-tuned to create efficient, yet individualized residences – many with floor-to-ceiling windows and stunning views of the New York Harbor and Manhattan skyline. Apartment finishes include custom Italian cabinetry, solar shades, and five-inch wide oak wood flooring throughout. The stepped profile of the 600-foot high tower recalls the timeless skyscrapers of the 1920s and 30s with a contemporary expression. Horizontal and vertical stepping articulates the tower, while affording numerous corner windows throughout the apartments.
Boasting 40,000 square feet of amenities, Hub invites residents to participate in programming at Club 333. Featuring a robust calendar of events, programming often includes neighborhood partners and local businesses, and encourages tenants to get more involved with or give back to their surrounding Downtown Brooklyn community.
An annual event, Building Brooklyn Awards celebrate the best built and renovation projects that enrich Brooklyn’s neighborhoods. The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce will recognize the winners at an Awards Program and Cocktail Reception on August 1st at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge.
On Saturday, June 23rd, Dattner Architects gave Open House New York (OHNY) tour attendees an insider’s look of the much-anticipated mixed-use residential development, Hub, as part of OHNY’s Making Place: Downtown Brooklyn program.
Recently honored with a Building Brooklyn Award, which celebrates the best built and renovation projects in the borough, the Hub is a project of superlatives — the tallest building in Brooklyn and the building with the most amenities in a neighborhood full of new developments clamoring to be the best in category. Juliet Cullen-Cheung, President of Steiner NYC, the project developer, was there to talk about the project goals and aspirations including how they sought to create an inviting, social building. With an ambitious goal of showing the attendees a little bit of everything, the Dattner design team led the group from the lobby through 40,000 square feet of amenities and up to several model units including a 53rd floor penthouse unit — showing off all the unique design features at the Hub from the heroic exposed concrete core with shattered glass elevator lobby, the 12 foot tall frameless glass wall in the amenities lounge that allows you to see straight into and through the pool area to the expansive terrace beyond, and the obstruction-free views from the corner apartments which comprise 70% of the units.
Dattner Architects also gave OHNY tour attendees a behind-the-scenes look into Caesura – a 12-story mixed-use residential building in the heart of the Downtown Brooklyn Cultural District and just a few blocks away from Hub. The tour included Bernheimer Architecture and discussed the history of the site, project context, and architectural design approach. The Dattner design team then led the group from the lobby to the model micro-unit on the fifth floor – showcasing flexible, convertible furniture, including a sofa and shelving unit that converts to a bed to optimize the living space. Tour attendees were also taken through the game room/common room, conservatory, and ended at the roof terrace, featuring bench seating, a grilling area, and vast views of Downtown Brooklyn.
On Saturday, June 23rd, Dattner Architects gave Open House New York (OHNY) tour attendees an insider’s look of the much-anticipated mixed-use residential development, Hub, as part of OHNY’s Making Place: Downtown Brooklyn program.
Recently honored with a Building Brooklyn Award, which celebrates the best built and renovation projects in the borough, the Hub is a project of superlatives — the tallest building in Brooklyn and the building with the most amenities in a neighborhood full of new developments clamoring to be the best in category. Juliet Cullen-Cheung, President of Steiner NYC, the project developer, was there to talk about the project goals and aspirations including how they sought to create an inviting, social building. With an ambitious goal of showing the attendees a little bit of everything, the Dattner design team led the group from the lobby through 40,000 square feet of amenities and up to several model units including a 53rd floor penthouse unit — showing off all the unique design features at the Hub from the heroic exposed concrete core with shattered glass elevator lobby, the 12 foot tall frameless glass wall in the amenities lounge that allows you to see straight into and through the pool area to the expansive terrace beyond, and the obstruction-free views from the corner apartments which comprise 70% of the units.
Dattner Architects also gave OHNY tour attendees a behind-the-scenes look into Caesura – a 12-story mixed-use residential building in the heart of the Downtown Brooklyn Cultural District and just a few blocks away from Hub. The tour included Bernheimer Architecture and discussed the history of the site, project context, and architectural design approach. The Dattner design team then led the group from the lobby to the model micro-unit on the fifth floor – showcasing flexible, convertible furniture, including a sofa and shelving unit that converts to a bed to optimize the living space. Tour attendees were also taken through the game room/common room, conservatory, and ended at the roof terrace, featuring bench seating, a grilling area, and vast views of Downtown Brooklyn.
Last week was an exciting week for design and a rewarding week for Dattner Architects! In celebration of the 2018 AIA Conference on Architecture (A’18) hosted in New York City, we were honored to take part in welcoming the design community to our “hometown.” From project tours and panel discussions to a behind-the-scenes look into our office, Dattner Architects shared our passion for civic architecture with locals and visitors alike.
Tours
As part of the conference’s nearly 100 architect-led tours throughout New York City, we were proud to provide tours through some of our high-profile and award-winning projects, including the new 34 Street – Hudson Yards Station, Manhattan Districts 1/2/5 Garage & Spring Street Salt Shed, Battery Park City Parks Conservancy Maintenance Facility, and Via Verde – The Green Way.
Team members from Dattner Architects, MTA Capital Construction (MTA CC), MTA Arts & Design, and Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates led four tour groups through the new Hudson Yards Station and surrounding Hudson Park. An integral part of the City’s redevelopment plan for the far west side of Manhattan, and the City’s first subway line extension in over 40 years, the mega project was completed on time and under budget – as noted by Vice President of MTA CC, Mark Schiffman PE, Esq. during the tour. A true testament to the project, similarities between the success of the project and the success of the tours were evident – as both were the result of a well-orchestrated collaboration among MTA CC and the design team.
Further downtown, overlooking the Hudson River, we were joined by NYC Department of Sanitation’s (DSNY) Assistant Chief Keith Mellis and toured visitors through the award-winning Manhattan Districts 1/2/5 Garage and Spring Street Salt Shed. These facilities are two of the City’s newest iconic structures; they have been embraced by their West Village community and become archi-tourist destinations. Visitors got a behind-the-scenes look into the vital functions of these important community infrastructure facilities, and heard from Dattner Architects and WXY team members on how applied design excellence can innovate, inspire, and exceed client expectations.
Project Manager for both projects, Dattner Architects’ Associate Principal Gia Mainiero AIA, LEED AP BD+C was thrilled with the outcome of the tours. “It was invigorating to discuss the design and sustainable features of the M125 Garage and Salt Shed with architects from across the country and share our enthusiasm for DSNY’s approach to keeping the dense streets of NYC clean in all seasons. Between the breezy view across the green roof in full bloom, to the view from the driver’s seat of a collection truck, we hope each visitor left with a new perspective on how great design can enliven workplaces and communities.”
A vital component to the Battery Park City community, the Battery Park City Parks Conservancy Maintenance Facility (BPCPCMF) reflects the vision of a service facility whose operations are as fully transparent to the community as their outdoor operations. An ideal case study in the Zero Waste Design Guidelines, BPCPCMF features a unique centralized compactor that can be used by other buildings in the surrounding area, therefore helping to reduce waste in Battery Park City. John Woelfling AIA, LEED AP, CPHT, Principal-in-Charge of the LEED Platimum building, was able to lead visitors through the facility while it was in operation.
From the 1970’s to current day, the Bronx has undergone much turmoil and change, becoming one of the fastest growing communities in the state of New York. The A’18 tour “Bronx Rising” invited visitors on an exploration of some of the borough’s most transformative projects, starting with our project, Via Verde – The Green Way, in the South Bronx. A model for future development locally, regionally, and beyond, Via Verde set a new standard for sustainable, urban housing. The winning entry in the International New Housing New York Legacy Competition, this new affordable residential development was designed by Dattner Architects and Grimshaw and developed by Phipps Houses and Jonathan Rose Companies. Dattner Architects' Principal William Stein FAIA noted how engaged and informed the tour groups were as attendees from across the country remarked on the powerful impact of the interconnection between the gardens and the buildings.
M125 Garage and Salt Shed wins AIA National Honor Architecture Award
Winner of the 2018 Institute Honor Awards for Architecture, the M125 Garage and Salt Shed was formally recognized at the Honors & Awards Reception on June 21st at the Whitney Museum of American Art. One of the most prestigious awards in the architecture industry, Honor Awards celebrate the highest level of design excellence. Dattner Architects’ Principal Paul Bauer AIA, LEED AP and WXY Founding Partner Claire Weisz FAIA were recognized at the ceremony.
Open Studio at Dattner Architects
To welcome this year’s AIA Conference attendees and industry colleagues, Dattner Architects opened our doors to give a behind-the-scenes look at how we approach civic architecture. From who we are to what we do to why we do it, the goal was to convey what makes our firm mission-driven.
Along our studio pin-up wall, we showcased a select group of works-in-progress, projects from schematic design to construction phases including 425 Grand Concourse, slated to be the largest Passive House building in NYC; Scarsdale Public Library, an expansion and modernization of an existing library building; and NYPD Precinct 116, designed as a civic connector. In addition, the conference rooms exhibited our competition entries and award submissions, like our proposal for an equitable transit network in the recent Urban Design Call for Ideas.
As part of this AIA Open Studio event, and in the spirit of collaboration, we asked visitors to share their thoughts with us. Dotted throughout the office we posed questions like “Who are the stakeholders?” and “What keeps you up at night?” Visitors participated by jotting down their thoughts and posting it on the wall. To highlight our firm culture, words representing the spirit of our firm were displayed across the studio spaces – advocate, enrich, and educate to name a few. As visitors parted, we shared custom stickers designed as part of a charrette-style in-house competition and encouraged them to commemorate their visit by taking a selfie in our photo booth.
Design Snapshots: Award-Winning Civic Projects
Dattner Architects’ Principal Paul Bauer AIA, LEED AP and WXY Founding Partner Claire Weisz FAIA spoke at the A’18 Design Snapshots: Award-Winning Civic Projects. During the panel, Paul and Claire shared their insights into how the M125 Garage and Salt Shed reflect a commitment to civic expression and sensitivity to urban context, discussing the challenges and solutions that created what is now an iconic source of neighborhood pride.
College of Fellows Investiture Ceremony
Earlier this year, the American Institute of Architects elevated 152 members to its prestigious College of Fellows, including recently retired Dattner Architects' Principal Joseph Coppola FAIA. The highest membership honor in the society, members are recognized for their significant contributions to the architecture profession.
The Class of 2018 were welcomed into the College of Fellows during an investiture ceremony held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Friday, June 22nd. Of the 152 new fellows, a record 28 are from the New York Chapter. Each person received the fellowship medal and were congratulated by family, colleagues, and friends as the procession moved along the main aisle and through the front doors of the cathedral.
Last week was an exciting week for design and a rewarding week for Dattner Architects! In celebration of the 2018 AIA Conference on Architecture (A’18) hosted in New York City, we were honored to take part in welcoming the design community to our “hometown.” From project tours and panel discussions to a behind-the-scenes look into our office, Dattner Architects shared our passion for civic architecture with locals and visitors alike.
Tours
As part of the conference’s nearly 100 architect-led tours throughout New York City, we were proud to provide tours through some of our high-profile and award-winning projects, including the new 34 Street – Hudson Yards Station, Manhattan Districts 1/2/5 Garage & Spring Street Salt Shed, Battery Park City Parks Conservancy Maintenance Facility, and Via Verde – The Green Way.
Team members from Dattner Architects, MTA Capital Construction (MTA CC), MTA Arts & Design, and Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates led four tour groups through the new Hudson Yards Station and surrounding Hudson Park. An integral part of the City’s redevelopment plan for the far west side of Manhattan, and the City’s first subway line extension in over 40 years, the mega project was completed on time and under budget – as noted by Vice President of MTA CC, Mark Schiffman PE, Esq. during the tour. A true testament to the project, similarities between the success of the project and the success of the tours were evident – as both were the result of a well-orchestrated collaboration among MTA CC and the design team.
Further downtown, overlooking the Hudson River, we were joined by NYC Department of Sanitation’s (DSNY) Assistant Chief Keith Mellis and toured visitors through the award-winning Manhattan Districts 1/2/5 Garage and Spring Street Salt Shed. These facilities are two of the City’s newest iconic structures; they have been embraced by their West Village community and become archi-tourist destinations. Visitors got a behind-the-scenes look into the vital functions of these important community infrastructure facilities, and heard from Dattner Architects and WXY team members on how applied design excellence can innovate, inspire, and exceed client expectations.
Project Manager for both projects, Dattner Architects’ Associate Principal Gia Mainiero AIA, LEED AP BD+C was thrilled with the outcome of the tours. “It was invigorating to discuss the design and sustainable features of the M125 Garage and Salt Shed with architects from across the country and share our enthusiasm for DSNY’s approach to keeping the dense streets of NYC clean in all seasons. Between the breezy view across the green roof in full bloom, to the view from the driver’s seat of a collection truck, we hope each visitor left with a new perspective on how great design can enliven workplaces and communities.”
A vital component to the Battery Park City community, the Battery Park City Parks Conservancy Maintenance Facility (BPCPCMF) reflects the vision of a service facility whose operations are as fully transparent to the community as their outdoor operations. An ideal case study in the Zero Waste Design Guidelines, BPCPCMF features a unique centralized compactor that can be used by other buildings in the surrounding area, therefore helping to reduce waste in Battery Park City. John Woelfling AIA, LEED AP, CPHT, Principal-in-Charge of the LEED Platimum building, was able to lead visitors through the facility while it was in operation.
From the 1970’s to current day, the Bronx has undergone much turmoil and change, becoming one of the fastest growing communities in the state of New York. The A’18 tour “Bronx Rising” invited visitors on an exploration of some of the borough’s most transformative projects, starting with our project, Via Verde – The Green Way, in the South Bronx. A model for future development locally, regionally, and beyond, Via Verde set a new standard for sustainable, urban housing. The winning entry in the International New Housing New York Legacy Competition, this new affordable residential development was designed by Dattner Architects and Grimshaw and developed by Phipps Houses and Jonathan Rose Companies. Dattner Architects' Principal William Stein FAIA noted how engaged and informed the tour groups were as attendees from across the country remarked on the powerful impact of the interconnection between the gardens and the buildings.
M125 Garage and Salt Shed wins AIA National Honor Architecture Award
Winner of the 2018 Institute Honor Awards for Architecture, the M125 Garage and Salt Shed was formally recognized at the Honors & Awards Reception on June 21st at the Whitney Museum of American Art. One of the most prestigious awards in the architecture industry, Honor Awards celebrate the highest level of design excellence. Dattner Architects’ Principal Paul Bauer AIA, LEED AP and WXY Founding Partner Claire Weisz FAIA were recognized at the ceremony.
Open Studio at Dattner Architects
To welcome this year’s AIA Conference attendees and industry colleagues, Dattner Architects opened our doors to give a behind-the-scenes look at how we approach civic architecture. From who we are to what we do to why we do it, the goal was to convey what makes our firm mission-driven.
Along our studio pin-up wall, we showcased a select group of works-in-progress, projects from schematic design to construction phases including 425 Grand Concourse, slated to be the largest Passive House building in NYC; Scarsdale Public Library, an expansion and modernization of an existing library building; and NYPD Precinct 116, designed as a civic connector. In addition, the conference rooms exhibited our competition entries and award submissions, like our proposal for an equitable transit network in the recent Urban Design Call for Ideas.
As part of this AIA Open Studio event, and in the spirit of collaboration, we asked visitors to share their thoughts with us. Dotted throughout the office we posed questions like “Who are the stakeholders?” and “What keeps you up at night?” Visitors participated by jotting down their thoughts and posting it on the wall. To highlight our firm culture, words representing the spirit of our firm were displayed across the studio spaces – advocate, enrich, and educate to name a few. As visitors parted, we shared custom stickers designed as part of a charrette-style in-house competition and encouraged them to commemorate their visit by taking a selfie in our photo booth.
Design Snapshots: Award-Winning Civic Projects
Dattner Architects’ Principal Paul Bauer AIA, LEED AP and WXY Founding Partner Claire Weisz FAIA spoke at the A’18 Design Snapshots: Award-Winning Civic Projects. During the panel, Paul and Claire shared their insights into how the M125 Garage and Salt Shed reflect a commitment to civic expression and sensitivity to urban context, discussing the challenges and solutions that created what is now an iconic source of neighborhood pride.
College of Fellows Investiture Ceremony
Earlier this year, the American Institute of Architects elevated 152 members to its prestigious College of Fellows, including recently retired Dattner Architects' Principal Joseph Coppola FAIA. The highest membership honor in the society, members are recognized for their significant contributions to the architecture profession.
The Class of 2018 were welcomed into the College of Fellows during an investiture ceremony held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Friday, June 22nd. Of the 152 new fellows, a record 28 are from the New York Chapter. Each person received the fellowship medal and were congratulated by family, colleagues, and friends as the procession moved along the main aisle and through the front doors of the cathedral.
The Center for Architecture is currently featuring Designing Waste: Strategies for a Zero Waste City, an exhibition based on the Zero Waste Design Guidelines. Open throughout the summer, this exhibition gives visitors an opportunity to discover how the city manages waste in buildings and neighborhoods, and how design can help reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfills.
Kicking off the Summer Exhibition, the June 16th Designing Waste Symposium examined how architects, designers, and building professionals can help New York City reduce waste, focusing on the segment of the waste stream: the period between when waste is discarded and when it rolls away on the back of a truck. Dattner Architects’ Principal, John Woelfling, joined the symposium to discuss the Battery Park City Parks Conservancy Maintenance Facility (BPCPCMF) and the strategic design of the building to reduce waste in Battery Park City.
Designed by Dattner Architects, the BPCPCMF presents an ideal Case Study in the Zero Waste Design Guidelines. The BPCPCMF vertically organizes Battery Park City Parks Conservancy’s extensive maintenance activities within the first four floors of a high-rise residential building, while also providing offices for a staff of over 100, classrooms for community workshops, truck and bicycle storage, composting areas, and high/low density storage. The facility features a unique Centralized Compactor that can be used by other buildings in the surrounding area. Instead of piling bags of refuse on the sidewalk for pickup, porters now deliver bags to a shared compactor each day. Not only has this strategy addressed neighborhood waste issues, but it also has been very popular with porters and an example that can be applied in other communities.
In concurrence with these zero waste initiatives, AIA NY and the Durst Organization have launched the Zero Waste Challenge. A call to action for all architecture firms to reduce their waste generation and increase recycling in their offices. Participation includes benchmarking waste generation, creating a new waste management plan, performing waste assessments, and reporting on final improvements in October.
The Center for Architecture is currently featuring Designing Waste: Strategies for a Zero Waste City, an exhibition based on the Zero Waste Design Guidelines. Open throughout the summer, this exhibition gives visitors an opportunity to discover how the city manages waste in buildings and neighborhoods, and how design can help reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfills.
Kicking off the Summer Exhibition, the June 16th Designing Waste Symposium examined how architects, designers, and building professionals can help New York City reduce waste, focusing on the segment of the waste stream: the period between when waste is discarded and when it rolls away on the back of a truck. Dattner Architects’ Principal, John Woelfling, joined the symposium to discuss the Battery Park City Parks Conservancy Maintenance Facility (BPCPCMF) and the strategic design of the building to reduce waste in Battery Park City.
Designed by Dattner Architects, the BPCPCMF presents an ideal Case Study in the Zero Waste Design Guidelines. The BPCPCMF vertically organizes Battery Park City Parks Conservancy’s extensive maintenance activities within the first four floors of a high-rise residential building, while also providing offices for a staff of over 100, classrooms for community workshops, truck and bicycle storage, composting areas, and high/low density storage. The facility features a unique Centralized Compactor that can be used by other buildings in the surrounding area. Instead of piling bags of refuse on the sidewalk for pickup, porters now deliver bags to a shared compactor each day. Not only has this strategy addressed neighborhood waste issues, but it also has been very popular with porters and an example that can be applied in other communities.
In concurrence with these zero waste initiatives, AIA NY and the Durst Organization have launched the Zero Waste Challenge. A call to action for all architecture firms to reduce their waste generation and increase recycling in their offices. Participation includes benchmarking waste generation, creating a new waste management plan, performing waste assessments, and reporting on final improvements in October.
With a new wave of development reshaping Downtown Brooklyn, Open House New York’s (OHNY) Downtown Brooklyn Tour will take people behind the scenes of more than a dozen buildings and sites, including Dattner Architects’ Hub and Caesura!
Currently the tallest building in Brooklyn, Hub is a new 55-story skyscraper at the nexus of Boerum Hill, Fort Greene, Park Slope, and Downtown Brooklyn. The building comprises a soaring residential tower with 750 apartments, 150 of which are affordable units. Conceived as an extension of your home, Hub’s 40,000 square feet of amenities foster a social lifestyle where residents can relax, eat, work, socialize, and play.
Woven into the vibrant Downtown Brooklyn Cultural District, Caesura is a 12-story mixed-use building, whose design responds in scale and materiality to the historic Brooklyn Academy of Music Opera House across the street, while playing off the much taller, glassier high-rise buildings on surrounding sites. Anchoring a key corner of Lafayette Avenue and Ashland Place – just across from the BAM Opera House – Caesura provides a mix of 123 affordable and market-rate apartments and will be home to the Center for Fiction and rehearsal studios for the Mark Morris Dance Center.
To kick off the day, visitors are invited to join a panel discussion, Making Place: Downtown Brooklyn, at 10:30 AM describing the past and future of the neighborhood. Following the panel, architects, designers, and developers will offer tours of the area’s newest buildings as well as longtime institutions that have helped to shape this important neighborhood. The day will end with a closing reception and happy hour at BKLYN STUDIOS at City Point, from 4:00PM-6PM
10:30AM Discussion will feature the following panelists:
Zev Greenfield, Executive Director, ISSUE Project Room
Regina Myer, President, Downtown Brooklyn Partnership
Timothy Quinlan, Principal, Quinlan Development
Gustavo Rodriguez, Design Director, FXCollaborative
Paul Travis, Founder and Managing Partner, Washington Square Partners
12:00PM-4PM, Participating Sites & Tours:
300 Ashland
The Ashland
Bade Stageberg Cox Architecture
Bernheimer Architecture
BRIC
Brooklyn Academy of Music
Brooklyn Point Sales + Design Gallery
Brooklyn Strand Action Plan
Caesura
City Point/7 Dekalb
Dime Savings Bank of Brooklyn/9 DeKalb
Hub
ISSUE Project Room
New York Transit Museum
Polonsky Shakespeare Center
The Schermerhorn
State Street Townhouses
Think! Architecture
UrbanGlass
W Architecture and Landscape Architecture
With a new wave of development reshaping Downtown Brooklyn, Open House New York’s (OHNY) Downtown Brooklyn Tour will take people behind the scenes of more than a dozen buildings and sites, including Dattner Architects’ Hub and Caesura!
Currently the tallest building in Brooklyn, Hub is a new 55-story skyscraper at the nexus of Boerum Hill, Fort Greene, Park Slope, and Downtown Brooklyn. The building comprises a soaring residential tower with 750 apartments, 150 of which are affordable units. Conceived as an extension of your home, Hub’s 40,000 square feet of amenities foster a social lifestyle where residents can relax, eat, work, socialize, and play.
Woven into the vibrant Downtown Brooklyn Cultural District, Caesura is a 12-story mixed-use building, whose design responds in scale and materiality to the historic Brooklyn Academy of Music Opera House across the street, while playing off the much taller, glassier high-rise buildings on surrounding sites. Anchoring a key corner of Lafayette Avenue and Ashland Place – just across from the BAM Opera House – Caesura provides a mix of 123 affordable and market-rate apartments and will be home to the Center for Fiction and rehearsal studios for the Mark Morris Dance Center.
To kick off the day, visitors are invited to join a panel discussion, Making Place: Downtown Brooklyn, at 10:30 AM describing the past and future of the neighborhood. Following the panel, architects, designers, and developers will offer tours of the area’s newest buildings as well as longtime institutions that have helped to shape this important neighborhood. The day will end with a closing reception and happy hour at BKLYN STUDIOS at City Point, from 4:00PM-6PM
10:30AM Discussion will feature the following panelists:
Zev Greenfield, Executive Director, ISSUE Project Room
Regina Myer, President, Downtown Brooklyn Partnership
Timothy Quinlan, Principal, Quinlan Development
Gustavo Rodriguez, Design Director, FXCollaborative
Paul Travis, Founder and Managing Partner, Washington Square Partners
12:00PM-4PM, Participating Sites & Tours:
300 Ashland
The Ashland
Bade Stageberg Cox Architecture
Bernheimer Architecture
BRIC
Brooklyn Academy of Music
Brooklyn Point Sales + Design Gallery
Brooklyn Strand Action Plan
Caesura
City Point/7 Dekalb
Dime Savings Bank of Brooklyn/9 DeKalb
Hub
ISSUE Project Room
New York Transit Museum
Polonsky Shakespeare Center
The Schermerhorn
State Street Townhouses
Think! Architecture
UrbanGlass
W Architecture and Landscape Architecture
The architecture and design event of 2018 is happening right here in New York City! On June 21-23, the AIA Conference on Architecture (A’18) will be hosted at the Javits Center in Midtown Manhattan. Featuring over 350 sessions and 100 tours, A’18 will bring our nation’s most creative architects, designers, and firms together to share how they are making a difference in their communities.
From offering tours of our high-profile award-wining projects and speaking at the world-renowned Javits Center, to hosting a behind-the-scenes look into our office during our Open Studio, Dattner Architects is taking an active role in welcoming the design community to our City.
Join Us!
Tours
On June 20th, take a tour through some of our projects, including Manhattan 1/2/5 Garage and Salt Shed, Number 7 Line Extension at 34st Hudson Yards, Via Verde – The Green Way, and BPCPC Maintenance Facility.
Open Studio
Conveniently located just a few blocks away from the Javits Center, we will be hosting an Open Studio on June 22nd. Everyone is invited! Join your peers, bring a friend, and come by our office for an exciting and interactive afternoon of learning and camaraderie!
Panel Presentation
Join our Principal Paul Bauer AIA, LEED AP as he speaks during the Design Snapshots: Award-Winning Civic Projects panel on June 23rd, providing insight into how the Manhattan 1/2/5 Garage and Salt Shed – iconic sources of neighborhood pride – reflect a commitment to civic expression and sensitivity to urban context.
The architecture and design event of 2018 is happening right here in New York City! On June 21-23, the AIA Conference on Architecture (A’18) will be hosted at the Javits Center in Midtown Manhattan. Featuring over 350 sessions and 100 tours, A’18 will bring our nation’s most creative architects, designers, and firms together to share how they are making a difference in their communities.
From offering tours of our high-profile award-wining projects and speaking at the world-renowned Javits Center, to hosting a behind-the-scenes look into our office during our Open Studio, Dattner Architects is taking an active role in welcoming the design community to our City.
Join Us!
Tours
On June 20th, take a tour through some of our projects, including Manhattan 1/2/5 Garage and Salt Shed, Number 7 Line Extension at 34st Hudson Yards, Via Verde – The Green Way, and BPCPC Maintenance Facility.
Open Studio
Conveniently located just a few blocks away from the Javits Center, we will be hosting an Open Studio on June 22nd. Everyone is invited! Join your peers, bring a friend, and come by our office for an exciting and interactive afternoon of learning and camaraderie!
Panel Presentation
Join our Principal Paul Bauer AIA, LEED AP as he speaks during the Design Snapshots: Award-Winning Civic Projects panel on June 23rd, providing insight into how the Manhattan 1/2/5 Garage and Salt Shed – iconic sources of neighborhood pride – reflect a commitment to civic expression and sensitivity to urban context.
With one in five children in New York City facing hunger, Dattner Architects joined City Harvest’s "Skip Lunch, Fight Hunger" – a citywide campaign to help feed hungry children and their families in New York City.
To fundraise, we planned two special events: a Corn Hole Tournament with raffle prizes, and a Bake Sale. Raffle prizes and baked goods were generously donated by our talented employees and their friends and families.
Between online donations and the money donated through the Corn Hole Tournament, raffle tickets, and Bake Sale, we raised $1,521.50. With the Dattner Architects firm match of $500, plus an additional $500 match from the Cowin Foundation for being one of the first firms to raise $500, our total donation to City Harvest came to $2,521.50!
Every dollar donated helps City Harvest rescue good food that would otherwise go to waste and deliver it to soup kitchens, food pantries, and other community food programs that families in our city turn to for help. One $15 lunch can feed 60 children.
City Harvest has always been here to help feed New Yorkers in need, and now their work is more important than ever. Thank you to our staff, friends, family, and industry colleagues for participating in both of our events and helping us make sure no children in our city go hungry.
With one in five children in New York City facing hunger, Dattner Architects joined City Harvest’s "Skip Lunch, Fight Hunger" – a citywide campaign to help feed hungry children and their families in New York City.
To fundraise, we planned two special events: a Corn Hole Tournament with raffle prizes, and a Bake Sale. Raffle prizes and baked goods were generously donated by our talented employees and their friends and families.
Between online donations and the money donated through the Corn Hole Tournament, raffle tickets, and Bake Sale, we raised $1,521.50. With the Dattner Architects firm match of $500, plus an additional $500 match from the Cowin Foundation for being one of the first firms to raise $500, our total donation to City Harvest came to $2,521.50!
Every dollar donated helps City Harvest rescue good food that would otherwise go to waste and deliver it to soup kitchens, food pantries, and other community food programs that families in our city turn to for help. One $15 lunch can feed 60 children.
City Harvest has always been here to help feed New Yorkers in need, and now their work is more important than ever. Thank you to our staff, friends, family, and industry colleagues for participating in both of our events and helping us make sure no children in our city go hungry.
Over the past week, we have introduced the importance of infrastructure as a vital support system for all urban environments; how resilient design is to ensuring a lasting future for these systems; network-thinking to strengthen connectivity; and how a modern metropolis cannot live and sustainably grow without safe and fast transit infrastructure networks. Each of these points are imperative to the development of urban infrastructure, however, without access to these systems for all people, the point is moot. Access for All – People need transportation to live their daily lives – to get to work, school, recreation, and to access vital medical services. How do we physically approach and move through our built environment?
At the broadest level, accessible design is concerned with designing for diversity and equity. It’s about improving our access, not limiting it. There are accessibility laws which establish requirements and a baseline level of protection for people with disabilities*, but beyond this, an expanded approach examines an environment that can be much more, when we focus our attention on improving function for a large range of people. Accessible design allows a higher quality of life for all people.
How do we accomplish this? Create equitable paths. Make circulation which is simple and intuitive. Ensuring perceptible information. Allow sufficient size and space for Approach and Use.
Within our existing infrastructure and public transportation systems, this can be particularly challenging. There are the physical issues of dealing with environments built before accessibility was of concern; barriers, space availability, and reliability.
Critical, heavily-trafficked stations, built over a century ago, are often still in heavy use today. Such was the case at 59th Street-Columbus Circle station. By threading-the-needle of elevator shafts between these layers of history, infrastructure, and utilities, we can create these accessible paths, both vertically and horizontally, developing important station nodes, providing a sense of place, and facilitating wayfinding for all passengers.
At the new Hudson Yards - 34 Street Station, the path of the Inclined Elevator (the transit system’s first glass-enclosed inclined elevator) runs aligned with the main path of circulation, adjacent to available escalators promoting visual connection and safety and creating an equitable path in travel distance as well as landing at similar levels of the station.
As this 6th annual National Infrastructure Week comes to a close, we’ll continue to apply these principals of Resilience, Connectivity, Constructability, and Accessibility into our existing built environment, future infrastructure, and beyond.
*Accessibility laws, such as the Architectural Barriers Act (1968), Section 504 of The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Fair Housing Act Amendments (1988), and the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990).
Over the past week, we have introduced the importance of infrastructure as a vital support system for all urban environments; how resilient design is to ensuring a lasting future for these systems; network-thinking to strengthen connectivity; and how a modern metropolis cannot live and sustainably grow without safe and fast transit infrastructure networks. Each of these points are imperative to the development of urban infrastructure, however, without access to these systems for all people, the point is moot. Access for All – People need transportation to live their daily lives – to get to work, school, recreation, and to access vital medical services. How do we physically approach and move through our built environment?
At the broadest level, accessible design is concerned with designing for diversity and equity. It’s about improving our access, not limiting it. There are accessibility laws which establish requirements and a baseline level of protection for people with disabilities*, but beyond this, an expanded approach examines an environment that can be much more, when we focus our attention on improving function for a large range of people. Accessible design allows a higher quality of life for all people.
How do we accomplish this? Create equitable paths. Make circulation which is simple and intuitive. Ensuring perceptible information. Allow sufficient size and space for Approach and Use.
Within our existing infrastructure and public transportation systems, this can be particularly challenging. There are the physical issues of dealing with environments built before accessibility was of concern; barriers, space availability, and reliability.
Critical, heavily-trafficked stations, built over a century ago, are often still in heavy use today. Such was the case at 59th Street-Columbus Circle station. By threading-the-needle of elevator shafts between these layers of history, infrastructure, and utilities, we can create these accessible paths, both vertically and horizontally, developing important station nodes, providing a sense of place, and facilitating wayfinding for all passengers.
At the new Hudson Yards - 34 Street Station, the path of the Inclined Elevator (the transit system’s first glass-enclosed inclined elevator) runs aligned with the main path of circulation, adjacent to available escalators promoting visual connection and safety and creating an equitable path in travel distance as well as landing at similar levels of the station.
As this 6th annual National Infrastructure Week comes to a close, we’ll continue to apply these principals of Resilience, Connectivity, Constructability, and Accessibility into our existing built environment, future infrastructure, and beyond.
*Accessibility laws, such as the Architectural Barriers Act (1968), Section 504 of The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Fair Housing Act Amendments (1988), and the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990).
Thursday, May 17th, Dattner Architects joined Stanley Commons LLC, Kretchmer Companies, ELH Management, Galaxy General Contracting, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Assembly Member Charles Barron, Council Member Inez Barron, and partnering community leaders for the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at the Stanley Commons Development and Community Center, aka Prince Joshua Avitto Community Center.
Operated by the non-profit organization, Good Shepherd Services, and Man Up!, a community-based social services organization, the two-story, 20,750 square foot Prince Joshua Avitto Community Center is named in honor of a six-year-old local boy who was killed in 2014. This new state-of-the-art community center will serve over 1,000 East New York youth and families annually and offers after-school and summer day programs, a mentoring program, and college access programming as well as a college-sized gymnasium, multipurpose rooms, a full kitchen, computer lab, sound booth, game room, and offices.
A central, open staircase connects the center’s lobby and multipurpose game room on the ground floor with the main classrooms on the second floor. The wide public corridor at the second floor is configured to wrap the double-height gymnasium and incorporates glazing that looks onto the gymnasium below. Windows are provided at various heights and widths to invite a sense of play and provides areas for different sized groups to informally gather and engage. This visual connectivity between the participants echoes the primary design elements of the residential buildings – with the expressed and open staircases enabling connections both within and without.
Prince Joshua Avitto Community Center will also offer services to families transitioning from homelessness to permanent housing, and will house Single Stop – a non-profit organization providing resources, including legal assistance and counseling, to families and recent immigrants.
Stanley Commons is the result of a partnership between the NYC Housing Authority, NYC Department of Housing Preservation, and a private development team. This development offers affordable rental opportunities and helps knit together the urban context of this growing East New York neighborhood. Providing 240 affordable apartments across seven low- and mid-rise buildings, the development’s green spaces, intimate private streets, and expressed vertical circulation elements create a safe and welcoming atmosphere for residents, including formerly homeless veterans who now have a place to call home.
During this ribbon cutting ceremony, Mayor Bill de Blasio reflected on the opening of the new facility and its meaning to the community.
"Here is a great example of a lot of people stepping up to honor this family, to honor this community, to do something that would make a change, to do something for the hundreds and thousands of young children today and in the future, for the Prince Joshua’s we will get to know, the young people who will be here and will be our future who will experience this. This will be the environment they learn and grow in, that they will enjoy, they will feel empowered by." – Mayor Bill de Blasio
We are proud to design spaces that help create a safe space for youth, families, and communities to engage and live independently.
Thursday, May 17th, Dattner Architects joined Stanley Commons LLC, Kretchmer Companies, ELH Management, Galaxy General Contracting, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Assembly Member Charles Barron, Council Member Inez Barron, and partnering community leaders for the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at the Stanley Commons Development and Community Center, aka Prince Joshua Avitto Community Center.
Operated by the non-profit organization, Good Shepherd Services, and Man Up!, a community-based social services organization, the two-story, 20,750 square foot Prince Joshua Avitto Community Center is named in honor of a six-year-old local boy who was killed in 2014. This new state-of-the-art community center will serve over 1,000 East New York youth and families annually and offers after-school and summer day programs, a mentoring program, and college access programming as well as a college-sized gymnasium, multipurpose rooms, a full kitchen, computer lab, sound booth, game room, and offices.
A central, open staircase connects the center’s lobby and multipurpose game room on the ground floor with the main classrooms on the second floor. The wide public corridor at the second floor is configured to wrap the double-height gymnasium and incorporates glazing that looks onto the gymnasium below. Windows are provided at various heights and widths to invite a sense of play and provides areas for different sized groups to informally gather and engage. This visual connectivity between the participants echoes the primary design elements of the residential buildings – with the expressed and open staircases enabling connections both within and without.
Prince Joshua Avitto Community Center will also offer services to families transitioning from homelessness to permanent housing, and will house Single Stop – a non-profit organization providing resources, including legal assistance and counseling, to families and recent immigrants.
Stanley Commons is the result of a partnership between the NYC Housing Authority, NYC Department of Housing Preservation, and a private development team. This development offers affordable rental opportunities and helps knit together the urban context of this growing East New York neighborhood. Providing 240 affordable apartments across seven low- and mid-rise buildings, the development’s green spaces, intimate private streets, and expressed vertical circulation elements create a safe and welcoming atmosphere for residents, including formerly homeless veterans who now have a place to call home.
During this ribbon cutting ceremony, Mayor Bill de Blasio reflected on the opening of the new facility and its meaning to the community.
"Here is a great example of a lot of people stepping up to honor this family, to honor this community, to do something that would make a change, to do something for the hundreds and thousands of young children today and in the future, for the Prince Joshua’s we will get to know, the young people who will be here and will be our future who will experience this. This will be the environment they learn and grow in, that they will enjoy, they will feel empowered by." – Mayor Bill de Blasio
We are proud to design spaces that help create a safe space for youth, families, and communities to engage and live independently.
Today, a modern metropolis cannot live and sustainably grow without safe and fast transit infrastructure networks. In fact, no modern-day city could have evolved into what it is today without the most efficient transportation mode to move people: trains.
The Number 7 Subway Line Extension to the Far West Side of Manhattan is a great example of how adding a train connection can "disrupt" and transform a once underutilized and detached neighborhood, turning it into the fastest growing part of the City, spurring the development of new commercial and residential construction. The redevelopment of the Hudson Yards District – until recently the last under-developed, large-scale part of Manhattan suitable for high rise urban redevelopment – would not be possible without connecting to New York City’s subway system.
Large-scale transportation and infrastructure projects transform civic space and urban environments and require creativity, sensitivity, and collaboration. As the lead architect on the WSP team, Dattner Architects designed 34th St Hudson Yards Station and five Systems Buildings along the subway extension. As the first new subway station built in New York City in over 50 years, our design team reflected at length on the question: How should a modern subway station and its supporting buildings be planned, designed, and implemented to integrate successfully into the City of today? And what we discovered was how to define constructability for these vital projects...
Safety. The 34th Street Hudson Yards Station is approximately 125-foot of depth – one of the deepest in the NYCT’s subway system – 34th Street Hudson Yards Station addresses strict passenger safety and comfort requirements. In order to meet the NFPA-130 requirements regarding smoke control and two-minute station evacuation time, the Station is supported by two Systems Buildings located at each end of the Station, each housing four, three-story high fans. These 400hp fans are part of the large push-and-pull ventilation system which – in case of fire – will push fresh air into the Station through the shafts of the Systems Building located near one end of the Station and remove the smoke (pull) through the shafts of the Systems Building located at the other end of the Station.
Sensitivity and Future Planning. Due to the size of the fans and other mechanical and electrical equipment required to run the subway trains, the Station, Station Entrance, and the supporting Systems Buildings are relatively large structures that take a lot of space. As the land in Manhattan is expensive and limited, the Station was designed to allow for integration and overbuild. While the Station and vast majority of the connecting tunnels are located deep underground, the Station Entrance is integrated with the Hudson Yards Boulevard Park and the Systems Buildings will be fully overbuilt and integrated into the Developer’s Towers and eventually disappear from the City’s streetscape.
Collaboration. This complex planning and design approach required a commitment to coordination among architects and engineers and with MTA Capital Construction, New York City Transit, various State and City’s agencies, the Developers, and Contractors. The Site J Systems Building located at North side of 33rd Street, which for a short period of time was a free-standing building, has already became an integral part of the 55 Hudson Yards Tower form. The building was designed to receive structural load of the future 55 Hudson Yards Tower. The tunnels that house escalators and Inclined Elevators and connect the 34th Street Hudson Yards Station Upper Mezzanine with the Lower Mezzanine were appropriately spaced to allow for the Tower’s caissons foundation. The building was set back from the property line just enough to allow for future recladding of the façade that is successfully happening right now.
Grounded by Safety, Sensitivity and Future Planning, and Collaboration, objectives vital to the project's constructability, this new station is one to be proud of and an important beginning for one of Manhattan's newest neighborhoods... "This beautiful new station is just the beginning of the enhanced service the hundreds of thousands of customers on the 7 Line will see in the future,” James L. Ferrara, Interim President of MTA NYCT.
Today, a modern metropolis cannot live and sustainably grow without safe and fast transit infrastructure networks. In fact, no modern-day city could have evolved into what it is today without the most efficient transportation mode to move people: trains.
The Number 7 Subway Line Extension to the Far West Side of Manhattan is a great example of how adding a train connection can "disrupt" and transform a once underutilized and detached neighborhood, turning it into the fastest growing part of the City, spurring the development of new commercial and residential construction. The redevelopment of the Hudson Yards District – until recently the last under-developed, large-scale part of Manhattan suitable for high rise urban redevelopment – would not be possible without connecting to New York City’s subway system.
Large-scale transportation and infrastructure projects transform civic space and urban environments and require creativity, sensitivity, and collaboration. As the lead architect on the WSP team, Dattner Architects designed 34th St Hudson Yards Station and five Systems Buildings along the subway extension. As the first new subway station built in New York City in over 50 years, our design team reflected at length on the question: How should a modern subway station and its supporting buildings be planned, designed, and implemented to integrate successfully into the City of today? And what we discovered was how to define constructability for these vital projects...
Safety. The 34th Street Hudson Yards Station is approximately 125-foot of depth – one of the deepest in the NYCT’s subway system – 34th Street Hudson Yards Station addresses strict passenger safety and comfort requirements. In order to meet the NFPA-130 requirements regarding smoke control and two-minute station evacuation time, the Station is supported by two Systems Buildings located at each end of the Station, each housing four, three-story high fans. These 400hp fans are part of the large push-and-pull ventilation system which – in case of fire – will push fresh air into the Station through the shafts of the Systems Building located near one end of the Station and remove the smoke (pull) through the shafts of the Systems Building located at the other end of the Station.
Sensitivity and Future Planning. Due to the size of the fans and other mechanical and electrical equipment required to run the subway trains, the Station, Station Entrance, and the supporting Systems Buildings are relatively large structures that take a lot of space. As the land in Manhattan is expensive and limited, the Station was designed to allow for integration and overbuild. While the Station and vast majority of the connecting tunnels are located deep underground, the Station Entrance is integrated with the Hudson Yards Boulevard Park and the Systems Buildings will be fully overbuilt and integrated into the Developer’s Towers and eventually disappear from the City’s streetscape.
Collaboration. This complex planning and design approach required a commitment to coordination among architects and engineers and with MTA Capital Construction, New York City Transit, various State and City’s agencies, the Developers, and Contractors. The Site J Systems Building located at North side of 33rd Street, which for a short period of time was a free-standing building, has already became an integral part of the 55 Hudson Yards Tower form. The building was designed to receive structural load of the future 55 Hudson Yards Tower. The tunnels that house escalators and Inclined Elevators and connect the 34th Street Hudson Yards Station Upper Mezzanine with the Lower Mezzanine were appropriately spaced to allow for the Tower’s caissons foundation. The building was set back from the property line just enough to allow for future recladding of the façade that is successfully happening right now.
Grounded by Safety, Sensitivity and Future Planning, and Collaboration, objectives vital to the project's constructability, this new station is one to be proud of and an important beginning for one of Manhattan's newest neighborhoods... "This beautiful new station is just the beginning of the enhanced service the hundreds of thousands of customers on the 7 Line will see in the future,” James L. Ferrara, Interim President of MTA NYCT.
Architects are famously known for resolving spaces according to geometric or aesthetic principals. To this end, we’ve honed our abilities with certain design tools, computer software, and thought processes that lend themselves to this compartmentalized way of thinking about the built environment. However, when it comes to the urban environment, there is tremendous power in thinking about its structure and organization as a system of interconnected and interdependent networks. Network-thinking emphasizes the importance of the relationships between multiple sites and gives consideration to the fact that small shifts in balance or orientation of a single component can have enormous effects throughout the rest of the system. This way of thinking reveals the importance of the connections themselves – the infrastructure – between the various components.
Connectivity is a central concept for our recent winning entry for the Master Plan Design Competition for LaGuardia Airport. Our entry, titled Port LaGuardia reconceives the airport as a fully integrated transportation center that acts as a flow-through portal, rather than the terminus of a journey. Through a number of strategic moves, we proposed a seamless, multi-modal connection to the LaGuardia airport, employing existing and new modes of transportation – with a focus on the traveler’s experience. Approaching the challenge through the lens of connectivity, PORT LAGUARDIA channels the flow of people, goods, and services through the most congested airspace in the nation to a regional multi-modal ground transportation network. The airport terminal becomes a component of a complex multi-modal network that includes a new multilevel circulation spine. The result is an efficient, world-class system, and a welcoming gateway to the city and region.
When we design infrastructure spaces and facilities, we think about them in terms of how they fit into the physical framework, as well as how they contribute to the experiential framework of the city. For example, our approach to designing transportation facilities, like the Hudson Yards – 34 Street Station, carefully considers both the required passenger and vehicular flow as well as the human interactions and the passengers’ experience. The station entrances are integrated into a new 3-block-long park and are graced with brilliant public art. Inside the station, the passenger is intuitively guided through the sequence of spaces and experiences to provide the connection from Street Level to the Platform 120 feet below. The brightly-lit column-free station platform and mezzanine, as well as the awe-inspiring 80-foot-high escalator and inclined elevator tunnels contribute to the quality of the passenger’s experience – as evidenced by the public’s overwhelming response upon the station opening! In terms of connectivity, the station’s impact reaches far beyond its entrances in the park – it has spurred the incredible redevelopment of the Far West Side of Manhattan. Similarly, in designing the Manhattan Districts 1/2/5 Garage and Salt Shed – a “Not In My Back Yard” building type – we thought about how to marry the facility with the neighborhood – the result is a sculptural landmark, much-loved by the community. The facility also has a complex program as a critical component of the city’s sanitation and snow removal network. We used the architecture to turn a NIMBY into a YIMBY!
As our cities continue to expand and grow, both in size and complexity, our approach to designing the buildings that make-up the urban framework – the infrastructure – will need to evolve. In many cases, these are structures and uses that communities think of as undesirable. The challenge to Architects and Urban Designers is to design – not just for the client’s and the public’s acceptance – but rather for the possibility of strengthening people’s connection to the building, to the city, to the Earth, and to each other.
Architects are famously known for resolving spaces according to geometric or aesthetic principals. To this end, we’ve honed our abilities with certain design tools, computer software, and thought processes that lend themselves to this compartmentalized way of thinking about the built environment. However, when it comes to the urban environment, there is tremendous power in thinking about its structure and organization as a system of interconnected and interdependent networks. Network-thinking emphasizes the importance of the relationships between multiple sites and gives consideration to the fact that small shifts in balance or orientation of a single component can have enormous effects throughout the rest of the system. This way of thinking reveals the importance of the connections themselves – the infrastructure – between the various components.
Connectivity is a central concept for our recent winning entry for the Master Plan Design Competition for LaGuardia Airport. Our entry, titled Port LaGuardia reconceives the airport as a fully integrated transportation center that acts as a flow-through portal, rather than the terminus of a journey. Through a number of strategic moves, we proposed a seamless, multi-modal connection to the LaGuardia airport, employing existing and new modes of transportation – with a focus on the traveler’s experience. Approaching the challenge through the lens of connectivity, PORT LAGUARDIA channels the flow of people, goods, and services through the most congested airspace in the nation to a regional multi-modal ground transportation network. The airport terminal becomes a component of a complex multi-modal network that includes a new multilevel circulation spine. The result is an efficient, world-class system, and a welcoming gateway to the city and region.
When we design infrastructure spaces and facilities, we think about them in terms of how they fit into the physical framework, as well as how they contribute to the experiential framework of the city. For example, our approach to designing transportation facilities, like the Hudson Yards – 34 Street Station, carefully considers both the required passenger and vehicular flow as well as the human interactions and the passengers’ experience. The station entrances are integrated into a new 3-block-long park and are graced with brilliant public art. Inside the station, the passenger is intuitively guided through the sequence of spaces and experiences to provide the connection from Street Level to the Platform 120 feet below. The brightly-lit column-free station platform and mezzanine, as well as the awe-inspiring 80-foot-high escalator and inclined elevator tunnels contribute to the quality of the passenger’s experience – as evidenced by the public’s overwhelming response upon the station opening! In terms of connectivity, the station’s impact reaches far beyond its entrances in the park – it has spurred the incredible redevelopment of the Far West Side of Manhattan. Similarly, in designing the Manhattan Districts 1/2/5 Garage and Salt Shed – a “Not In My Back Yard” building type – we thought about how to marry the facility with the neighborhood – the result is a sculptural landmark, much-loved by the community. The facility also has a complex program as a critical component of the city’s sanitation and snow removal network. We used the architecture to turn a NIMBY into a YIMBY!
As our cities continue to expand and grow, both in size and complexity, our approach to designing the buildings that make-up the urban framework – the infrastructure – will need to evolve. In many cases, these are structures and uses that communities think of as undesirable. The challenge to Architects and Urban Designers is to design – not just for the client’s and the public’s acceptance – but rather for the possibility of strengthening people’s connection to the building, to the city, to the Earth, and to each other.
Thank you to everyone who came out to join us last night for an exciting evening of Passive House discussion and sustainable building trivia as part of the NYC Ice Box Challenge!
Moderated by the Passive House experts from Steven Winter Associates, attendees tested their knowledge of the Passive House history and standards to win prizes. Following trivia, Dattner Architects' John Woelfling joined Christopher Hamm from Steven Winter Associates, and Mark Ginsberg from Curtis + Ginsberg Architects LLP, to present on the state of Passive House as it relates to multifamily buildings in New York City.
Overview
While the Passive House standard is based on simple concepts, achieving certification for large multifamily buildings in New York City is no easy task. Dattner Architects’ Principal John Woelfling and Mark Ginsberg of Curtis + Ginsberg Architects–each with experience working on more than a dozen Passive House projects at many scales throughout the City–presented their own unique challenges and lessons learned, along with an introduction to the Passive House standard in NYC by Steven Winter Associates.
About the Speakers
John Woelfling AIA, LEED AP, CPHT, Principal, Dattner Architects
John’s work is driven by the belief that architecture should be sensitive to the environment. His involvement in woodworking, carpentry, and construction have instilled in him a passion for the hands-on aspect of the architectural process, as well as a sense for practicality and an understanding of materiality. Whether directing a design team, spearheading AIA 2030 Commitment efforts, leading the firm’s Sustainable Practice Group, or incorporating Passive House design into the firm’s projects, his focus on sustainable design practices is guided by proactive education of evolving green technologies and incorporating them into his design work.
Mark Ginsberg FAIA, LEED AP, Principal, Curtis + Ginsberg Architects
Mark Ginsberg, a native New Yorker, is a partner of Curtis + Ginsberg Architects LLP with over 33 years of professional experience in planning, urban design, institutional and housing projects. His expertise in affordable and mixed income housing, resiliency and green design has been recognized through his many lectures at national and local conferences and meetings. Mark has led C+GA’s efforts on developments that comprise well over 10,000 units of housing, most of which are affordable and sustainable.
About the Ice Box Challenge
The Ice Box Challenge was created in Brussels and brought to New York City to celebrate the environmental leadership in both cities, and to commemorate Brussels Days - an annual series of activities to promote the Brussels-Capital Region. It is made possible by the Brussels-Capital Region and Brussels Invest & Export / hub.brussels, organized with NYC Mayor's Office of Sustainability and the Building Energy Exchange, and partnered with New York Passive House among many other local organizations.
This year in New York City, the Ice Box Challenge is a contest and an experiment to demonstrate how a home can be super energy efficient AND comfortable. The Ice Boxes are left outside in the sun for a month. When they are opened, the amount of ice left in each box will be measured. How much ice is left shows how well each Ice Box keeps out the summer heat. Better building design can help us reduce our carbon pollution without changing our behavior. Energy-efficient homes are comfortable, quiet, and healthy.
Thank you to everyone who came out to join us last night for an exciting evening of Passive House discussion and sustainable building trivia as part of the NYC Ice Box Challenge!
Moderated by the Passive House experts from Steven Winter Associates, attendees tested their knowledge of the Passive House history and standards to win prizes. Following trivia, Dattner Architects' John Woelfling joined Christopher Hamm from Steven Winter Associates, and Mark Ginsberg from Curtis + Ginsberg Architects LLP, to present on the state of Passive House as it relates to multifamily buildings in New York City.
Overview
While the Passive House standard is based on simple concepts, achieving certification for large multifamily buildings in New York City is no easy task. Dattner Architects’ Principal John Woelfling and Mark Ginsberg of Curtis + Ginsberg Architects–each with experience working on more than a dozen Passive House projects at many scales throughout the City–presented their own unique challenges and lessons learned, along with an introduction to the Passive House standard in NYC by Steven Winter Associates.
About the Speakers
John Woelfling AIA, LEED AP, CPHT, Principal, Dattner Architects
John’s work is driven by the belief that architecture should be sensitive to the environment. His involvement in woodworking, carpentry, and construction have instilled in him a passion for the hands-on aspect of the architectural process, as well as a sense for practicality and an understanding of materiality. Whether directing a design team, spearheading AIA 2030 Commitment efforts, leading the firm’s Sustainable Practice Group, or incorporating Passive House design into the firm’s projects, his focus on sustainable design practices is guided by proactive education of evolving green technologies and incorporating them into his design work.
Mark Ginsberg FAIA, LEED AP, Principal, Curtis + Ginsberg Architects
Mark Ginsberg, a native New Yorker, is a partner of Curtis + Ginsberg Architects LLP with over 33 years of professional experience in planning, urban design, institutional and housing projects. His expertise in affordable and mixed income housing, resiliency and green design has been recognized through his many lectures at national and local conferences and meetings. Mark has led C+GA’s efforts on developments that comprise well over 10,000 units of housing, most of which are affordable and sustainable.
About the Ice Box Challenge
The Ice Box Challenge was created in Brussels and brought to New York City to celebrate the environmental leadership in both cities, and to commemorate Brussels Days - an annual series of activities to promote the Brussels-Capital Region. It is made possible by the Brussels-Capital Region and Brussels Invest & Export / hub.brussels, organized with NYC Mayor's Office of Sustainability and the Building Energy Exchange, and partnered with New York Passive House among many other local organizations.
This year in New York City, the Ice Box Challenge is a contest and an experiment to demonstrate how a home can be super energy efficient AND comfortable. The Ice Boxes are left outside in the sun for a month. When they are opened, the amount of ice left in each box will be measured. How much ice is left shows how well each Ice Box keeps out the summer heat. Better building design can help us reduce our carbon pollution without changing our behavior. Energy-efficient homes are comfortable, quiet, and healthy.
As we continue to see mounting indications of climate change, New York City, like other densifying cities, will need to further expand on its responses and fortify its resilience through the built environment. The region’s current weaknesses become especially apparent in public infrastructural applications that tend to be more exposed to the elements, providing service to large quantities of residents and businesses. This applies most discernably to transit, however, the term infrastructure also refers to other urban necessities with seemingly less public interface, such as those structures that provide power to homes, businesses, and transportation networks; garages that facilitate public service; and service centers that act as dispatch hubs in emergencies.
Through the planning of new facilities and the modification of existing structures, transit and infrastructure facilities are evolving to respond to the pressing environmental concerns. As part of Harrison, New Jersey’s Redevelopment Plan, Dattner Architects and Jacobs designed the replacement of Substation Number Nine, a facility responsible for providing power to high volume segments of the PATH train network in New Jersey, a critical commuter rail system. In its existing condition, the substation is located near the Passaic River, deeply embedded within the flood plain. Sited adjacent to the Harrison Station serving the PATH line between New York City and Newark, the substation and the station itself are crucial to ensuring full connectivity between neighboring urban networks and our region’s major airports. Both the station and the substation sustained significant damage from Hurricane Sandy. To allow this critical infrastructure to remain operable in future severe weather situations and regional emergencies, the new Substation has been designed in response to new climate realities. Sub 9 will have a ground floor elevation of 14’ – 4” (which is 4’ – 4” above the FEMA 100-year flood level). Additionally, efforts have been made to manage stormwater on site by utilizing a sloped roof and incorporating a right-sized drainage system. These types of decisions may seem simple, however, raising the facility’s elevation, in a typology such as this, requires extensive coordination among all disciplines and with operations to ensure that vehicle loading docks are still accessible, utility services are managed efficiently, and egress will be compliant. The two-story structure is designed to completely enclose the substation equipment, protecting it from the elements and allowing easier access for future maintenance and repair.
Resilient design creates modern infrastructure facilities that are functional, aesthetically pleasing, and integrated into the fabric of the communities they serve. Aesthetics and connectivity are important design components when integrating these vital structures within an existing, public site. Adjacent to the substation, Dattner Architects / WSP designed a renovation and expansion to the PATH Harrison Station. The station enhancement is a critical component of the Harrison Waterfront Redevelopment Plan – serving as a catalyst for further development of the surrounding area. Currently in construction, 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. The station entrances are also elevated above the flood zone. Through careful planning of ground floor spaces and accessibility to entrances and the raised tracks, service will remain resilient in the event of a dramatic weather event.
While raising a structure’s ground floor drastically above the BFE, as we did for the substation, is not always an option, it may not always be required. Modular flood barrier systems can provide protection and resiliency in emergencies; these are manually deployed in vulnerable doorways and openings at the ground level to further secure a building’s perimeter against flooding. Other discreet options are being introduced to the market and implemented including modular flood walls and low profile fabric barriers. While these defensive approaches are the best course of action in many cases, architects and landscape architects are also exploring adaptive and passive approaches that allow rain and sea water to flow through – and out – a project during severe weather events.
Through thoughtful solutions from the onset, and coordination through all disciplines, resiliency strategies become integrated into the design – instead of being an afterthought. Utility rooms and paths can be located proactively, a building’s site can work to its advantage, easily deployable fortification can be built into the envelope to ensure longevity despite proximity to flooding, and areas of the project can be designed to channel water during the worst of the storm, while remaining operational.
As we continue to see mounting indications of climate change, New York City, like other densifying cities, will need to further expand on its responses and fortify its resilience through the built environment. The region’s current weaknesses become especially apparent in public infrastructural applications that tend to be more exposed to the elements, providing service to large quantities of residents and businesses. This applies most discernably to transit, however, the term infrastructure also refers to other urban necessities with seemingly less public interface, such as those structures that provide power to homes, businesses, and transportation networks; garages that facilitate public service; and service centers that act as dispatch hubs in emergencies.
Through the planning of new facilities and the modification of existing structures, transit and infrastructure facilities are evolving to respond to the pressing environmental concerns. As part of Harrison, New Jersey’s Redevelopment Plan, Dattner Architects and Jacobs designed the replacement of Substation Number Nine, a facility responsible for providing power to high volume segments of the PATH train network in New Jersey, a critical commuter rail system. In its existing condition, the substation is located near the Passaic River, deeply embedded within the flood plain. Sited adjacent to the Harrison Station serving the PATH line between New York City and Newark, the substation and the station itself are crucial to ensuring full connectivity between neighboring urban networks and our region’s major airports. Both the station and the substation sustained significant damage from Hurricane Sandy. To allow this critical infrastructure to remain operable in future severe weather situations and regional emergencies, the new Substation has been designed in response to new climate realities. Sub 9 will have a ground floor elevation of 14’ – 4” (which is 4’ – 4” above the FEMA 100-year flood level). Additionally, efforts have been made to manage stormwater on site by utilizing a sloped roof and incorporating a right-sized drainage system. These types of decisions may seem simple, however, raising the facility’s elevation, in a typology such as this, requires extensive coordination among all disciplines and with operations to ensure that vehicle loading docks are still accessible, utility services are managed efficiently, and egress will be compliant. The two-story structure is designed to completely enclose the substation equipment, protecting it from the elements and allowing easier access for future maintenance and repair.
Resilient design creates modern infrastructure facilities that are functional, aesthetically pleasing, and integrated into the fabric of the communities they serve. Aesthetics and connectivity are important design components when integrating these vital structures within an existing, public site. Adjacent to the substation, Dattner Architects / WSP designed a renovation and expansion to the PATH Harrison Station. The station enhancement is a critical component of the Harrison Waterfront Redevelopment Plan – serving as a catalyst for further development of the surrounding area. Currently in construction, 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. The station entrances are also elevated above the flood zone. Through careful planning of ground floor spaces and accessibility to entrances and the raised tracks, service will remain resilient in the event of a dramatic weather event.
While raising a structure’s ground floor drastically above the BFE, as we did for the substation, is not always an option, it may not always be required. Modular flood barrier systems can provide protection and resiliency in emergencies; these are manually deployed in vulnerable doorways and openings at the ground level to further secure a building’s perimeter against flooding. Other discreet options are being introduced to the market and implemented including modular flood walls and low profile fabric barriers. While these defensive approaches are the best course of action in many cases, architects and landscape architects are also exploring adaptive and passive approaches that allow rain and sea water to flow through – and out – a project during severe weather events.
Through thoughtful solutions from the onset, and coordination through all disciplines, resiliency strategies become integrated into the design – instead of being an afterthought. Utility rooms and paths can be located proactively, a building’s site can work to its advantage, easily deployable fortification can be built into the envelope to ensure longevity despite proximity to flooding, and areas of the project can be designed to channel water during the worst of the storm, while remaining operational.
"The 6th annual National Infrastructure Week is a national week of events; media coverage; and education and issue advocacy to elevate infrastructure as a critical issue impacting America's economy, society, security and future. In 2018, hundreds of organizations and thousands of leaders are uniting around one message: The future won't wait. Neither can we. It's #TimeToBuild."
Thanks to our layered transportation and information networks, people – as well as our ideas and products – are moving from place to place faster and more frequently than ever before. But does that necessarily mean we are more connected to our environment? To information? To each other?
Our built environment includes the obvious physical connectors – roads, bridges, tunnels, and subways. Equally important connectors are the mental and spiritual linkages that tie us all to this Earth. The frameworks for these connections do not operate independently. Rather, they are knitted together by what can broadly be defined as “infrastructure.”
In this sense, infrastructure is more than just bridges and tunnels, ports and terminals. The definition can be expanded to include much of the public realm – including public schools, parks, libraries, and community centers. In that case, isn’t multi-family housing a critical part of the framework? And in the vein of physical connectors: the framework of maintenance facilities, sanitation garages, and transfer stations that support these systems also fall under the umbrella of “infrastructure.”
Throughout the rest of this week, stay tuned to learn more about trends and impacts and how our firm is approaching this important topic.
"The 6th annual National Infrastructure Week is a national week of events; media coverage; and education and issue advocacy to elevate infrastructure as a critical issue impacting America's economy, society, security and future. In 2018, hundreds of organizations and thousands of leaders are uniting around one message: The future won't wait. Neither can we. It's #TimeToBuild."
Thanks to our layered transportation and information networks, people – as well as our ideas and products – are moving from place to place faster and more frequently than ever before. But does that necessarily mean we are more connected to our environment? To information? To each other?
Our built environment includes the obvious physical connectors – roads, bridges, tunnels, and subways. Equally important connectors are the mental and spiritual linkages that tie us all to this Earth. The frameworks for these connections do not operate independently. Rather, they are knitted together by what can broadly be defined as “infrastructure.”
In this sense, infrastructure is more than just bridges and tunnels, ports and terminals. The definition can be expanded to include much of the public realm – including public schools, parks, libraries, and community centers. In that case, isn’t multi-family housing a critical part of the framework? And in the vein of physical connectors: the framework of maintenance facilities, sanitation garages, and transfer stations that support these systems also fall under the umbrella of “infrastructure.”
Throughout the rest of this week, stay tuned to learn more about trends and impacts and how our firm is approaching this important topic.
This year’s AIA Conference on Architecture (A’18) will be hosted in one of the world’s most iconic cities – New York City! Over three days, architects, designers, and firms from all over the world will immerse themselves in what is new and current in architecture and design, exploring the A’18 theme: Blueprint for Better Cities. Programming includes nearly 100 tours of some of the city’s best architecture in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, and Staten Island – including a special behind-the-scenes look at more than 30 on-going projects spanning the five boroughs, and all in ONE location: Dattner Architects!
On Friday, June 22, we will be hosting Conference-goers from 11:00am-1:00pm with an Open Studio tour and discussion, showcasing our commitment to enriching civic space and the urban experience through our process, our projects, and our social commitment.
Select works-in-progress will be on view, and visitors will have an opportunity to engage in an informal design review with members of the Dattner Architects staff. The Open Studio will also include insights into our firm culture – showcasing our commitment to industry involvement, professional development, philanthropy, and advocacy.
If you are interested in joining us on June 22, please RSVP to aiaopenhouse@dattner.com, and stay tuned for sneak peaks into our Open Studio as we lead up to the big day!
This year’s AIA Conference on Architecture (A’18) will be hosted in one of the world’s most iconic cities – New York City! Over three days, architects, designers, and firms from all over the world will immerse themselves in what is new and current in architecture and design, exploring the A’18 theme: Blueprint for Better Cities. Programming includes nearly 100 tours of some of the city’s best architecture in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, and Staten Island – including a special behind-the-scenes look at more than 30 on-going projects spanning the five boroughs, and all in ONE location: Dattner Architects!
On Friday, June 22, we will be hosting Conference-goers from 11:00am-1:00pm with an Open Studio tour and discussion, showcasing our commitment to enriching civic space and the urban experience through our process, our projects, and our social commitment.
Select works-in-progress will be on view, and visitors will have an opportunity to engage in an informal design review with members of the Dattner Architects staff. The Open Studio will also include insights into our firm culture – showcasing our commitment to industry involvement, professional development, philanthropy, and advocacy.
If you are interested in joining us on June 22, please RSVP to aiaopenhouse@dattner.com, and stay tuned for sneak peaks into our Open Studio as we lead up to the big day!
On May 3, Dattner Architects joined CAMBA Housing Ventures, New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), New York City Housing Preservation and Development (NYCHPD), New York State Homes and Community Renewal (NYSHCR), and partnering community leaders for the opening of CAMBA Van Dyke – a new affordable and supportive housing development in Brownsville, Brooklyn.
Replacing an underused parking lot within Van Dyke Houses, the Dattner-designed CAMBA Van Dyke (also known as 603 Mother Gaston Blvd.) provides 101 units of affordable and supportive housing with 30 units reserved for homeless families and families at risk of homelessness. The 12-story complex offers a computer training center, an on-site laundry room, two flexible community rooms for group activities, an outdoor garden, a rooftop terrace, and on-site social services, including financial literacy, family services, healthcare access, and referrals to 160 programs and services across the city. Providing a gateway to the Van Dyke Houses campus, this development incorporates sustainable elements to conserve energy, promote the health and wellness of residents, and is LEED Gold-certified.
A model for NextGeneration NYCHA – a 10-year strategic plan to preserve and protect public housing for current residents as well as the next generation of New Yorkers – CAMBA’s 603 Mother Gaston Blvd. is the result of a forward-thinking public-private partnership that has resulted in sustainable, affordable, and supportive housing for local residents.
“[CAMBA Van Dyke] is proof that innovative ideas like building housing on underutilized public land are possible with wonderful public and private partners.” – Joanne Oplustil, President & CEO of CAMBA Housing Ventures
Now a community asset, this transformative project gives individuals and families the opportunity to create healthy, stable lives and provides services to help “break the cycle of housing instability once and for all.” Dattner Architects is proud to have a part in designing the future of affordable housing.
On May 3, Dattner Architects joined CAMBA Housing Ventures, New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), New York City Housing Preservation and Development (NYCHPD), New York State Homes and Community Renewal (NYSHCR), and partnering community leaders for the opening of CAMBA Van Dyke – a new affordable and supportive housing development in Brownsville, Brooklyn.
Replacing an underused parking lot within Van Dyke Houses, the Dattner-designed CAMBA Van Dyke (also known as 603 Mother Gaston Blvd.) provides 101 units of affordable and supportive housing with 30 units reserved for homeless families and families at risk of homelessness. The 12-story complex offers a computer training center, an on-site laundry room, two flexible community rooms for group activities, an outdoor garden, a rooftop terrace, and on-site social services, including financial literacy, family services, healthcare access, and referrals to 160 programs and services across the city. Providing a gateway to the Van Dyke Houses campus, this development incorporates sustainable elements to conserve energy, promote the health and wellness of residents, and is LEED Gold-certified.
A model for NextGeneration NYCHA – a 10-year strategic plan to preserve and protect public housing for current residents as well as the next generation of New Yorkers – CAMBA’s 603 Mother Gaston Blvd. is the result of a forward-thinking public-private partnership that has resulted in sustainable, affordable, and supportive housing for local residents.
“[CAMBA Van Dyke] is proof that innovative ideas like building housing on underutilized public land are possible with wonderful public and private partners.” – Joanne Oplustil, President & CEO of CAMBA Housing Ventures
Now a community asset, this transformative project gives individuals and families the opportunity to create healthy, stable lives and provides services to help “break the cycle of housing instability once and for all.” Dattner Architects is proud to have a part in designing the future of affordable housing.
Since 2014, the AIA NYS Excelsior Awards program has recognized civic projects for design excellence in publicly funded buildings. Envisioned as a platform to showcase collaborative efficiency between design teams and state agencies, the Excelsior Awards provide an archetype for state-funded building designs. Selected as an example of these principles, Dattner Architect’s recently completed Public School 50Q Addition (PS 50Q) received the AIA NYS Excelsior Honor Award for Excellence in Renovation & Addition.
In attendance at Monday’s Awards Ceremony in Albany, Dattner Architect’s Principal Daniel Heuberger and Project Manager Eric Epstein joined other New York State honorees to celebrate innovative and noteworthy publically funded architecture. AIA NYS and representatives from various New York State contracting agencies presented the team with the award, acknowledging the project for its harmonious design, functionality, and impact on the surrounding community.
Jurors continued to comment on the project’s neighborhood impact, stating that “[PS 50Q] provides a great sense of transparency and reinforces the importance of safety and care. The school ’feels safe’ with controlled transparency, natural surveillance, and friendliness. It humanizes security.”
A key design opportunity included rethinking the “front door” of the school and simplifying circulation by creating one new, and transparent, common entrance for all students that leads them, according to their grade, to different parts of the building. At the seam between new and old, the original façade is revealed in the entrance lobby and corridors so that the trace of the historic building is not lost inside the new wing.
Juror’s also noted that “[The school] doesn’t look like a public school; it looks like a college campus—generous, open.” The design team strategically intervened and thoughtfully reprogrammed to transform an existing building into a vital community resource. The school now provides refreshed and innovative learning spaces for over 900 students in Jamaica, Queens.
We were proud to be there amongst so many great publicly-funded architecture projects. Congrats to all the winners!
Since 2014, the AIA NYS Excelsior Awards program has recognized civic projects for design excellence in publicly funded buildings. Envisioned as a platform to showcase collaborative efficiency between design teams and state agencies, the Excelsior Awards provide an archetype for state-funded building designs. Selected as an example of these principles, Dattner Architect’s recently completed Public School 50Q Addition (PS 50Q) received the AIA NYS Excelsior Honor Award for Excellence in Renovation & Addition.
In attendance at Monday’s Awards Ceremony in Albany, Dattner Architect’s Principal Daniel Heuberger and Project Manager Eric Epstein joined other New York State honorees to celebrate innovative and noteworthy publically funded architecture. AIA NYS and representatives from various New York State contracting agencies presented the team with the award, acknowledging the project for its harmonious design, functionality, and impact on the surrounding community.
Jurors continued to comment on the project’s neighborhood impact, stating that “[PS 50Q] provides a great sense of transparency and reinforces the importance of safety and care. The school ’feels safe’ with controlled transparency, natural surveillance, and friendliness. It humanizes security.”
A key design opportunity included rethinking the “front door” of the school and simplifying circulation by creating one new, and transparent, common entrance for all students that leads them, according to their grade, to different parts of the building. At the seam between new and old, the original façade is revealed in the entrance lobby and corridors so that the trace of the historic building is not lost inside the new wing.
Juror’s also noted that “[The school] doesn’t look like a public school; it looks like a college campus—generous, open.” The design team strategically intervened and thoughtfully reprogrammed to transform an existing building into a vital community resource. The school now provides refreshed and innovative learning spaces for over 900 students in Jamaica, Queens.
We were proud to be there amongst so many great publicly-funded architecture projects. Congrats to all the winners!
“Building an equitable economy in New York City requires a groundbreaking approach to urban design.” – Urban Design Forum
As a civic-minded, mission driven firm, Dattner Architects responds to the Urban Design Forum: Call for Ideas. This year, the theme was Work Force. Urban Design Forum invited proposers to explore creative design, policy, or financing, and were prompted to bring bold ideas with real life applicability. They drove the conversation with a few key questions: How can we use creative zoning, investment in the public realm, and new infrastructure to enhance economic outcomes for all; How will automation impact the urban workforce and long-standing commercial districts; and how can emerging working neighborhoods be connected through new mobility networks?
Excited by Urban Design Forum’s leading questions, members from the firm’s three studios began with round table discussion, and evolved into deep research and design collaboration to submit a proposal called Revitalizing the Urban Extent.
Revitalizing the Urban Extents
A stent is a device deployed to heal the circulatory system and prevent a more intensive surgical undertaking.
NYC was once a hub of self-sustaining enclaves, each with an identity playing part to a whole. As the city evolves, those individual neighborhoods are losing some of their character, growing more dependent on Manhattan’s Central Business Districts (CBD) and the transit networks that serve them. We propose deconcentrating our CBDs through strategies that catalyze and encourage development of the urban extents—underserved neighborhoods at the City’s peripheries and in-between spaces—deploying efficient, inexpensive infrastructure by using existing right-of-ways, automated technologies, and creative methodologies to infill current transit deserts. Recent precedents indicate that constructing new subway infrastructure in New York City costs upwards of $2 billion per mile. The speeds and capacities that our rail systems offer are not suitable for every situation, and often resources are not allocated to areas of lower density. In these areas, neighborhoods rely on alternate large capacity modes of transit including the public bus and private shuttle. However, riders can expect longer wait times as schedules slow to match the demand. Even with reduced frequencies, buses continue to circle their route far below capacity.
The City has committed to preserving and supporting job growth by revitalizing existing manufacturing districts. To further benefit the workforce and these underserved neighborhoods, we propose connection through the immediate deployment of small-scale, lower cost means of transit at the urban extents comprising:
A comprehensive waterway network resulting in 14 new ferry landings to provide access to all waterfronts.
High speed automated vehicle thruways using existing right of ways which will not contend with a more fluid pedestrian and vehicle movement.
Aerial ropeways as an urban ‘stent’ to immediately reconnect the urban extents to the existing transit network. The proposed system will include 220 new stops over approximately 165 miles of ropeway, totaling at an estimated $2 billion.
By implementing alternative systems, we are able to move methods of public transportation off the roads via waterways or ropeways, creating a more activated and engaging streetscape. These strategies are particularly vital to waterfront neighborhoods, where resiliency and environmental responsiveness are integral to future development, emphasizing existing infrastructure to solidify the waterfront as a crucial foundation to New York’s landscape and culture. Simpler construction of transportation over shorter distances, coupled with app-based network technologies providing on-demand service, alleviates unnecessary, empty transit circulation. Reduced up-front costs and minimal operational responsibility create opportunity for Public/Private Partnership as a funding strategy, benefiting both the Municipality and private investors. With a more robust and resilient transit network, we envision neighborhoods thriving with diversified job opportunities, local amenities, and scales of housing—supporting a life and identity independent of the CBD.
“Building an equitable economy in New York City requires a groundbreaking approach to urban design.” – Urban Design Forum
As a civic-minded, mission driven firm, Dattner Architects responds to the Urban Design Forum: Call for Ideas. This year, the theme was Work Force. Urban Design Forum invited proposers to explore creative design, policy, or financing, and were prompted to bring bold ideas with real life applicability. They drove the conversation with a few key questions: How can we use creative zoning, investment in the public realm, and new infrastructure to enhance economic outcomes for all; How will automation impact the urban workforce and long-standing commercial districts; and how can emerging working neighborhoods be connected through new mobility networks?
Excited by Urban Design Forum’s leading questions, members from the firm’s three studios began with round table discussion, and evolved into deep research and design collaboration to submit a proposal called Revitalizing the Urban Extent.
Revitalizing the Urban Extents
A stent is a device deployed to heal the circulatory system and prevent a more intensive surgical undertaking.
NYC was once a hub of self-sustaining enclaves, each with an identity playing part to a whole. As the city evolves, those individual neighborhoods are losing some of their character, growing more dependent on Manhattan’s Central Business Districts (CBD) and the transit networks that serve them. We propose deconcentrating our CBDs through strategies that catalyze and encourage development of the urban extents—underserved neighborhoods at the City’s peripheries and in-between spaces—deploying efficient, inexpensive infrastructure by using existing right-of-ways, automated technologies, and creative methodologies to infill current transit deserts. Recent precedents indicate that constructing new subway infrastructure in New York City costs upwards of $2 billion per mile. The speeds and capacities that our rail systems offer are not suitable for every situation, and often resources are not allocated to areas of lower density. In these areas, neighborhoods rely on alternate large capacity modes of transit including the public bus and private shuttle. However, riders can expect longer wait times as schedules slow to match the demand. Even with reduced frequencies, buses continue to circle their route far below capacity.
The City has committed to preserving and supporting job growth by revitalizing existing manufacturing districts. To further benefit the workforce and these underserved neighborhoods, we propose connection through the immediate deployment of small-scale, lower cost means of transit at the urban extents comprising:
A comprehensive waterway network resulting in 14 new ferry landings to provide access to all waterfronts.
High speed automated vehicle thruways using existing right of ways which will not contend with a more fluid pedestrian and vehicle movement.
Aerial ropeways as an urban ‘stent’ to immediately reconnect the urban extents to the existing transit network. The proposed system will include 220 new stops over approximately 165 miles of ropeway, totaling at an estimated $2 billion.
By implementing alternative systems, we are able to move methods of public transportation off the roads via waterways or ropeways, creating a more activated and engaging streetscape. These strategies are particularly vital to waterfront neighborhoods, where resiliency and environmental responsiveness are integral to future development, emphasizing existing infrastructure to solidify the waterfront as a crucial foundation to New York’s landscape and culture. Simpler construction of transportation over shorter distances, coupled with app-based network technologies providing on-demand service, alleviates unnecessary, empty transit circulation. Reduced up-front costs and minimal operational responsibility create opportunity for Public/Private Partnership as a funding strategy, benefiting both the Municipality and private investors. With a more robust and resilient transit network, we envision neighborhoods thriving with diversified job opportunities, local amenities, and scales of housing—supporting a life and identity independent of the CBD.
On April 26, Principal Beth Greenberg FAIA and Dattner Architects were honored with a Builders of the Future Award at Institute for Community Living’s (ICL) Annual Gala. Celebrating ICL’s 31-year commitment to improving lives and strengthening communities, this year’s gala paid tribute to honorees whose generosity and dedication have enabled ICL to remain responsive and proactive in new and innovative ways – specifically recognizing the entire project team responsible for bringing ICL’s East New York Hub to life.
Opening later this year, the Dattner-designed East New York Hub is an integrated, state-of-the-art community health clinic. Consolidating health and community-based services, this one-stop-shop facility will provide family support, outpatient programs, day treatment, and care coordination to address behavioral and physical health concerns. The building program and design has been developed to encourage physical and mental healing. Visual and physical connections to both nature and the community, including garden and terrace spaces, framed views, and access to natural light and air, reinforce the link to the natural environment, while framing activities to engage the street and support the relationship with the community.
The building is composed of two interlocking volumes, legible to the users from the exterior. The first is a two-story communal volume, expressed in a corduroy-like red brick pattern. Its form responds to the scale of the neighborhood, and its presence, solidity, and unique brickwork participate in a dialogue with the existing structures around the site. The second volume, a three-story office volume, is conceived as planar with windows smaller in scale and regular in appearance.
The interior design approach focused on the celebration of the industrial architectural attributes of the existing building and the contrast of the modern addition. Polished concrete floors contrast with bold colors throughout the spaces, creating energetic and inspiring public gathering spaces for the community. The industrial architecture is the framework for the interior design inspiration – exposed brick and large arched openings are throughout the open office spaces. The furniture is brightly hued and low whenever possible, allowing open views throughout the spaces and sunny contrasts of color against the concrete and brick. Each space was designed with careful consideration to the varied support programs at ICL for adults and children, promoting safety, a sense of community, and wellness.
“As an organization, ICL is doing tremendous work to advocate for the health and behavior health needs of communities like East New York. The opening of the Hub…will truly have a transformative impact on our community.” – Council Member Rafael Espinal
We are honored to be a part of the ICL team and design spaces that will provide a vibrant community with vital health services.
On April 26, Principal Beth Greenberg FAIA and Dattner Architects were honored with a Builders of the Future Award at Institute for Community Living’s (ICL) Annual Gala. Celebrating ICL’s 31-year commitment to improving lives and strengthening communities, this year’s gala paid tribute to honorees whose generosity and dedication have enabled ICL to remain responsive and proactive in new and innovative ways – specifically recognizing the entire project team responsible for bringing ICL’s East New York Hub to life.
Opening later this year, the Dattner-designed East New York Hub is an integrated, state-of-the-art community health clinic. Consolidating health and community-based services, this one-stop-shop facility will provide family support, outpatient programs, day treatment, and care coordination to address behavioral and physical health concerns. The building program and design has been developed to encourage physical and mental healing. Visual and physical connections to both nature and the community, including garden and terrace spaces, framed views, and access to natural light and air, reinforce the link to the natural environment, while framing activities to engage the street and support the relationship with the community.
The building is composed of two interlocking volumes, legible to the users from the exterior. The first is a two-story communal volume, expressed in a corduroy-like red brick pattern. Its form responds to the scale of the neighborhood, and its presence, solidity, and unique brickwork participate in a dialogue with the existing structures around the site. The second volume, a three-story office volume, is conceived as planar with windows smaller in scale and regular in appearance.
The interior design approach focused on the celebration of the industrial architectural attributes of the existing building and the contrast of the modern addition. Polished concrete floors contrast with bold colors throughout the spaces, creating energetic and inspiring public gathering spaces for the community. The industrial architecture is the framework for the interior design inspiration – exposed brick and large arched openings are throughout the open office spaces. The furniture is brightly hued and low whenever possible, allowing open views throughout the spaces and sunny contrasts of color against the concrete and brick. Each space was designed with careful consideration to the varied support programs at ICL for adults and children, promoting safety, a sense of community, and wellness.
“As an organization, ICL is doing tremendous work to advocate for the health and behavior health needs of communities like East New York. The opening of the Hub…will truly have a transformative impact on our community.” – Council Member Rafael Espinal
We are honored to be a part of the ICL team and design spaces that will provide a vibrant community with vital health services.
On April 24, Dattner Architects joined CAMBA Housing Ventures, Governor Andrew Cuomo, and partnering community leaders for the ribbon cutting ceremony at CAMBA Gardens II – a new supportive and affordable housing development situated on the campus of Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn.
Recently awarded the 2018 Excellence in Affordable Housing Development by ULI-NY, CAMBA Gardens II offers 293 supportive and affordable housing units, half of which are designated for the formerly homeless. A “U” shaped structure, this building encloses a courtyard facing CAMBA Gardens I to the east and includes amenities that promote sustainability, health living, and wellness. CAMBA Gardens II encompasses residential, office, and public spaces including a double height lobby, day lit corridors to promote “active design,” two community rooms, and shared outdoor spaces, and features on-site social services and 24-hour security. Part of the larger CAMBA Gardens development, CAMBA Gardens I and CAMBA Gardens II provide a combined 502 homes for qualifying New Yorkers.
Co-locating affordable and supportive housing on the Kings County Hospital campus allows residents easy access to much needed healthcare and mental health facilities.
“CAMBA Gardens II is prime example of how we can provide our most vulnerable New Yorkers the opportunity to move forward and upward with their lives by living independently in a compassionate community that takes their interests and goals to heart.” – Governor Cuomo
“As we deliver the Governor’s housing plan, it is projects like [CAMBA Gardens II] that revitalize our communities, create opportunity, and grow our economy.” – RuthAnne Visnauskas, New York State Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner
With available resources and a support system in place, CAMBA Gardens II affords residents with stability and the ability to live healthier and more independent lives.
On April 24, Dattner Architects joined CAMBA Housing Ventures, Governor Andrew Cuomo, and partnering community leaders for the ribbon cutting ceremony at CAMBA Gardens II – a new supportive and affordable housing development situated on the campus of Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn.
Recently awarded the 2018 Excellence in Affordable Housing Development by ULI-NY, CAMBA Gardens II offers 293 supportive and affordable housing units, half of which are designated for the formerly homeless. A “U” shaped structure, this building encloses a courtyard facing CAMBA Gardens I to the east and includes amenities that promote sustainability, health living, and wellness. CAMBA Gardens II encompasses residential, office, and public spaces including a double height lobby, day lit corridors to promote “active design,” two community rooms, and shared outdoor spaces, and features on-site social services and 24-hour security. Part of the larger CAMBA Gardens development, CAMBA Gardens I and CAMBA Gardens II provide a combined 502 homes for qualifying New Yorkers.
Co-locating affordable and supportive housing on the Kings County Hospital campus allows residents easy access to much needed healthcare and mental health facilities.
“CAMBA Gardens II is prime example of how we can provide our most vulnerable New Yorkers the opportunity to move forward and upward with their lives by living independently in a compassionate community that takes their interests and goals to heart.” – Governor Cuomo
“As we deliver the Governor’s housing plan, it is projects like [CAMBA Gardens II] that revitalize our communities, create opportunity, and grow our economy.” – RuthAnne Visnauskas, New York State Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner
With available resources and a support system in place, CAMBA Gardens II affords residents with stability and the ability to live healthier and more independent lives.
We are honored to announce that CUNY Brooklyn College Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema received a Special Citation in the 2018 SCUP Excellence in Architecture for Building Additions or Adaptive Reuse Awards. The design teams’ innovative approach to adapting a historic Navy Building and transforming it into a state-of-the-art film school began through a private-public partnership. The top two floors of the Brooklyn Navy Yard’s 25 Washington Avenue embrace the culture of a contemporary movie lot and creates a micro-campus for this new program. With full production and post-production facilities, this unique higher education program links cinema studies with a working film studio.
This year the jury selected eight Honor, eight Merit, five Honorable Mention, and three Special Citation entries from across the country. Take a closer look at all the winners in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Planning categories on SCUP’s website.
The award ceremony was held during the 2018 SCUP Annual Conference, on July 14-17 in Nashville, Tennessee. During the conference, award jurors shared trends and observations during a special session titled, “Observed Themes in Higher Education Planning and Design.” Most specifically, jurors distinguished Brooklyn College Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema for being a “really ambitious program for a heavily subsidized school.” Through a highly collaborative design process, the team was able to create New York City’s first public graduate film school.
We are honored to announce that CUNY Brooklyn College Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema received a Special Citation in the 2018 SCUP Excellence in Architecture for Building Additions or Adaptive Reuse Awards. The design teams’ innovative approach to adapting a historic Navy Building and transforming it into a state-of-the-art film school began through a private-public partnership. The top two floors of the Brooklyn Navy Yard’s 25 Washington Avenue embrace the culture of a contemporary movie lot and creates a micro-campus for this new program. With full production and post-production facilities, this unique higher education program links cinema studies with a working film studio.
This year the jury selected eight Honor, eight Merit, five Honorable Mention, and three Special Citation entries from across the country. Take a closer look at all the winners in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Planning categories on SCUP’s website.
The award ceremony was held during the 2018 SCUP Annual Conference, on July 14-17 in Nashville, Tennessee. During the conference, award jurors shared trends and observations during a special session titled, “Observed Themes in Higher Education Planning and Design.” Most specifically, jurors distinguished Brooklyn College Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema for being a “really ambitious program for a heavily subsidized school.” Through a highly collaborative design process, the team was able to create New York City’s first public graduate film school.
Dattner Architects is proud to announce that our recently completed CAMBA Gardens project won the EXCELLENCE in Affordable Housing Award – revealed during last night’s 2018 ULI New York (ULI-NY) Awards Gala. CAMBA Gardens II signifies the revitalization of underutilized hospital property into much-needed sustainable and affordable housing co-located with on-campus mental health care services, helping New Yorkers achieve their full potential and generate new jobs.
In an innovative partnership with CAMBA Housing Ventures, NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation agreed to the demolition of a former psychiatric facility, enabling a new housing development ranging from five to nine stories. The central courtyard and perimeter open spaces create a cohesive landscape accessible to all residents and provides a clear visual connection to the outdoors from strategic intersections and end points within the building.
The program creates synergies between providing housing opportunities for formerly homeless and low-income community residents, while elevating design standards for affordable housing. The thoughtful building systems and materials promote sustainability, healthy living, and wellness. CAMBA Gardens II encompasses residential, office, and public spaces including a double height lobby, day lit corridors and stairwells to promote “active design,” community rooms, social service offices, and shared outdoor spaces. The development features on-site social services, 24-hour security, laundry rooms, a computer/study room, two community rooms, and well-appointed, durable and non-toxic finishes.
ULI-NY’s Awards for Excellence recognizes outstanding development projects in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors across New York State that best exemplify ULI’s commitment to responsible land use and creating sustainable, thriving communities. The Awards for Excellence highlights the full development process of a project, not just its architecture or design. Projects that reflect best-in-class development are celebrated in eight categories: office development, housing development, mixed-use development, repositioning or redevelopment, hotel development, institutional development, retail development, and civic space.
Dattner Architects is proud to announce that our recently completed CAMBA Gardens project won the EXCELLENCE in Affordable Housing Award – revealed during last night’s 2018 ULI New York (ULI-NY) Awards Gala. CAMBA Gardens II signifies the revitalization of underutilized hospital property into much-needed sustainable and affordable housing co-located with on-campus mental health care services, helping New Yorkers achieve their full potential and generate new jobs.
In an innovative partnership with CAMBA Housing Ventures, NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation agreed to the demolition of a former psychiatric facility, enabling a new housing development ranging from five to nine stories. The central courtyard and perimeter open spaces create a cohesive landscape accessible to all residents and provides a clear visual connection to the outdoors from strategic intersections and end points within the building.
The program creates synergies between providing housing opportunities for formerly homeless and low-income community residents, while elevating design standards for affordable housing. The thoughtful building systems and materials promote sustainability, healthy living, and wellness. CAMBA Gardens II encompasses residential, office, and public spaces including a double height lobby, day lit corridors and stairwells to promote “active design,” community rooms, social service offices, and shared outdoor spaces. The development features on-site social services, 24-hour security, laundry rooms, a computer/study room, two community rooms, and well-appointed, durable and non-toxic finishes.
ULI-NY’s Awards for Excellence recognizes outstanding development projects in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors across New York State that best exemplify ULI’s commitment to responsible land use and creating sustainable, thriving communities. The Awards for Excellence highlights the full development process of a project, not just its architecture or design. Projects that reflect best-in-class development are celebrated in eight categories: office development, housing development, mixed-use development, repositioning or redevelopment, hotel development, institutional development, retail development, and civic space.
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.
Compiled by Preservation magazine, “40 Under 40 Places” assembles 40 of the most important, compelling, and interesting American places under 40 years old. The list includes sites both urban and rural, and high-end and low-budget. While places are not typically considered “historic” until they have been around for at least 50 years, Preservation magazine has chosen to highlight these younger sites to broaden public awareness of the value of saving these significant locations BEFORE they become truly historic. Dattner Architects and Grimshaw Architects’ Via Verde is one of seven sites featured in 40 Under 40’s Housing category.
Nearly a decade ago, NYC HPD, AIA New York, NYSERDA, and Enterprise Community Partners sponsored an international architectural competition to transform a former South Bronx freight yard. The goal was to create affordable, sustainable housing in an era of accelerating urban growth. The Phipps Houses/Jonathan Rose Companies/Dattner Architects/Grimshaw Architects’ winning entry, Via Verde was completed in 2012 as an affordable, sustainable, mixed-use development.
“It’s such a unique site that the design is not replicable, but since we designed it there has been a lot of innovative work on affordable housing in New York City that incorporates and builds on elements of Via Verde.” – William Stein FAIA, Dattner Architects’ Principal
The building takes the form of a “tendril” rising from grade to the tower, enclosing the courtyard and emphasizing a relationship to the natural world. A dynamic garden serves as the organizing element for residents and the community. The ground level courtyard spirals upward through a series of programmed roof gardens, creating a promenade for residents. The top floor of the tower contains a multi-purpose community room with access to a terrace and spectacular views. The gardens create opportunities for active planting, fruit and vegetable cultivation, recreation, and social gathering, while providing added benefits of storm water control and enhanced insulation. The ground floor features retail, a community health center, and live-work units, creating a lively street presence.
Since its completion, Via Verde continues to be an example of how to develop the next generation of social housing. Dattner Architects’ Principal William Stein FAIA reflects on Via Verde’s enduring impact: “[Via Verde] is symbolic in that government agencies, developers, architects, and designers think about affordable housing not as being utilitarian, but aspirational and holistic.”
From January 7-18, 2019, the public will be able to vote for their favorite places with top vote-getters featured in the Spring 2019 issue of Preservation. Preservation is the award-winning magazine of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Dattner Architects is proud to announce that our Founding Principal Richard Dattner has been awarded the Clara Fox Lifetime Achievement Award from the New York Housing Conference (NYHC) in recognition of the transformative impact on affordable housing his work has had, and the inspiration he has provided so many to design the much-needed quality housing that our city deserves.
Richard is the first architect to receive this recognition and was honored at the NYHC’s award luncheon on December 4.
Richard received his Bachelor of Architecture degree from MIT in 1960 and founded Dattner Architects four years later. Under his leadership and creative direction, the firm was built on a strong foundation of civic architecture. Today, Dattner Architects’ portfolio includes a wide array of project types from residential, education, healthcare, and recreation to transportation, infrastructure, institutional, and commercial. Our work has enriched the ever-growing urban fabric with distinctive, innovative, and inspiring buildings—positively impacting countless residents
Ranging from small to mid-rise to high-rise affordable, supportive, and market-rate for rental and ownership, including micro or compact units, Dattner Architects has designed more than 14,000 apartments in New York City. Richard has long promoted the term ‘Social Housing’ to replace the ‘affordable’ and ‘public’ designations currently used, believing that quality housing should be accessible to all. He talked about this very notion during his acceptance speech saying, “The simple—but essential—prerequisite for ‘Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness’ is a decent place to live within one’s means.”
“I’m … thankful to New York City for the opportunities—unequalled in any other American city—which enable the creation of a dignified, varied, and inclusive civic environment. The talented architects working in our firm—from 20 countries and as many states—reflect the remarkable diversity of our great city. They all share my enthusiasm for creating new buildings, restoring existing ones, and enhancing New York’s neighborhoods,” Richard Dattner FAIA.
Recognizing that it “takes a village” to build even a single affordable residential project in this city, Richard thanked the firm’s partners, fellow NYHC award honorees, and all those in attendance.
Last Thursday, November 1, Dattner Architects joined 29 other teams for CANstruction 2018. CANstruction is both an annual design competition and unique food charity. The competition challenges teams of architects, engineers, and contractors to build sculptures made entirely out of canned food. The large-scale structures are currently on full display at Brookfield Place until November 15. All cans will later be donated to City Harvest for distribution to those in need during the holiday season.
Dattner Architects’ design contains 2,552 cans of Black Beans, Tomato Paste, Regular Vienna Sausages, and Hot Vienna Sausages that will each be donated to help feed the hungry. Inspired by the foundation and protection that a construction boot gives, the Dattner team wanted to create a sculpture that could be a symbol of how we can fulfill our social responsibility through design – that together, we can give hunger the BOOT, one can at a time.
We are grateful to be a part of such a meaningful event and look forward to competing again next year.
Voting is open for the People’s Choice Award. Our entry, “CANstruction Boot,” is #13.
Every New Yorker deserves a safe and affordable place to live, in a neighborhood providing opportunities and resources to get ahead. Housing and living costs are soaring and active gentrification drives rents up and lower-income residents out. With the affordable housing crisis on the rise, architects and city planners are “going green” to help address the problem. The Atlantic tackles this issue and the importance of sustainable design in a recent October 2018 article featuring two transformative projects, including Dattner Architects and Grimshaw Architects’ Via Verde – The Green Way.
Nearly a decade ago, NYC HPD, AIA New York, NYSERDA, and Enterprise Community Partners sponsored an international architectural competition to transform a former South Bronx freight yard. The challenge was to create a plan for affordable, sustainable housing units in an era of accelerating urban growth. The Phipps Houses/Jonathan Rose Companies/Dattner Architects/Grimshaw Architects' winning entry in the New Housing New York Legacy Competition, Via Verde was completed in 2012 as an affordable, sustainable, 222-unit residential development providing healthy, urban living in the South Bronx. The project reflects a public commitment to create the next generation of social housing.
Apartments are arranged in three distinct residential typologies: a 20-story tower at the north end of the site; a 6- to 13-story mid-rise duplex apartment component; and 2- to 4-story townhouses to the south around a series of gardens. The building takes the form of a “tendril” rising from grade to the tower, enclosing the courtyard and emphasizing a relationship to the natural world. A dynamic garden serves as the organizing element for residents and the community. The ground level courtyard spirals upward through a series of programmed roof gardens, creating a promenade for residents. The top floor of the tower contains a multi-purpose community room with access to a terrace and spectacular views. The gardens create opportunities for active planting, fruit and vegetable cultivation, recreation, and social gathering, while providing added benefits of storm water control and enhanced insulation. The ground floor features retail, a community health center, and live-work units, creating a lively street presence.
Affordability and sustainability are not mutually exclusive–sustainable design does not necessarily mean higher costs. Via Verde achieved LEED NC Gold certification and features stepped roofs providing solar access, a green roof, community vegetable gardens, green interior finishes, rainwater harvesting, and drought-tolerant vegetation. These sustainability measures saved on up-front construction costs while retaining scarce energy resources.
A model for future development–locally, regionally, and beyond–Via Verde has set a new standard for sustainable, urban housing. Quoted in The Atlantic, Dattner Architects’ Principal Bill Stein reflects on the enduring impact that Via Verde and similar developments have on neighborhoods and cities: “People are pretty happy. They take a lot of pride in the building and you can sense a real sense of community there. Via Verde has become a symbol for the resurgence of the South Bronx.”
On Monday, October 29th, Dattner Architects joined Institute for Community Living (ICL), Community Healthcare Network, Paul Francis from the NYS Health & Human Services, NYS Office of Mental Health Commissioner Ann Sullivan, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, City Council Rafael Espinal, and partnering community leaders for the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at the East New York Health Hub.
Institute for Community Living and community members came together to celebrate a 31-year commitment to improving lives and strengthening neighborhoods. With a nonprofit goal of providing health care services in the most underserved areas of the city, ICL truly does essential work to advocate for the community’s physical, mental, and behavioral health needs. The opening of the Hub will have a transformative impact on East New York.
Dattner Architects retained and rehabilitated a portion of the existing three-story, turn-of-the-century structure, and paired it with new construction to expand ICL’s programs from 9,000 to 45,000 square feet. East New York Health Hub, conceived as a one-stop-shop community health facility, provides nine different health programs ranging from mental health and social services to care coordination. The building’s design encourages both physical and mental healing through visual connections to nature and the community. Garden and terrace spaces, views, and access to light and air reinforce the link to the natural environment, while framing activities to engage the street and support the relationship with the community. All spaces were designed with careful consideration for ICL’s diverse support programs and promote safety, wellness, and a sense of community.
During this ribbon cutting ceremony, members from the Institute for Community Living reflected on the opening of this new facility.
“Today is the culmination of a dream that began with the people of East New York who guided us every step of the way to ensure that the East New York Health Hub is welcoming and accessible to all. There is one door into the Hub: Everyone who walks through that door will have access to the highest levels of health and mental health care and to crucial community resources.” - Institute for Community Living
This community-based care center will build vital health assets and drive long-term outcomes for the people and families in East New York. We are proud to have collaborated on such an important community facility!
With our aging population expected to double in the next few decades, a new issue has been identified in that we are also aging for longer. As life expectancy changes so does our view of getting older. Understanding the evolution of the aging population and its effect on the built environment, the design industry recognizes the need to plan and build for this need. Metropolis Magazine's October Edition, themed Ecologies of Wellness - Design with Nature, weaves in the important subject of Design for Aging – featuring ground-breaking initiatives and noteworthy projects that are significantly impacting both our industry and our communities.
Bringing attention to the evolution of the aging population, how the design community is intrinsically involved, and identifying opportunities and challenges within our built environment, Dattner Architects is proud Metropolis selected our recently completed project, The Goldin at Essex Crossing, to represent how design can strengthen and enrich a community and how this "New Development Is Rebuilding a Community Lost 50 Years Ago."
Opened to residents over age 55, The Goldin, is one of the first buildings to be completed as part of Essex Crossing, a major 1.65 million square foot development in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. This new 15-story building provides much-needed affordable senior housing and community service space to the neighborhood. Named after a longtime LES housing activist, 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 commercial base 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 is proud to announce that Caesura received a national Honor Award in the 2018 SARA Design Competition! The Society of American Registered Architects (SARA), an organization focused on promoting growth and advancement of architectural professionals, hosts this annual awards program to recognize design excellence nationally and abroad in architecture and allied disciplines.
Caesura is a distinctively modern, human-scaled building that stands out from the surrounding high-rise buildings in Downtown Brooklyn’s Cultural District. The building offers a break from the intensity of the city—a thoughtful balance of sanctuary and community, and the natural and cultural. A textured terra-cotta base contrasts a lighter brick tower, while a shifting pattern of windows creates a lively rhythm.
This mixed-use, mixed-income 12-story building offers 123 units above the cultural base. This space is home to the Center for Fiction—the only organization in the United States devoted solely to the vital art of fiction—as well as the Mark Morris Dance Center rehearsal studios and retail space facing the Arts Plaza.
Above the cultural facilities, a variety of affordable and market-rate apartments, ranging from micro units to two-bedrooms, accommodate a range of modern urban households. Each unit is carefully laid out to create light-filled spaces with high-quality, contemporary finishes. Caesura uniquely maximizes shared communal areas by offering a fitness center and bike room to encourage an active lifestyle, a common goods lending library, a community lounge for social gatherings, and a double-height conservatory for yoga and quiet contemplation. This project was designed in collaboration with Bernheimer Architecture.
This year’s awards competition recognized 31 honorees. Jury members ranked projects based on clarity of concept, strength of solution, community relevance, and overall innovative and design aesthetics. This year’s awards were presented at the 62nd Annual SARA National Conference, in Miami, FL this past weekend.
The Dattner Architects and WSP-designed Number 7 Subway Line Extension at Hudson Yards Station has been honored with a Merit Award in the Structures category during the inaugural AIANY + ASLANY Transportation + Infrastructure (T+I) Awards. This brand new award program recognizes exceptional design by New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania AIA and ASLA members. Award winners reflect a commitment to sustainability, community engagement, and civic architecture.
The first new extension and station added to the New York City subway system in over 25 years, our project extends the Number 7 Subway line from its present terminus at Times Square along 41st Street and then south along Eleventh Avenue. The design for this deep station addresses 21st century passenger safety, comfort, and convenience, as well as the technical system challenges such as egress, power, and ventilation.
Universal design concepts guided passenger circulation, introducing the transit system’s first glass-enclosed inclined elevators, providing ADA access and promoting visual connection and safety among all riders. Open stairways lead from the mezzanine to a 35’ wide, column-less train platform, further enhancing riders’ sense of security and safety.
Glass canopied station entrances are integrated into Hudson Park, and focalize this new public open space that serves Hudson Yards, Javits Convention Center, and the High Line. The Station’s Main Entrance leads to the Upper Mezzanine fare zone and is graced with brilliant public art and abundant natural light. A Secondary Entrance was opened on September 1, 2018 to accommodate the anticipated continued growth of passenger flows. Throughout the Station material choices and color palettes capitalize on indirect lighting to produce glowing architectural form.
The extension provides a new station at 34th Street, new station entrances onto public plazas, and four supporting systems buildings that provide power, ventilation, and egress for the station and the running tunnel portions of the line extension. This major infrastructure upgrade has spurred what is being called the largest development in the U.S.: Hudson Yards. More than 50 million square feet of development is anticipated.
An integral part of New York City Department of City Planning’s redevelopment plan for the far west side of Manhattan, the 34 Street-Hudson Yards Station exemplifies how modern transit facilities can be functional, aesthetically pleasing, and integrated into the fabric of the communities they serve.
In celebration of architecture, urban design, and New York City, we were honored to take part in this year’s Open House New York (OHNY) Weekend! From project tours to a behind-the-scenes look into our firm, Dattner Architects was excited to share our passion, commitment, and holistic approach to making our city better through distinctive and innovative design.
Tours
Every October, OHNY provides unprecedented access to more than 250 buildings and projects across New York City’s five boroughs. As part of that effort, we were proud to provide tours through some of our most high-profile and award-winning projects, including the Hub and the Manhattan Districts 1/2/5 Garage & Spring Street Salt Shed.
Team members from Dattner Architects led four tour groups through the Hub, our much-anticipated mixed-use residential building in Downtown Brooklyn. Winner of the Building Brooklyn Residential High-Rise Award – celebrating the best built and renovation buildings in the borough – the Hub is currently the tallest building in Brooklyn and features over 40,000 square feet of amenities.
The design team led visitors from the Hub’s lobby to the amenities floor and up to the penthouse and Sky Lounge. With floor-to-ceiling windows throughout the apartments, OHNY attendees were impressed with the expansive views of the New York Harbor and Manhattan skyline. From the 75-foot three-lane lap pool and the lushly landscaped sundeck to the media room and fully-equipped gym, the diversity of amenities was a hot topic of conversation. Overall, every group was excited and engaged, creating a relaxed and fun environment.
Back in Manhattan, overlooking the Hudson River, we were joined by WXY and NYC Department of Sanitation’s (DSNY) Assistant Chief Keith Mellis to tour OHNY Weekenders through the award-winning Manhattan Districts 1/2/5 Garage and Spring Street Salt Shed. These two iconic structures always elicit great enthusiasm from visitors, and it is rewarding for our designers to share in that passion while on these tours.
Moreover, the DSNY is a part of every New Yorker’s every day existence, but the garbage collection process is not well known to the public. Therefore, these tours not only serve as an opportunity for us to demonstrate the value of these infrastructure facilities and their presence in the community, but also for DSNY to explain their processes and workflow.
Open Studio at Dattner Architects
This year, OHNY provided access to not only projects, but also to studios and offices of some of the city’s leading architects and designers. On Sunday, October 14, we opened our doors to give visitors a behind-the-scenes look at how we approach civic architecture. From who we are and where we work to what we do and why we do it, our goal was to convey both our passion for architecture and our commitment to enriching the built environment.
Along our studio pin-up wall, we showcased a select group of works-in-progress, including 116th Precinct Station House, WSFSSH at West 108, and Scarsdale Public Library. In addition, the conference rooms exhibited our competition entries and award submissions, like our recently awarded Plasma Power: Getting to Zero Waste in the New Millennium.
October is here, and with that we are proud to celebrate Archtober as well as the annual Open House New York (OHNY) weekend! Dattner Architects will be providing behind-the-scenes access to two of our award winning projects as well as opening our doors to the public for a behind-the-scenes look into our firm and our works-in-progress.
Saturday, October 13
On Saturday, we will give tours of the Hub – currently Brooklyn’s tallest tower and home to 40,000 square feet of amenities atop a low-rise base of double-height retail spaces. Fostering a social lifestyle, amenities include a 75-foot year-round lap pool, a lushly landscaped sundeck and lawn, indoor and outdoor movie screens, a dog run, kids playroom, party room, and a Sky Lounge and terrace on the 53rd floor. Complementing the character of the neighborhood, the stepped profile of this 600-foot residential tower provides scale and articulation, while affording numerous corner windows throughout the apartments.
Sunday, October 14
Also sign up to tour the Manhattan Districts 1/2/5 Garage and Spring Street Salt Shed. Visitors will be guided through the garage, up to the green roof, and into the Salt Shed, providing a behind-the-scenes glimpse into what it takes to manage the city’s waste stream, and to keep our streets clean. Led by members from DSNY, Dattner Architects, and WXY, the tours will showcase how and why these infrastructure facilities have become two of the City’s newest iconic structures.
Join us in our office on Sunday anytime between the hours of 10:00am to 3:00pm! We will offer Open Access to OHNY Weekenders with an Open Studio tour and discussion, showcasing our commitment to enriching civic space and the urban experience through our process, projects, and social commitment. Select works-in-progress will be on view, and visitors will have an opportunity to gain insights into our firm culture, illustrating our dedication to industry involvement, professional development, philanthropy, and advocacy.
On September 26, Dattner Architects joined Columbia University and Renzo Piano Building Workshop for the opening of THE FORUM at Columbia University’s Manhattanville Campus. Serving as a welcoming and transparent gateway to the new 17-acre urban campus, the Forum provides much-needed educational and civic engagement space, supporting and further enhancing Columbia’s academic mission while providing a shared resource for students, faculty, and the local community at large.
Completing a triad of new buildings, the 56,000 square foot, glass-enclosed Forum is open to the public at the street level, echoing elements of the neighboring Jerome L. Greene Science Center and Lenfest Center. Complementary to the first two buildings, which are dedicated to science and the arts, respectively, the Forum adds communication and community into the fold – fundamental elements needed to establish and anchor the campus. Triangular in shape, this new academic conference center is a highly visible and iconic component of campus, comprised of 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, this multipurpose facility 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.
Designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop with Dattner Architects as Executive Architect and Caples Jefferson Architects as Associate Architect, the functions accommodated within dictate the building’s architectural vocabulary. 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 4,200 square foot café offers a casual place for light meals and conversation over coffee, and will also serve as a catering facility. The building’s 2,000 square foot ground floor lobby provides flexible space for a range of activities, from pop-up exhibits to University events, and other public gatherings. in addition to being designed to LEED Gold standards, the Forum is also part of a NYSERDA initiative.
Complementing the new campus’ connections between Columbia and its local community, the Forum serves both as a gateway to Manhattanville and a case study for how one of the city’s largest landowners can coexist with a community. Providing a public-facing alternative to the sequestered academic environments of the past, this open, collaborative urban campus is changing how the university researches, teaches, and communicates.
The Goldin at Essex Crossing has been named “Grand Winner” for Affordable Senior Housing in the 2018 Multifamily Executive (MFE) Awards!
“Affordable Apartments Serve as a Centerpiece of NYC Mixed-Use Project” - MFE
50 years ago, Seward Park Urban Renewal Area residents were forced to relocate due to the demolition of their buildings, making way for a supposed massive urban renewal project. Instead, the site remained vacant for decades. Now, Delancey Street Associates and Dattner Architects have come together to provide affordable senior housing, giving priority to the previous residents to come back and live at The Goldin at Essex Crossing – calling the area home once more.
Located on the Lower East Side (LES) of the city, the building is designed to cater to the needs of an aging population. Offering 99 one-bedroom units, 590 square feet to 620 square feet in size, for low-income seniors, the development’s podium is home to the 55,000-square-foot New York University Langone Joan H. and Preston Robert Tisch Center as well as a social-services provider, Grand Street Settlement, that offers “close-to-home” programming, engaging senior residents and community members in on-site activities. Integrated within the context of this community through both design and programming, the ground floor also includes retail space for small businesses, including the GrandLo Café, a social enterprise eatery that will provide jobs to local youths and offer programming focusing on business and entrepreneurial skills.
Named after longtime LES housing activist, Frances Goldin, the development is oriented so that residents may enjoy expansive views of the Manhattan skyline with rooftop gardens providing beautiful recreational space. The building includes solar panels to reduce the cost of the building’s electricity, and is designed to meet Enterprise Green Communities and NYSERDA requirements.
This densely programmed, versatile new building demonstrates what is possible, even on a modest budget, in providing high-quality housing, health care, job training, and community services in a single location. Redefining how people view senior housing, The Goldin at Essex Crossing offers a glimpse into this new development’s impact on the diverse tapestry of the Lower East Side.
A nationwide awards submission, the MFE Awards select the most innovative multifamily housing projects each year. From nearly 450 entries this year, MFE selected 28 developments, amenities, and programs – 17 Grand Winners and 11 Merit Winners – that showcase creativity, thoughtfulness, inventiveness, and exceptional design. Overall, the 2018 MFE Award winners define what it means to design and build communities to an unmatched standard. Each project helps to “reimagine an exciting, life-altering future for multifamily community design, investment, development, and management.”
Dattner Architects' Principal John Woelfling AIA, LEED AP, CPHT co-led a panel discussion at the 13th Annual North American Passive House Conference (NAPHC) in Boston, Massachusetts. Held on September 22, the panel focused on the design and construction solutions that have been developed for a large-scale, mixed-use passive house project, 425 Grand Concourse, in the South Bronx. As Principal-in-Charge of the project, John represented the design team and spoke alongside Christoph Stump from Trinity Financial.
Presenting the importance of a multi-disciplinary approach to developing an integrated passive house design, John and Christoph identified some of the complexities and constructability issues related to high-rise passive house construction and potential solutions derived from this project. One of the largest Passive House projects in North America, this large-scale, mixed-use project is the result of an integrated and collaborative process that considered the perspectives of the developer/owner, primary design disciplines, contractor, and the future community/residents.
Named one of the country's most Innovative 72 design firms by Building Design + Construction, Dattner Architects has a long-standing commitment to sustainable design characterized by a flexible, project-specific approach that combines passive and low-tech solutions with more active systems, analysis, and controls.
NAPHC is presented by Passive House Institute US in partnership with Passive House Alliance US. The leading passive building conference for climate-specific zero energy design, construction, and building science expertise, conference attendees get real-world case studies on projects ranging from single family homes to high-rises, the latest on mechanical systems, building science, and construction details.
Rethinking the Future (RTF), an organization “born from the idea of creating a new window on international trends in architecture and design that looks on to the solutions for the need of the era,” selected the winners of their new awards program, Global Architecture & Design Award. Focused on recognizing innovation in architecture and design that meets human needs while preserving the environment, we are proud to announce that our concept, “Plasma Power: Getting to Zero Waste in the New Millennium,” was chosen among 748 projects from over 50 countries in the Public Building Concept category.
Our concept employs architecture, design, and education to address the on-going challenge of reducing urban waste. Over the years, cities have developed solutions to the problem of waste disposal by recycling, composting, and converting garbage into alternate energy. While these measure offset some of the pollution, there is still more work that can be done. Our design creates a new municipal prototype that utilizes advancing technology by converting trash into a synthesis gas.
Integrated into the urban waterfront, the waste processing equipment is concentrated in a circular plan to minimize its footprint. A perforated mesh skin visually hides the truck ramp and conveyor areas, providing safety to visitors and restricting access of unauthorized personnel. Visitors may wander and explore the spiral walkway leading to the rooftop park. Here one can view the processing of waste in a series of “hives” enclosing the largest pieces of equipment. This new waste system is not only a benefit to the environment but also provides a new park to urban neighborhoods.
In the Global Architecture award, we explored how three cities could apply Plasma Power Technology:
New York City. Today, only 25% of NYC’s solid waste is recycled or composted. To meet its Zero Waste goal in 2030, Plasma Plants will replace the City’s existing Five Marine Transfer Stations that now ship trash to landfills.
Oslo. Norway is already a leader in waste to energy conversion and imports trash on the international market as source of fuel. A Plasma Plant on the Oslowaterfront will complement a conventional waste to energy operation in Klemetsrud, in the city suburbs.
Tokyo Bay. Densely populated Japan has been a pioneer of trash based land creation in Tokyo and other port cities. A plasma plant on an existing artificial Island in the Tokyo Baywill be integrated into the Umi-No-Mori public park now under construction.
Entries were carefully evaluated across 30 different categories by a team of international experts from different facets of our industry. Check out the inspiring winning projects here!
“These projects demonstrate how design can make a positive impact on communities around the world. Each geographic place needs architects dedicated to understanding the challenges and opportunities latent in the physical world around them. The best of these designs tapped into this significant understanding of place and transformed the places to better connect, stimulate, and challenge the people around them.” –Juror, Sven Shockey | Vice President | Design Director | SmithGroup
As part of Building Design+Construction (BD+C)’s Giants 300 Report, Dattner Architects is proud to be recognized as one of the country’s top architecture firms!
As a known leader in the design of multi-family housing, and acknowledged as number 18 out of 150 in the multi-family housing sector, much of our success comes from our determination to create sustainable, safe, and holistic designs for so many diverse users, and our commitment to understanding and integrating evolving sector trends and design technologies. Our work is a testament to our passion for design excellence coupled with collaborating with clients and design teams that hold the same values. Currently, we are working on three of the country’s largest multi-family passive house projects, each of which incorporate vital affordable housing, and earlier in the year, we saw the realization of two projects helping to define the growing Downtown Brooklyn Neighborhood, the neighborhoods tallest tower, the Hub, and the more recent Caesura, a respite within the heart of the neighborhood.
Included among the top Healthcare design firms, our healthcare portfolio has steadily grown for over 20 years. Within the past year, we are proud to have worked with so many new and existing clients, designing facilities that support community health and wellness, compliment larger institution missions, and provide each patient with a positive experience. Currently working on a number of diverse projects in this sector, we enjoy a close collaboration with doctors, nurses, and administrators where we can best develop a tailored program and plan for each project, that supports their unique program values.
We are also proud to be identified as one of the country’s leading university architecture firms. Our approach to higher education work begins by considering how design can improve learning outcomes for each individual institution. Understanding, first, the overall goal of retaining students, maximizing learning, and ensuring each student’s successful and gratifying advancement, we seek to create designs that achieve these goals and embody each university’s individual culture and structure. While much of our higher education work is currently in progress, one of our most notable projects, the Columbia University Forum & Academic Conference Center, with Renzo Piano, is set to open this fall. Forming the gateway to Columbia University’s Manhattanville Campus, the academic conference center is intended to encourage and support opportunities for collaboration across disciplines and interactions between the University, the local community, and the professional world.
We believe that Architecture is an integral part of society, and the practice of architecture can and should be considered a social practice, focused on design through equity and inclusion. Good design does not stop at aesthetics and form for one idealized user – good design creates spaces of open access, and advocates for spatial justice and the right to the city – from affordable housing, to equal education and healthcare, to equitable transportation options, and more.
With bicycle ridership on the rise, bike storage rooms and kitchens are fast becoming a popular amenity in multi-family housing projects. Featured in a recent article by Building Design + Construction, Caesura is one of the latest residential developments to include a modern bike storage room. The space includes racks that stack bikes vertically, a key space-saving space element, as well as a tire pump and bike repair station.
Caesura is a new dynamic 12-story, mixed-use building located in the heart of the Downtown Brooklyn Cultural District – anchoring a key corner of Lafayette Avenue and Ashland Place, across from the BAM Opera House, Theater for a New Audience, and Arts Plaza. With so much to see and do, Caesura residents can easily explore their vibrant neighborhood by bike with the added convenience and security of a bike room at home.
Dattner Architects’ Principal Richard Dattner FAIA was recently honored with the MIT Architecture Alumni Civic Design Award.
Richard received his Bachelor of Architecture from MIT in 1960, and founded Dattner Architects in 1964. At the 150 Years of Architecture at MIT New York City Reception, J. Meejin Yoon (Department Head & Professor, Department of Architecture, MIT) recognized Richard with a powerful address:
“[Richard’s] family fled Poland in 1940 and moved through Italy and Cuba before landing in the United States… growing up in Buffalo before coming to MIT. He founded his practice just four years after graduation – well known for his playgrounds, and housing projects – he stayed committed to working in the public sector even when federal funds reduced. NY Times architecture critic Herbert Muschamp remarked that Dattner deserves a ticker tape parade up Broadway for his willingness to ‘endure the often brutal process of working for a government agency.’ His practice has built much of the public structures of contemporary New York – everything from public schools across the boroughs, to parks, to sewage treatment plants, transportation stations, and public energy utilities and service buildings.
In his celebration of the everyday, place-making, respect for context, economy of means, concern for the user, and attention to materials and structure, he has worked to make better the world quite literally one playground, one park, and one civic structure at a time.”
Richard’s leadership is invaluable. Always there to teach, encourage, and guide, he is at the forefront of what we do at Dattner Architects. We are proud that MIT has recognized his vision and accomplishments with this award!
Dattner Architects is proud to announce that Hub has won the 2018 Building Brooklyn Residential High-Rise Award!
Hub is a dynamic presence on the Brooklyn skyline and it brings vitality and urban appeal to what was the site of a former parking lot and office building. The building’s ground floor retail on Schermerhorn and Livingston Streets, plus its dynamic three-story retail wing on Flatbush Avenue, creates a vibrant, engaging street presence for pedestrians and those who live and work in the neighborhood. The building’s sought-after location at 333 Schermerhorn Street is accessible to the area’s energetic cultural centers, eateries, and transportation.
Comprised of studio, one-, and two-bedroom apartments with 9’-10’+ ceiling heights, the soaring residential tower provides 750 apartments, 150 of which are affordable units. Each of the 50+ layouts are fine-tuned to create efficient, yet individualized residences – many with floor-to-ceiling windows and stunning views of the New York Harbor and Manhattan skyline. Apartment finishes include custom Italian cabinetry, solar shades, and five-inch wide oak wood flooring throughout. The stepped profile of the 600-foot high tower recalls the timeless skyscrapers of the 1920s and 30s with a contemporary expression. Horizontal and vertical stepping articulates the tower, while affording numerous corner windows throughout the apartments.
Boasting 40,000 square feet of amenities, Hub invites residents to participate in programming at Club 333. Featuring a robust calendar of events, programming often includes neighborhood partners and local businesses, and encourages tenants to get more involved with or give back to their surrounding Downtown Brooklyn community.
An annual event, Building Brooklyn Awards celebrate the best built and renovation projects that enrich Brooklyn’s neighborhoods. The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce will recognize the winners at an Awards Program and Cocktail Reception on August 1st at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge.
On Saturday, June 23rd, Dattner Architects gave Open House New York (OHNY) tour attendees an insider’s look of the much-anticipated mixed-use residential development, Hub, as part of OHNY’s Making Place: Downtown Brooklyn program.
Recently honored with a Building Brooklyn Award, which celebrates the best built and renovation projects in the borough, the Hub is a project of superlatives — the tallest building in Brooklyn and the building with the most amenities in a neighborhood full of new developments clamoring to be the best in category. Juliet Cullen-Cheung, President of Steiner NYC, the project developer, was there to talk about the project goals and aspirations including how they sought to create an inviting, social building. With an ambitious goal of showing the attendees a little bit of everything, the Dattner design team led the group from the lobby through 40,000 square feet of amenities and up to several model units including a 53rd floor penthouse unit — showing off all the unique design features at the Hub from the heroic exposed concrete core with shattered glass elevator lobby, the 12 foot tall frameless glass wall in the amenities lounge that allows you to see straight into and through the pool area to the expansive terrace beyond, and the obstruction-free views from the corner apartments which comprise 70% of the units.
Dattner Architects also gave OHNY tour attendees a behind-the-scenes look into Caesura – a 12-story mixed-use residential building in the heart of the Downtown Brooklyn Cultural District and just a few blocks away from Hub. The tour included Bernheimer Architecture and discussed the history of the site, project context, and architectural design approach. The Dattner design team then led the group from the lobby to the model micro-unit on the fifth floor – showcasing flexible, convertible furniture, including a sofa and shelving unit that converts to a bed to optimize the living space. Tour attendees were also taken through the game room/common room, conservatory, and ended at the roof terrace, featuring bench seating, a grilling area, and vast views of Downtown Brooklyn.
Last week was an exciting week for design and a rewarding week for Dattner Architects! In celebration of the 2018 AIA Conference on Architecture (A’18) hosted in New York City, we were honored to take part in welcoming the design community to our “hometown.” From project tours and panel discussions to a behind-the-scenes look into our office, Dattner Architects shared our passion for civic architecture with locals and visitors alike.
Tours
As part of the conference’s nearly 100 architect-led tours throughout New York City, we were proud to provide tours through some of our high-profile and award-winning projects, including the new 34 Street – Hudson Yards Station, Manhattan Districts 1/2/5 Garage & Spring Street Salt Shed, Battery Park City Parks Conservancy Maintenance Facility, and Via Verde – The Green Way.
Team members from Dattner Architects, MTA Capital Construction (MTA CC), MTA Arts & Design, and Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates led four tour groups through the new Hudson Yards Station and surrounding Hudson Park. An integral part of the City’s redevelopment plan for the far west side of Manhattan, and the City’s first subway line extension in over 40 years, the mega project was completed on time and under budget – as noted by Vice President of MTA CC, Mark Schiffman PE, Esq. during the tour. A true testament to the project, similarities between the success of the project and the success of the tours were evident – as both were the result of a well-orchestrated collaboration among MTA CC and the design team.
Further downtown, overlooking the Hudson River, we were joined by NYC Department of Sanitation’s (DSNY) Assistant Chief Keith Mellis and toured visitors through the award-winning Manhattan Districts 1/2/5 Garage and Spring Street Salt Shed. These facilities are two of the City’s newest iconic structures; they have been embraced by their West Village community and become archi-tourist destinations. Visitors got a behind-the-scenes look into the vital functions of these important community infrastructure facilities, and heard from Dattner Architects and WXY team members on how applied design excellence can innovate, inspire, and exceed client expectations.
Project Manager for both projects, Dattner Architects’ Associate Principal Gia Mainiero AIA, LEED AP BD+C was thrilled with the outcome of the tours. “It was invigorating to discuss the design and sustainable features of the M125 Garage and Salt Shed with architects from across the country and share our enthusiasm for DSNY’s approach to keeping the dense streets of NYC clean in all seasons. Between the breezy view across the green roof in full bloom, to the view from the driver’s seat of a collection truck, we hope each visitor left with a new perspective on how great design can enliven workplaces and communities.”
A vital component to the Battery Park City community, the Battery Park City Parks Conservancy Maintenance Facility (BPCPCMF) reflects the vision of a service facility whose operations are as fully transparent to the community as their outdoor operations. An ideal case study in the Zero Waste Design Guidelines, BPCPCMF features a unique centralized compactor that can be used by other buildings in the surrounding area, therefore helping to reduce waste in Battery Park City. John Woelfling AIA, LEED AP, CPHT, Principal-in-Charge of the LEED Platimum building, was able to lead visitors through the facility while it was in operation.
From the 1970’s to current day, the Bronx has undergone much turmoil and change, becoming one of the fastest growing communities in the state of New York. The A’18 tour “Bronx Rising” invited visitors on an exploration of some of the borough’s most transformative projects, starting with our project, Via Verde – The Green Way, in the South Bronx. A model for future development locally, regionally, and beyond, Via Verde set a new standard for sustainable, urban housing. The winning entry in the International New Housing New York Legacy Competition, this new affordable residential development was designed by Dattner Architects and Grimshaw and developed by Phipps Houses and Jonathan Rose Companies. Dattner Architects' Principal William Stein FAIA noted how engaged and informed the tour groups were as attendees from across the country remarked on the powerful impact of the interconnection between the gardens and the buildings.
M125 Garage and Salt Shed wins AIA National Honor Architecture Award
Winner of the 2018 Institute Honor Awards for Architecture, the M125 Garage and Salt Shed was formally recognized at the Honors & Awards Reception on June 21st at the Whitney Museum of American Art. One of the most prestigious awards in the architecture industry, Honor Awards celebrate the highest level of design excellence. Dattner Architects’ Principal Paul Bauer AIA, LEED AP and WXY Founding Partner Claire Weisz FAIA were recognized at the ceremony.
Open Studio at Dattner Architects
To welcome this year’s AIA Conference attendees and industry colleagues, Dattner Architects opened our doors to give a behind-the-scenes look at how we approach civic architecture. From who we are to what we do to why we do it, the goal was to convey what makes our firm mission-driven.
Along our studio pin-up wall, we showcased a select group of works-in-progress, projects from schematic design to construction phases including 425 Grand Concourse, slated to be the largest Passive House building in NYC; Scarsdale Public Library, an expansion and modernization of an existing library building; and NYPD Precinct 116, designed as a civic connector. In addition, the conference rooms exhibited our competition entries and award submissions, like our proposal for an equitable transit network in the recent Urban Design Call for Ideas.
As part of this AIA Open Studio event, and in the spirit of collaboration, we asked visitors to share their thoughts with us. Dotted throughout the office we posed questions like “Who are the stakeholders?” and “What keeps you up at night?” Visitors participated by jotting down their thoughts and posting it on the wall. To highlight our firm culture, words representing the spirit of our firm were displayed across the studio spaces – advocate, enrich, and educate to name a few. As visitors parted, we shared custom stickers designed as part of a charrette-style in-house competition and encouraged them to commemorate their visit by taking a selfie in our photo booth.
Design Snapshots: Award-Winning Civic Projects
Dattner Architects’ Principal Paul Bauer AIA, LEED AP and WXY Founding Partner Claire Weisz FAIA spoke at the A’18 Design Snapshots: Award-Winning Civic Projects. During the panel, Paul and Claire shared their insights into how the M125 Garage and Salt Shed reflect a commitment to civic expression and sensitivity to urban context, discussing the challenges and solutions that created what is now an iconic source of neighborhood pride.
College of Fellows Investiture Ceremony
Earlier this year, the American Institute of Architects elevated 152 members to its prestigious College of Fellows, including recently retired Dattner Architects' Principal Joseph Coppola FAIA. The highest membership honor in the society, members are recognized for their significant contributions to the architecture profession.
The Class of 2018 were welcomed into the College of Fellows during an investiture ceremony held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Friday, June 22nd. Of the 152 new fellows, a record 28 are from the New York Chapter. Each person received the fellowship medal and were congratulated by family, colleagues, and friends as the procession moved along the main aisle and through the front doors of the cathedral.
The Center for Architecture is currently featuring Designing Waste: Strategies for a Zero Waste City, an exhibition based on the Zero Waste Design Guidelines. Open throughout the summer, this exhibition gives visitors an opportunity to discover how the city manages waste in buildings and neighborhoods, and how design can help reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfills.
Kicking off the Summer Exhibition, the June 16th Designing Waste Symposium examined how architects, designers, and building professionals can help New York City reduce waste, focusing on the segment of the waste stream: the period between when waste is discarded and when it rolls away on the back of a truck. Dattner Architects’ Principal, John Woelfling, joined the symposium to discuss the Battery Park City Parks Conservancy Maintenance Facility (BPCPCMF) and the strategic design of the building to reduce waste in Battery Park City.
Designed by Dattner Architects, the BPCPCMF presents an ideal Case Study in the Zero Waste Design Guidelines. The BPCPCMF vertically organizes Battery Park City Parks Conservancy’s extensive maintenance activities within the first four floors of a high-rise residential building, while also providing offices for a staff of over 100, classrooms for community workshops, truck and bicycle storage, composting areas, and high/low density storage. The facility features a unique Centralized Compactor that can be used by other buildings in the surrounding area. Instead of piling bags of refuse on the sidewalk for pickup, porters now deliver bags to a shared compactor each day. Not only has this strategy addressed neighborhood waste issues, but it also has been very popular with porters and an example that can be applied in other communities.
In concurrence with these zero waste initiatives, AIA NY and the Durst Organization have launched the Zero Waste Challenge. A call to action for all architecture firms to reduce their waste generation and increase recycling in their offices. Participation includes benchmarking waste generation, creating a new waste management plan, performing waste assessments, and reporting on final improvements in October.
With a new wave of development reshaping Downtown Brooklyn, Open House New York’s (OHNY) Downtown Brooklyn Tour will take people behind the scenes of more than a dozen buildings and sites, including Dattner Architects’ Hub and Caesura!
Currently the tallest building in Brooklyn, Hub is a new 55-story skyscraper at the nexus of Boerum Hill, Fort Greene, Park Slope, and Downtown Brooklyn. The building comprises a soaring residential tower with 750 apartments, 150 of which are affordable units. Conceived as an extension of your home, Hub’s 40,000 square feet of amenities foster a social lifestyle where residents can relax, eat, work, socialize, and play.
Woven into the vibrant Downtown Brooklyn Cultural District, Caesura is a 12-story mixed-use building, whose design responds in scale and materiality to the historic Brooklyn Academy of Music Opera House across the street, while playing off the much taller, glassier high-rise buildings on surrounding sites. Anchoring a key corner of Lafayette Avenue and Ashland Place – just across from the BAM Opera House – Caesura provides a mix of 123 affordable and market-rate apartments and will be home to the Center for Fiction and rehearsal studios for the Mark Morris Dance Center.
To kick off the day, visitors are invited to join a panel discussion, Making Place: Downtown Brooklyn, at 10:30 AM describing the past and future of the neighborhood. Following the panel, architects, designers, and developers will offer tours of the area’s newest buildings as well as longtime institutions that have helped to shape this important neighborhood. The day will end with a closing reception and happy hour at BKLYN STUDIOS at City Point, from 4:00PM-6PM
10:30AM Discussion will feature the following panelists:
Zev Greenfield, Executive Director, ISSUE Project Room
Regina Myer, President, Downtown Brooklyn Partnership
Timothy Quinlan, Principal, Quinlan Development
Gustavo Rodriguez, Design Director, FXCollaborative
Paul Travis, Founder and Managing Partner, Washington Square Partners
12:00PM-4PM, Participating Sites & Tours:
300 Ashland
The Ashland
Bade Stageberg Cox Architecture
Bernheimer Architecture
BRIC
Brooklyn Academy of Music
Brooklyn Point Sales + Design Gallery
Brooklyn Strand Action Plan
Caesura
City Point/7 Dekalb
Dime Savings Bank of Brooklyn/9 DeKalb
Hub
ISSUE Project Room
New York Transit Museum
Polonsky Shakespeare Center
The Schermerhorn
State Street Townhouses
Think! Architecture
UrbanGlass
W Architecture and Landscape Architecture
The architecture and design event of 2018 is happening right here in New York City! On June 21-23, the AIA Conference on Architecture (A’18) will be hosted at the Javits Center in Midtown Manhattan. Featuring over 350 sessions and 100 tours, A’18 will bring our nation’s most creative architects, designers, and firms together to share how they are making a difference in their communities.
From offering tours of our high-profile award-wining projects and speaking at the world-renowned Javits Center, to hosting a behind-the-scenes look into our office during our Open Studio, Dattner Architects is taking an active role in welcoming the design community to our City.
Join Us!
Tours
On June 20th, take a tour through some of our projects, including Manhattan 1/2/5 Garage and Salt Shed, Number 7 Line Extension at 34st Hudson Yards, Via Verde – The Green Way, and BPCPC Maintenance Facility.
Open Studio
Conveniently located just a few blocks away from the Javits Center, we will be hosting an Open Studio on June 22nd. Everyone is invited! Join your peers, bring a friend, and come by our office for an exciting and interactive afternoon of learning and camaraderie!
Panel Presentation
Join our Principal Paul Bauer AIA, LEED AP as he speaks during the Design Snapshots: Award-Winning Civic Projects panel on June 23rd, providing insight into how the Manhattan 1/2/5 Garage and Salt Shed – iconic sources of neighborhood pride – reflect a commitment to civic expression and sensitivity to urban context.
With one in five children in New York City facing hunger, Dattner Architects joined City Harvest’s "Skip Lunch, Fight Hunger" – a citywide campaign to help feed hungry children and their families in New York City.
To fundraise, we planned two special events: a Corn Hole Tournament with raffle prizes, and a Bake Sale. Raffle prizes and baked goods were generously donated by our talented employees and their friends and families.
Between online donations and the money donated through the Corn Hole Tournament, raffle tickets, and Bake Sale, we raised $1,521.50. With the Dattner Architects firm match of $500, plus an additional $500 match from the Cowin Foundation for being one of the first firms to raise $500, our total donation to City Harvest came to $2,521.50!
Every dollar donated helps City Harvest rescue good food that would otherwise go to waste and deliver it to soup kitchens, food pantries, and other community food programs that families in our city turn to for help. One $15 lunch can feed 60 children.
City Harvest has always been here to help feed New Yorkers in need, and now their work is more important than ever. Thank you to our staff, friends, family, and industry colleagues for participating in both of our events and helping us make sure no children in our city go hungry.
Over the past week, we have introduced the importance of infrastructure as a vital support system for all urban environments; how resilient design is to ensuring a lasting future for these systems; network-thinking to strengthen connectivity; and how a modern metropolis cannot live and sustainably grow without safe and fast transit infrastructure networks. Each of these points are imperative to the development of urban infrastructure, however, without access to these systems for all people, the point is moot. Access for All – People need transportation to live their daily lives – to get to work, school, recreation, and to access vital medical services. How do we physically approach and move through our built environment?
At the broadest level, accessible design is concerned with designing for diversity and equity. It’s about improving our access, not limiting it. There are accessibility laws which establish requirements and a baseline level of protection for people with disabilities*, but beyond this, an expanded approach examines an environment that can be much more, when we focus our attention on improving function for a large range of people. Accessible design allows a higher quality of life for all people.
How do we accomplish this? Create equitable paths. Make circulation which is simple and intuitive. Ensuring perceptible information. Allow sufficient size and space for Approach and Use.
Within our existing infrastructure and public transportation systems, this can be particularly challenging. There are the physical issues of dealing with environments built before accessibility was of concern; barriers, space availability, and reliability.
Critical, heavily-trafficked stations, built over a century ago, are often still in heavy use today. Such was the case at 59th Street-Columbus Circle station. By threading-the-needle of elevator shafts between these layers of history, infrastructure, and utilities, we can create these accessible paths, both vertically and horizontally, developing important station nodes, providing a sense of place, and facilitating wayfinding for all passengers.
At the new Hudson Yards - 34 Street Station, the path of the Inclined Elevator (the transit system’s first glass-enclosed inclined elevator) runs aligned with the main path of circulation, adjacent to available escalators promoting visual connection and safety and creating an equitable path in travel distance as well as landing at similar levels of the station.
As this 6th annual National Infrastructure Week comes to a close, we’ll continue to apply these principals of Resilience, Connectivity, Constructability, and Accessibility into our existing built environment, future infrastructure, and beyond.
*Accessibility laws, such as the Architectural Barriers Act (1968), Section 504 of The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Fair Housing Act Amendments (1988), and the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990).
Thursday, May 17th, Dattner Architects joined Stanley Commons LLC, Kretchmer Companies, ELH Management, Galaxy General Contracting, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Assembly Member Charles Barron, Council Member Inez Barron, and partnering community leaders for the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at the Stanley Commons Development and Community Center, aka Prince Joshua Avitto Community Center.
Operated by the non-profit organization, Good Shepherd Services, and Man Up!, a community-based social services organization, the two-story, 20,750 square foot Prince Joshua Avitto Community Center is named in honor of a six-year-old local boy who was killed in 2014. This new state-of-the-art community center will serve over 1,000 East New York youth and families annually and offers after-school and summer day programs, a mentoring program, and college access programming as well as a college-sized gymnasium, multipurpose rooms, a full kitchen, computer lab, sound booth, game room, and offices.
A central, open staircase connects the center’s lobby and multipurpose game room on the ground floor with the main classrooms on the second floor. The wide public corridor at the second floor is configured to wrap the double-height gymnasium and incorporates glazing that looks onto the gymnasium below. Windows are provided at various heights and widths to invite a sense of play and provides areas for different sized groups to informally gather and engage. This visual connectivity between the participants echoes the primary design elements of the residential buildings – with the expressed and open staircases enabling connections both within and without.
Prince Joshua Avitto Community Center will also offer services to families transitioning from homelessness to permanent housing, and will house Single Stop – a non-profit organization providing resources, including legal assistance and counseling, to families and recent immigrants.
Stanley Commons is the result of a partnership between the NYC Housing Authority, NYC Department of Housing Preservation, and a private development team. This development offers affordable rental opportunities and helps knit together the urban context of this growing East New York neighborhood. Providing 240 affordable apartments across seven low- and mid-rise buildings, the development’s green spaces, intimate private streets, and expressed vertical circulation elements create a safe and welcoming atmosphere for residents, including formerly homeless veterans who now have a place to call home.
During this ribbon cutting ceremony, Mayor Bill de Blasio reflected on the opening of the new facility and its meaning to the community.
"Here is a great example of a lot of people stepping up to honor this family, to honor this community, to do something that would make a change, to do something for the hundreds and thousands of young children today and in the future, for the Prince Joshua’s we will get to know, the young people who will be here and will be our future who will experience this. This will be the environment they learn and grow in, that they will enjoy, they will feel empowered by." – Mayor Bill de Blasio
We are proud to design spaces that help create a safe space for youth, families, and communities to engage and live independently.
Today, a modern metropolis cannot live and sustainably grow without safe and fast transit infrastructure networks. In fact, no modern-day city could have evolved into what it is today without the most efficient transportation mode to move people: trains.
The Number 7 Subway Line Extension to the Far West Side of Manhattan is a great example of how adding a train connection can "disrupt" and transform a once underutilized and detached neighborhood, turning it into the fastest growing part of the City, spurring the development of new commercial and residential construction. The redevelopment of the Hudson Yards District – until recently the last under-developed, large-scale part of Manhattan suitable for high rise urban redevelopment – would not be possible without connecting to New York City’s subway system.
Large-scale transportation and infrastructure projects transform civic space and urban environments and require creativity, sensitivity, and collaboration. As the lead architect on the WSP team, Dattner Architects designed 34th St Hudson Yards Station and five Systems Buildings along the subway extension. As the first new subway station built in New York City in over 50 years, our design team reflected at length on the question: How should a modern subway station and its supporting buildings be planned, designed, and implemented to integrate successfully into the City of today? And what we discovered was how to define constructability for these vital projects...
Safety. The 34th Street Hudson Yards Station is approximately 125-foot of depth – one of the deepest in the NYCT’s subway system – 34th Street Hudson Yards Station addresses strict passenger safety and comfort requirements. In order to meet the NFPA-130 requirements regarding smoke control and two-minute station evacuation time, the Station is supported by two Systems Buildings located at each end of the Station, each housing four, three-story high fans. These 400hp fans are part of the large push-and-pull ventilation system which – in case of fire – will push fresh air into the Station through the shafts of the Systems Building located near one end of the Station and remove the smoke (pull) through the shafts of the Systems Building located at the other end of the Station.
Sensitivity and Future Planning. Due to the size of the fans and other mechanical and electrical equipment required to run the subway trains, the Station, Station Entrance, and the supporting Systems Buildings are relatively large structures that take a lot of space. As the land in Manhattan is expensive and limited, the Station was designed to allow for integration and overbuild. While the Station and vast majority of the connecting tunnels are located deep underground, the Station Entrance is integrated with the Hudson Yards Boulevard Park and the Systems Buildings will be fully overbuilt and integrated into the Developer’s Towers and eventually disappear from the City’s streetscape.
Collaboration. This complex planning and design approach required a commitment to coordination among architects and engineers and with MTA Capital Construction, New York City Transit, various State and City’s agencies, the Developers, and Contractors. The Site J Systems Building located at North side of 33rd Street, which for a short period of time was a free-standing building, has already became an integral part of the 55 Hudson Yards Tower form. The building was designed to receive structural load of the future 55 Hudson Yards Tower. The tunnels that house escalators and Inclined Elevators and connect the 34th Street Hudson Yards Station Upper Mezzanine with the Lower Mezzanine were appropriately spaced to allow for the Tower’s caissons foundation. The building was set back from the property line just enough to allow for future recladding of the façade that is successfully happening right now.
Grounded by Safety, Sensitivity and Future Planning, and Collaboration, objectives vital to the project's constructability, this new station is one to be proud of and an important beginning for one of Manhattan's newest neighborhoods... "This beautiful new station is just the beginning of the enhanced service the hundreds of thousands of customers on the 7 Line will see in the future,” James L. Ferrara, Interim President of MTA NYCT.
Architects are famously known for resolving spaces according to geometric or aesthetic principals. To this end, we’ve honed our abilities with certain design tools, computer software, and thought processes that lend themselves to this compartmentalized way of thinking about the built environment. However, when it comes to the urban environment, there is tremendous power in thinking about its structure and organization as a system of interconnected and interdependent networks. Network-thinking emphasizes the importance of the relationships between multiple sites and gives consideration to the fact that small shifts in balance or orientation of a single component can have enormous effects throughout the rest of the system. This way of thinking reveals the importance of the connections themselves – the infrastructure – between the various components.
Connectivity is a central concept for our recent winning entry for the Master Plan Design Competition for LaGuardia Airport. Our entry, titled Port LaGuardia reconceives the airport as a fully integrated transportation center that acts as a flow-through portal, rather than the terminus of a journey. Through a number of strategic moves, we proposed a seamless, multi-modal connection to the LaGuardia airport, employing existing and new modes of transportation – with a focus on the traveler’s experience. Approaching the challenge through the lens of connectivity, PORT LAGUARDIA channels the flow of people, goods, and services through the most congested airspace in the nation to a regional multi-modal ground transportation network. The airport terminal becomes a component of a complex multi-modal network that includes a new multilevel circulation spine. The result is an efficient, world-class system, and a welcoming gateway to the city and region.
When we design infrastructure spaces and facilities, we think about them in terms of how they fit into the physical framework, as well as how they contribute to the experiential framework of the city. For example, our approach to designing transportation facilities, like the Hudson Yards – 34 Street Station, carefully considers both the required passenger and vehicular flow as well as the human interactions and the passengers’ experience. The station entrances are integrated into a new 3-block-long park and are graced with brilliant public art. Inside the station, the passenger is intuitively guided through the sequence of spaces and experiences to provide the connection from Street Level to the Platform 120 feet below. The brightly-lit column-free station platform and mezzanine, as well as the awe-inspiring 80-foot-high escalator and inclined elevator tunnels contribute to the quality of the passenger’s experience – as evidenced by the public’s overwhelming response upon the station opening! In terms of connectivity, the station’s impact reaches far beyond its entrances in the park – it has spurred the incredible redevelopment of the Far West Side of Manhattan. Similarly, in designing the Manhattan Districts 1/2/5 Garage and Salt Shed – a “Not In My Back Yard” building type – we thought about how to marry the facility with the neighborhood – the result is a sculptural landmark, much-loved by the community. The facility also has a complex program as a critical component of the city’s sanitation and snow removal network. We used the architecture to turn a NIMBY into a YIMBY!
As our cities continue to expand and grow, both in size and complexity, our approach to designing the buildings that make-up the urban framework – the infrastructure – will need to evolve. In many cases, these are structures and uses that communities think of as undesirable. The challenge to Architects and Urban Designers is to design – not just for the client’s and the public’s acceptance – but rather for the possibility of strengthening people’s connection to the building, to the city, to the Earth, and to each other.
Thank you to everyone who came out to join us last night for an exciting evening of Passive House discussion and sustainable building trivia as part of the NYC Ice Box Challenge!
Moderated by the Passive House experts from Steven Winter Associates, attendees tested their knowledge of the Passive House history and standards to win prizes. Following trivia, Dattner Architects' John Woelfling joined Christopher Hamm from Steven Winter Associates, and Mark Ginsberg from Curtis + Ginsberg Architects LLP, to present on the state of Passive House as it relates to multifamily buildings in New York City.
Overview
While the Passive House standard is based on simple concepts, achieving certification for large multifamily buildings in New York City is no easy task. Dattner Architects’ Principal John Woelfling and Mark Ginsberg of Curtis + Ginsberg Architects–each with experience working on more than a dozen Passive House projects at many scales throughout the City–presented their own unique challenges and lessons learned, along with an introduction to the Passive House standard in NYC by Steven Winter Associates.
About the Speakers
John Woelfling AIA, LEED AP, CPHT, Principal, Dattner Architects
John’s work is driven by the belief that architecture should be sensitive to the environment. His involvement in woodworking, carpentry, and construction have instilled in him a passion for the hands-on aspect of the architectural process, as well as a sense for practicality and an understanding of materiality. Whether directing a design team, spearheading AIA 2030 Commitment efforts, leading the firm’s Sustainable Practice Group, or incorporating Passive House design into the firm’s projects, his focus on sustainable design practices is guided by proactive education of evolving green technologies and incorporating them into his design work.
Mark Ginsberg FAIA, LEED AP, Principal, Curtis + Ginsberg Architects
Mark Ginsberg, a native New Yorker, is a partner of Curtis + Ginsberg Architects LLP with over 33 years of professional experience in planning, urban design, institutional and housing projects. His expertise in affordable and mixed income housing, resiliency and green design has been recognized through his many lectures at national and local conferences and meetings. Mark has led C+GA’s efforts on developments that comprise well over 10,000 units of housing, most of which are affordable and sustainable.
About the Ice Box Challenge
The Ice Box Challenge was created in Brussels and brought to New York City to celebrate the environmental leadership in both cities, and to commemorate Brussels Days - an annual series of activities to promote the Brussels-Capital Region. It is made possible by the Brussels-Capital Region and Brussels Invest & Export / hub.brussels, organized with NYC Mayor's Office of Sustainability and the Building Energy Exchange, and partnered with New York Passive House among many other local organizations.
This year in New York City, the Ice Box Challenge is a contest and an experiment to demonstrate how a home can be super energy efficient AND comfortable. The Ice Boxes are left outside in the sun for a month. When they are opened, the amount of ice left in each box will be measured. How much ice is left shows how well each Ice Box keeps out the summer heat. Better building design can help us reduce our carbon pollution without changing our behavior. Energy-efficient homes are comfortable, quiet, and healthy.
As we continue to see mounting indications of climate change, New York City, like other densifying cities, will need to further expand on its responses and fortify its resilience through the built environment. The region’s current weaknesses become especially apparent in public infrastructural applications that tend to be more exposed to the elements, providing service to large quantities of residents and businesses. This applies most discernably to transit, however, the term infrastructure also refers to other urban necessities with seemingly less public interface, such as those structures that provide power to homes, businesses, and transportation networks; garages that facilitate public service; and service centers that act as dispatch hubs in emergencies.
Through the planning of new facilities and the modification of existing structures, transit and infrastructure facilities are evolving to respond to the pressing environmental concerns. As part of Harrison, New Jersey’s Redevelopment Plan, Dattner Architects and Jacobs designed the replacement of Substation Number Nine, a facility responsible for providing power to high volume segments of the PATH train network in New Jersey, a critical commuter rail system. In its existing condition, the substation is located near the Passaic River, deeply embedded within the flood plain. Sited adjacent to the Harrison Station serving the PATH line between New York City and Newark, the substation and the station itself are crucial to ensuring full connectivity between neighboring urban networks and our region’s major airports. Both the station and the substation sustained significant damage from Hurricane Sandy. To allow this critical infrastructure to remain operable in future severe weather situations and regional emergencies, the new Substation has been designed in response to new climate realities. Sub 9 will have a ground floor elevation of 14’ – 4” (which is 4’ – 4” above the FEMA 100-year flood level). Additionally, efforts have been made to manage stormwater on site by utilizing a sloped roof and incorporating a right-sized drainage system. These types of decisions may seem simple, however, raising the facility’s elevation, in a typology such as this, requires extensive coordination among all disciplines and with operations to ensure that vehicle loading docks are still accessible, utility services are managed efficiently, and egress will be compliant. The two-story structure is designed to completely enclose the substation equipment, protecting it from the elements and allowing easier access for future maintenance and repair.
Resilient design creates modern infrastructure facilities that are functional, aesthetically pleasing, and integrated into the fabric of the communities they serve. Aesthetics and connectivity are important design components when integrating these vital structures within an existing, public site. Adjacent to the substation, Dattner Architects / WSP designed a renovation and expansion to the PATH Harrison Station. The station enhancement is a critical component of the Harrison Waterfront Redevelopment Plan – serving as a catalyst for further development of the surrounding area. Currently in construction, 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. The station entrances are also elevated above the flood zone. Through careful planning of ground floor spaces and accessibility to entrances and the raised tracks, service will remain resilient in the event of a dramatic weather event.
While raising a structure’s ground floor drastically above the BFE, as we did for the substation, is not always an option, it may not always be required. Modular flood barrier systems can provide protection and resiliency in emergencies; these are manually deployed in vulnerable doorways and openings at the ground level to further secure a building’s perimeter against flooding. Other discreet options are being introduced to the market and implemented including modular flood walls and low profile fabric barriers. While these defensive approaches are the best course of action in many cases, architects and landscape architects are also exploring adaptive and passive approaches that allow rain and sea water to flow through – and out – a project during severe weather events.
Through thoughtful solutions from the onset, and coordination through all disciplines, resiliency strategies become integrated into the design – instead of being an afterthought. Utility rooms and paths can be located proactively, a building’s site can work to its advantage, easily deployable fortification can be built into the envelope to ensure longevity despite proximity to flooding, and areas of the project can be designed to channel water during the worst of the storm, while remaining operational.
"The 6th annual National Infrastructure Week is a national week of events; media coverage; and education and issue advocacy to elevate infrastructure as a critical issue impacting America's economy, society, security and future. In 2018, hundreds of organizations and thousands of leaders are uniting around one message: The future won't wait. Neither can we. It's #TimeToBuild."
Thanks to our layered transportation and information networks, people – as well as our ideas and products – are moving from place to place faster and more frequently than ever before. But does that necessarily mean we are more connected to our environment? To information? To each other?
Our built environment includes the obvious physical connectors – roads, bridges, tunnels, and subways. Equally important connectors are the mental and spiritual linkages that tie us all to this Earth. The frameworks for these connections do not operate independently. Rather, they are knitted together by what can broadly be defined as “infrastructure.”
In this sense, infrastructure is more than just bridges and tunnels, ports and terminals. The definition can be expanded to include much of the public realm – including public schools, parks, libraries, and community centers. In that case, isn’t multi-family housing a critical part of the framework? And in the vein of physical connectors: the framework of maintenance facilities, sanitation garages, and transfer stations that support these systems also fall under the umbrella of “infrastructure.”
Throughout the rest of this week, stay tuned to learn more about trends and impacts and how our firm is approaching this important topic.
This year’s AIA Conference on Architecture (A’18) will be hosted in one of the world’s most iconic cities – New York City! Over three days, architects, designers, and firms from all over the world will immerse themselves in what is new and current in architecture and design, exploring the A’18 theme: Blueprint for Better Cities. Programming includes nearly 100 tours of some of the city’s best architecture in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, and Staten Island – including a special behind-the-scenes look at more than 30 on-going projects spanning the five boroughs, and all in ONE location: Dattner Architects!
On Friday, June 22, we will be hosting Conference-goers from 11:00am-1:00pm with an Open Studio tour and discussion, showcasing our commitment to enriching civic space and the urban experience through our process, our projects, and our social commitment.
Select works-in-progress will be on view, and visitors will have an opportunity to engage in an informal design review with members of the Dattner Architects staff. The Open Studio will also include insights into our firm culture – showcasing our commitment to industry involvement, professional development, philanthropy, and advocacy.
If you are interested in joining us on June 22, please RSVP to aiaopenhouse@dattner.com, and stay tuned for sneak peaks into our Open Studio as we lead up to the big day!
On May 3, Dattner Architects joined CAMBA Housing Ventures, New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), New York City Housing Preservation and Development (NYCHPD), New York State Homes and Community Renewal (NYSHCR), and partnering community leaders for the opening of CAMBA Van Dyke – a new affordable and supportive housing development in Brownsville, Brooklyn.
Replacing an underused parking lot within Van Dyke Houses, the Dattner-designed CAMBA Van Dyke (also known as 603 Mother Gaston Blvd.) provides 101 units of affordable and supportive housing with 30 units reserved for homeless families and families at risk of homelessness. The 12-story complex offers a computer training center, an on-site laundry room, two flexible community rooms for group activities, an outdoor garden, a rooftop terrace, and on-site social services, including financial literacy, family services, healthcare access, and referrals to 160 programs and services across the city. Providing a gateway to the Van Dyke Houses campus, this development incorporates sustainable elements to conserve energy, promote the health and wellness of residents, and is LEED Gold-certified.
A model for NextGeneration NYCHA – a 10-year strategic plan to preserve and protect public housing for current residents as well as the next generation of New Yorkers – CAMBA’s 603 Mother Gaston Blvd. is the result of a forward-thinking public-private partnership that has resulted in sustainable, affordable, and supportive housing for local residents.
“[CAMBA Van Dyke] is proof that innovative ideas like building housing on underutilized public land are possible with wonderful public and private partners.” – Joanne Oplustil, President & CEO of CAMBA Housing Ventures
Now a community asset, this transformative project gives individuals and families the opportunity to create healthy, stable lives and provides services to help “break the cycle of housing instability once and for all.” Dattner Architects is proud to have a part in designing the future of affordable housing.
Since 2014, the AIA NYS Excelsior Awards program has recognized civic projects for design excellence in publicly funded buildings. Envisioned as a platform to showcase collaborative efficiency between design teams and state agencies, the Excelsior Awards provide an archetype for state-funded building designs. Selected as an example of these principles, Dattner Architect’s recently completed Public School 50Q Addition (PS 50Q) received the AIA NYS Excelsior Honor Award for Excellence in Renovation & Addition.
In attendance at Monday’s Awards Ceremony in Albany, Dattner Architect’s Principal Daniel Heuberger and Project Manager Eric Epstein joined other New York State honorees to celebrate innovative and noteworthy publically funded architecture. AIA NYS and representatives from various New York State contracting agencies presented the team with the award, acknowledging the project for its harmonious design, functionality, and impact on the surrounding community.
Jurors continued to comment on the project’s neighborhood impact, stating that “[PS 50Q] provides a great sense of transparency and reinforces the importance of safety and care. The school ’feels safe’ with controlled transparency, natural surveillance, and friendliness. It humanizes security.”
A key design opportunity included rethinking the “front door” of the school and simplifying circulation by creating one new, and transparent, common entrance for all students that leads them, according to their grade, to different parts of the building. At the seam between new and old, the original façade is revealed in the entrance lobby and corridors so that the trace of the historic building is not lost inside the new wing.
Juror’s also noted that “[The school] doesn’t look like a public school; it looks like a college campus—generous, open.” The design team strategically intervened and thoughtfully reprogrammed to transform an existing building into a vital community resource. The school now provides refreshed and innovative learning spaces for over 900 students in Jamaica, Queens.
We were proud to be there amongst so many great publicly-funded architecture projects. Congrats to all the winners!
“Building an equitable economy in New York City requires a groundbreaking approach to urban design.” – Urban Design Forum
As a civic-minded, mission driven firm, Dattner Architects responds to the Urban Design Forum: Call for Ideas. This year, the theme was Work Force. Urban Design Forum invited proposers to explore creative design, policy, or financing, and were prompted to bring bold ideas with real life applicability. They drove the conversation with a few key questions: How can we use creative zoning, investment in the public realm, and new infrastructure to enhance economic outcomes for all; How will automation impact the urban workforce and long-standing commercial districts; and how can emerging working neighborhoods be connected through new mobility networks?
Excited by Urban Design Forum’s leading questions, members from the firm’s three studios began with round table discussion, and evolved into deep research and design collaboration to submit a proposal called Revitalizing the Urban Extent.
Revitalizing the Urban Extents
A stent is a device deployed to heal the circulatory system and prevent a more intensive surgical undertaking.
NYC was once a hub of self-sustaining enclaves, each with an identity playing part to a whole. As the city evolves, those individual neighborhoods are losing some of their character, growing more dependent on Manhattan’s Central Business Districts (CBD) and the transit networks that serve them. We propose deconcentrating our CBDs through strategies that catalyze and encourage development of the urban extents—underserved neighborhoods at the City’s peripheries and in-between spaces—deploying efficient, inexpensive infrastructure by using existing right-of-ways, automated technologies, and creative methodologies to infill current transit deserts. Recent precedents indicate that constructing new subway infrastructure in New York City costs upwards of $2 billion per mile. The speeds and capacities that our rail systems offer are not suitable for every situation, and often resources are not allocated to areas of lower density. In these areas, neighborhoods rely on alternate large capacity modes of transit including the public bus and private shuttle. However, riders can expect longer wait times as schedules slow to match the demand. Even with reduced frequencies, buses continue to circle their route far below capacity.
The City has committed to preserving and supporting job growth by revitalizing existing manufacturing districts. To further benefit the workforce and these underserved neighborhoods, we propose connection through the immediate deployment of small-scale, lower cost means of transit at the urban extents comprising:
A comprehensive waterway network resulting in 14 new ferry landings to provide access to all waterfronts.
High speed automated vehicle thruways using existing right of ways which will not contend with a more fluid pedestrian and vehicle movement.
Aerial ropeways as an urban ‘stent’ to immediately reconnect the urban extents to the existing transit network. The proposed system will include 220 new stops over approximately 165 miles of ropeway, totaling at an estimated $2 billion.
By implementing alternative systems, we are able to move methods of public transportation off the roads via waterways or ropeways, creating a more activated and engaging streetscape. These strategies are particularly vital to waterfront neighborhoods, where resiliency and environmental responsiveness are integral to future development, emphasizing existing infrastructure to solidify the waterfront as a crucial foundation to New York’s landscape and culture. Simpler construction of transportation over shorter distances, coupled with app-based network technologies providing on-demand service, alleviates unnecessary, empty transit circulation. Reduced up-front costs and minimal operational responsibility create opportunity for Public/Private Partnership as a funding strategy, benefiting both the Municipality and private investors. With a more robust and resilient transit network, we envision neighborhoods thriving with diversified job opportunities, local amenities, and scales of housing—supporting a life and identity independent of the CBD.
On April 26, Principal Beth Greenberg FAIA and Dattner Architects were honored with a Builders of the Future Award at Institute for Community Living’s (ICL) Annual Gala. Celebrating ICL’s 31-year commitment to improving lives and strengthening communities, this year’s gala paid tribute to honorees whose generosity and dedication have enabled ICL to remain responsive and proactive in new and innovative ways – specifically recognizing the entire project team responsible for bringing ICL’s East New York Hub to life.
Opening later this year, the Dattner-designed East New York Hub is an integrated, state-of-the-art community health clinic. Consolidating health and community-based services, this one-stop-shop facility will provide family support, outpatient programs, day treatment, and care coordination to address behavioral and physical health concerns. The building program and design has been developed to encourage physical and mental healing. Visual and physical connections to both nature and the community, including garden and terrace spaces, framed views, and access to natural light and air, reinforce the link to the natural environment, while framing activities to engage the street and support the relationship with the community.
The building is composed of two interlocking volumes, legible to the users from the exterior. The first is a two-story communal volume, expressed in a corduroy-like red brick pattern. Its form responds to the scale of the neighborhood, and its presence, solidity, and unique brickwork participate in a dialogue with the existing structures around the site. The second volume, a three-story office volume, is conceived as planar with windows smaller in scale and regular in appearance.
The interior design approach focused on the celebration of the industrial architectural attributes of the existing building and the contrast of the modern addition. Polished concrete floors contrast with bold colors throughout the spaces, creating energetic and inspiring public gathering spaces for the community. The industrial architecture is the framework for the interior design inspiration – exposed brick and large arched openings are throughout the open office spaces. The furniture is brightly hued and low whenever possible, allowing open views throughout the spaces and sunny contrasts of color against the concrete and brick. Each space was designed with careful consideration to the varied support programs at ICL for adults and children, promoting safety, a sense of community, and wellness.
“As an organization, ICL is doing tremendous work to advocate for the health and behavior health needs of communities like East New York. The opening of the Hub…will truly have a transformative impact on our community.” – Council Member Rafael Espinal
We are honored to be a part of the ICL team and design spaces that will provide a vibrant community with vital health services.
On April 24, Dattner Architects joined CAMBA Housing Ventures, Governor Andrew Cuomo, and partnering community leaders for the ribbon cutting ceremony at CAMBA Gardens II – a new supportive and affordable housing development situated on the campus of Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn.
Recently awarded the 2018 Excellence in Affordable Housing Development by ULI-NY, CAMBA Gardens II offers 293 supportive and affordable housing units, half of which are designated for the formerly homeless. A “U” shaped structure, this building encloses a courtyard facing CAMBA Gardens I to the east and includes amenities that promote sustainability, health living, and wellness. CAMBA Gardens II encompasses residential, office, and public spaces including a double height lobby, day lit corridors to promote “active design,” two community rooms, and shared outdoor spaces, and features on-site social services and 24-hour security. Part of the larger CAMBA Gardens development, CAMBA Gardens I and CAMBA Gardens II provide a combined 502 homes for qualifying New Yorkers.
Co-locating affordable and supportive housing on the Kings County Hospital campus allows residents easy access to much needed healthcare and mental health facilities.
“CAMBA Gardens II is prime example of how we can provide our most vulnerable New Yorkers the opportunity to move forward and upward with their lives by living independently in a compassionate community that takes their interests and goals to heart.” – Governor Cuomo
“As we deliver the Governor’s housing plan, it is projects like [CAMBA Gardens II] that revitalize our communities, create opportunity, and grow our economy.” – RuthAnne Visnauskas, New York State Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner
With available resources and a support system in place, CAMBA Gardens II affords residents with stability and the ability to live healthier and more independent lives.
We are honored to announce that CUNY Brooklyn College Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema received a Special Citation in the 2018 SCUP Excellence in Architecture for Building Additions or Adaptive Reuse Awards. The design teams’ innovative approach to adapting a historic Navy Building and transforming it into a state-of-the-art film school began through a private-public partnership. The top two floors of the Brooklyn Navy Yard’s 25 Washington Avenue embrace the culture of a contemporary movie lot and creates a micro-campus for this new program. With full production and post-production facilities, this unique higher education program links cinema studies with a working film studio.
This year the jury selected eight Honor, eight Merit, five Honorable Mention, and three Special Citation entries from across the country. Take a closer look at all the winners in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Planning categories on SCUP’s website.
The award ceremony was held during the 2018 SCUP Annual Conference, on July 14-17 in Nashville, Tennessee. During the conference, award jurors shared trends and observations during a special session titled, “Observed Themes in Higher Education Planning and Design.” Most specifically, jurors distinguished Brooklyn College Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema for being a “really ambitious program for a heavily subsidized school.” Through a highly collaborative design process, the team was able to create New York City’s first public graduate film school.
Dattner Architects is proud to announce that our recently completed CAMBA Gardens project won the EXCELLENCE in Affordable Housing Award – revealed during last night’s 2018 ULI New York (ULI-NY) Awards Gala. CAMBA Gardens II signifies the revitalization of underutilized hospital property into much-needed sustainable and affordable housing co-located with on-campus mental health care services, helping New Yorkers achieve their full potential and generate new jobs.
In an innovative partnership with CAMBA Housing Ventures, NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation agreed to the demolition of a former psychiatric facility, enabling a new housing development ranging from five to nine stories. The central courtyard and perimeter open spaces create a cohesive landscape accessible to all residents and provides a clear visual connection to the outdoors from strategic intersections and end points within the building.
The program creates synergies between providing housing opportunities for formerly homeless and low-income community residents, while elevating design standards for affordable housing. The thoughtful building systems and materials promote sustainability, healthy living, and wellness. CAMBA Gardens II encompasses residential, office, and public spaces including a double height lobby, day lit corridors and stairwells to promote “active design,” community rooms, social service offices, and shared outdoor spaces. The development features on-site social services, 24-hour security, laundry rooms, a computer/study room, two community rooms, and well-appointed, durable and non-toxic finishes.
ULI-NY’s Awards for Excellence recognizes outstanding development projects in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors across New York State that best exemplify ULI’s commitment to responsible land use and creating sustainable, thriving communities. The Awards for Excellence highlights the full development process of a project, not just its architecture or design. Projects that reflect best-in-class development are celebrated in eight categories: office development, housing development, mixed-use development, repositioning or redevelopment, hotel development, institutional development, retail development, and civic space.
