2024 SARA NY Design Awards

On June 11th, 2024 SARA NY hosted our annual Design Awards Gala at The View at the Battery in Manhattan, New York. Over 200 architects, contractors, and vendors convened to connect with each other to celebrate and to honor design achievements in architecture. Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2024 SARA NY Design Awards. We would also like to thank our keynote speaker for the evening, Sharon Prince (Design for Freedom Movement & Grace Farms), and the jurors for this year's awards: Elizabeth Whittaker (Merge), Alysen Fiore (REX), David Polk (GSA), Jonathan Moody (Moody & Nolan), David Rubin (DAVID RUBIN Land Collective), Shreejit Modak (CGA/SARA NY), & Lia Dikigoropoulou (City Tech - CUNY/SARA NY). Thank you to our sponsors of the 2024 SARA NY Design Awards: ACNY, Audio Command Systems, AKF Group, AtoZ Renovations, Benjamin Moore, Bria Quartz, Cucine Design NYC, Florim, The Family of Kathryn Marie Firneis, Glen-Gery/Brickworks Design Studio, Häfele, ikon.5 architects, Kingspan Light + Air, Marianna Liebold, MW-skins, Panoramic European Windows and Doors, & Zetlin & De Chiara LLP. And finally, thank you to the SARA NY Board of Directors for once again creating a safe and inclusive event to celebrate architecture.

Read on for the full list of winners and their winning designs, and do check out some of the highlights from the evening's event in our gallery here: 2024 SARA NY DESIGN AWARDS PHOTOS

2024 SPECIAL AWARD WINNERS

Outstanding Achievement Award for the Enhancement of the Profession of Architecture

Arpad Baksa

Arpad Baksa received an Outstanding Achievement Award for the Enhancement of the Profession of Architecture. Arpad started his practice, ABA, 40 years ago and has completed over 2,000 projects since. As immediate past President of SARA NY and a dedicated member of the SARA Board for the last decade, he's fostered collaboration and innovation within SARA NY through new initiatives ranging from professional education to mentorships. In recognition of his outstanding service, Arpad received the SARA National Presidential Award in 2022. Arpad has made great strides, both in his term and since, to help grow SARA NY further and cultivate strong member participation since the pandemic. Arpad is the paragon of SARA’s motto: “Architect Helping Architect” as he constantly works to uplift and support his fellow professionals. We are honored to present the Outstanding Achievement Award for the Enhancement of the Profession of Architecture, to Arpad Baksa. Thank you Arpad for all you do for our industry and community.

Special Award for Innovation in Cultural Design

Powerhouse arts
brookylyn, New York, USA

by Herzog & de Meuron & PBDW Architects

The former Brooklyn Rapid Transit power station in Gowanus, Brooklyn, built in 1903 and derelict for decades has been ingeniously renovated into a 170,000 SF fabrication facility providing workshops for large scale art production, as well as performance and exhibition spaces.  The team at Powerhouse Arts, and architects Herzog & deMeuron and PBDW cleverly preserved the legacy of the abandoned complex, both its industrial architecture and its decades long residency of squatting graffiti artists, celebrating its history and providing a community center for the advancement of the arts.

Special Award for Innovation in Adaptive Reuse Design

The Domino sugar Refinery
Brooklyn, New York, USA

by PAU

In 2017, Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU) initiated an adaptive reuse project to transform the historic Domino Sugar Refinery into a vibrant connection between the neighborhood and the waterfront. The renovated building now boasts 15 stories of office space, retail areas, communal workspaces, a private club, and event spaces. A new glass structure was integrated into the existing brick façade, creating a 12-foot gap that accommodates an ecosystem with native plants. The vertical garden was designed by Field Operations, and the interiors were crafted by Bonetti/Kozerski and dencityworks. The project also preserved elements of the original refinery, including the iconic 214-foot chimney and historical machinery repurposed in Domino Park. An LED replica of the “Domino Sugar” sign adds a nostalgic touch. The building is designed to be environmentally responsible with all-electric systems and a water reuse system to reduce pollution. Initially established in 1884, the refinery was the world’s largest sugar producer until its closure in 2004. Recognized as a landmark in 2007, its extensive renovation, including the Domino Park master plan, addresses contemporary urban challenges, as discussed by PAU’s Vishaan Chakrabarti. “The transformation of The Refinery entailed three major design moves—inserting a contemporary building in the sleeve of the historic structure similar to the machinery it once housed, creating a glass barrel vault form that pays homage to the American Round Arch style of the original, and opening the ground floor to the park and the surrounding Williamsburg neighborhood. This approach has created an iconic landmark for the 21st century, offering users natural light, luscious greenery, waterfront views, and a contemporary dialogue with history that most new commercial projects lack. - Vishaan Chakrabarti, Founder and Creative Director of PAU

Special Award for Innovation in Civic Design

NYPD 40th Precinct Police Station
Bronx, New York, USA

by BIG

Located in the southern Bronx, the new NYPD 40th Precinct Station replaces a station house on 138th Street and creates a dedicated space for the community, areas for fitness and training for officers. The 40th Precinct features a new piece of city program: the first ever community meeting room in a New York City police precinct. With its own street-level entrance, the multipurpose space aims to promote civic engagement and encourage dialogue with the community, with the ability to hold classes or events. Offices at the NYPD 40th Precinct look out onto green roofs atop each individual volume, which optimize the building’s energy performance. The station expresses the City’s commitment to environmental responsibility, surpassing the requirements necessary for LEED Silver certification. To design something that is open, welcoming and inviting while at the same time has to be secure and resilient is a huge challeng and what BIG came up with is an inspiring building for the community. Congratulations to BIG for the 2024 SARA special award for Innovation in Civic Design.

2024 WINNERS

Design Awards of Excellence

Design Awards of Honor

Design Awards of Merit

2024 STUDENT WINNERS

Kathryn Marie Firneis Memorial Student Award

DESIGN AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

H20 Hysteria
Brooklyn, New York, USA

by Sophy Feldman | Pratt Institute

SARA NY is proud to bestow the 2024 Kathryn Marie Firneis Memorial Student Scholarship Award to Sophy Feldman, Pratt Institute, for her project H20 Hysteria. In the year 2000, an adaptive reuse project was initiated in Red Hook, with the aim of transforming an old warehouse into a unique oyster and algae farming facility. Additionally, the project features a courtyard water park that seamlessly integrates with the surrounding environment. The brilliance of this water park lay in its dual purpose: it not only provided recreational enjoyment for both children and adults but also played a vital role in supplying water to the park itself, using it as a power source. Ultimately, the project is all about creating a captivating visual spectacle and an ephemeral play space that would leave a lasting impression on visitors and residents alike. This project serves a significant community-building function. Upon arrival, the water park greets guests with a vivid display of colors, effectively blurring the lines between signage and the water slides themselves. The visual spectacle of the water park is designed to be visible from a distance, piquing curiosity and enticing people to draw nearer to appreciate its clarity and artistry. One of the intriguing aspects of the project is its ability to generate a sense of ambiguity. It challenges perceptions by blurring the distinction between an amusement park and a water park, creating a distinctive landmark in the existing urban fabric of Red Hook. In fact, the water slides themselves doubled as eye-catching signage, making them an integral part of the park’s identity.

Design Awards of Excellence

Design Awards of Honor

Design Awards of Merit

2024 SARA NY DESIGN AWARD SPONSORS