The Society of American Registered Architects (SARA) has named Swanke Hayden Connell Architects (SHCA) the recipient of two awards as part of its 2007 Professional Design Awards program. SHCA was recognized with a New York Council 2007 Design Award of Excellence, Rehabilitation for its work on the New York City Office of Emergency Management (OEM) as well as a New York Council 2007 Design Award of Merit for Astana Towers in Astana, Kazakhstan.

The New York City Office of Emergency Management is located at Cadman Plaza in downtown Brooklyn at the northern terminus of the borough’s Civic Center. The project, which achieved a LEED Silver certification, involved a re-clad, gut renovation and addition to an existing three-story building. The new facility, which opened in the fall of 2006, includes a 100-person emergency operations center and watch command as well as a press and conference center and general office space. The OEM headquarters recently received a 2007 Audio Visual award from ArchiTech magazine for its state-of-the-art A/V systems.

For its proposed design for a 30,000m² multi-use office complex in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, SHCA received a Merit Award. The design concept for this 22 story high-rise, located on a major road connecting the historic city center with the new city of Astana, reflects the traditional nomadic housing of the region, the yurt. The two combined towers are circular in plan and maintain a clean, open volume inside. From the exterior, the joint tower becomes a fluid translation of the landscape, a perceptual deformation of the massive steppes that exist throughout this country.

The Society of American Registered Architects (SARA) was founded in 1956 as a professional society that includes the participation of all architects, regardless of their roles in the architectural community. SARA has 11 Councils in 8 states, including the New York Council.