Dattner Architects appoints Sanghvi as director of sustainability

New York, NY Dattner Architects created the director of sustainability role, affirming their commitment to sustainability. This new position will be filled by senior associate Shefali Sanghvi, an architect and advocate for environmental responsibility.

Sanghvi has over 15 years of experience working in affordable housing, with an emphasis on resiliency, occupant health and comfort, and energy efficiency. An expert on urban Passive House projects, she is dedicated to designing buildings that are socially, environmentally, and financially sustainable. Sanghvi believes that it is the architect’s responsibility to respect the power that we hold on the built environment by designing spaces that are welcoming to all members of society.

As director of sustainability, Sanghvi will serve as a thought leader across Dattner Architects’ studios, and beyond, championing sustainability as integral to architecture. She will help establish the direction of research and lead the exploration and application of sustainability in-house by facilitating knowledge sharing amongst project teams, firm leadership, and the firms professional development groups. Sanghvi will continue to serve as co-chair of the firm’s Sustainable Practice Group, established in 2012.

“Dattner Architects has a long-standing reputation for being a leader in urban sustainable design, and I am honored to be part of the next phase of our firm’s evolution,” said Sanghvi.

The creation of this role truly formalizes our commitment to sustainability and allows us to continue to push the bar for all of our projects, across all studios.

“With this timely announcement, Dattner Architects is emphasizing our commitment to incorporating sustainable design across our broad portfolio. We are confident that Shefali in her new role as director of sustainability will allow us to broadly and consistently apply our extensive knowledge about energy, healthy environments, and occupant comfort to benefit our clients and the buildings we design for them. Shefali’s commitment to designing sustainable buildings utilizing the rigorous Passive House system and her more broad focus of leadership of our internal Sustainable Practice Group makes her an ideal person to guide the firm and the design profession towards a common goal of reducing our industry’s impact on the environment.” — Principal John Woelfling AIA, LEED AP, CPHT

This is also a great opportunity for our office to continue to share and speak about our current ongoing research on energy usage, renewables, materials, indoor health, site ecology, and urban infrastructure—all through the lens of climate justice, social equity, and sustainability at large. The civic work Dattner does touches all aspects of our lives, especially here in NYC—and with the issuance of the latest IPCC report and current geo-political strife, it is even more important to ensure that all of our work continues to be as sustainable as possible.” — Director of Sustainability Shefali Sanghvi AIA, LEED AP BD+C