Largely unseen—and usually unappreciated—a seldom regarded architecture represents an essential prerequisite for urban life. The provision of clean water, the disposal and treatment of human waste, the collection of solid waste, the cleaning and salting of streets, the shipment of waste out of the city—are all critical infrastructure we can’t live without. More visible, but equally essential, are the transit facilities allowing urban movement, and the structures housing the firefighters and police who maintain a safe city.

These buildings are the necessary underpinning for the entire urban constellation of work places, commercial establishments, housing, educational facilities, cultural buildings, streets, sidewalks, and parks. From the establishment of Dattner Architects in 1964, Essential Architecture has been central to our practice.

As urban life continues to evolve, so must the Essential Architecture that supports it.