News & Insights
At SNHA we harness our strength in diversity of projects, collective intelligence, and genuine curiosity to bring architectural solutions to life. We provide impactful design solutions that architecturally express the individual goals, values, and needs of our clients, creating a deep connection between people, information, ideas and resources and the built environment.
Our commercial, civic, institutional, and mission-critical designs embody performance driven, poetically crafted architecture.
Design for Independent Schools
Independent schools are a design category of their own. A departure from the mindset of public schools, independent schools exist in a competitive market and must define their particular niche and differentiators. Schools need to both define and communicate their distinct programs and educational philosophies to stand out. The educational environment is an expression of […]
Public Libraries Versus the Echo Chamber
By Don McKay, AIA, Principal, Sheehan Nagle Hartray Architects The provocatively titled book Bowling Alone uses declining participation in bowling leagues to illustrate the erosion of in-person social intercourse in America. The author blames this development on technologies like television and the internet that make it easy to spend our leisure time alone. Since the […]
SNHA Supports the Greater Chicago Food Depository with Canstruction Chicago
SNHA participated in Canstruction Chicago 2019, this year earning the Structural Ingenuity Award for the design and build of CANtenary. Each of the 7,000 cans used to build the nearly 9-foot-tall structure will go to the Greater Chicago Food Depository and its network of 700 soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters, and various programs throughout Cook […]
SNHA is Participating in Chicago Architecture Center’s Open House Chicago 2019
Learn about recent Sheehan Nagle Hartray projects and check out great views from this our firm’s expansive new 31st floor office in One Prudential Plaza.
SNHA’s Don McKay Featured in School Planning & Management Magazine
SNHA Principal Don McKay shares the importance of designing—and utilizing—immersive learning environments beyond the classroom.
Mid-Year Staff Announcements
Through the first half of 2019, SNHA welcomes our new team members and celebrates career milestones.
What Matters Most
As we are community-minded in our work, our passion for supporting people is evident in how we spend our free time as well. We asked some of our team members about how they champion the charities, foundations and organizations dear to them.
The Makerspace Movement
8 Reasons the Makerspace Movement is Here to Stay
In an age when smartphones are designed to dominate our attention, we risk depriving young minds of practical problem-solving opportunities. Future employment opportunities will require the application of STEM/STEAM principles to roles that have yet to be created. A culture shift focused less on camping in line for the latest technology, towards a self-empowered “I could do that” attitude is revolutionizing learning across the country.
SNHA Relocating to One Prudential Plaza April 1
Nearly double the size of the firm’s current office at 30 W. Monroe Street, the new 23,615 square-foot, full-floor office features a central communal area, views overlooking Millennium Park and Lake Michigan, and a variety of motivating yet functional work spaces for its diverse team of 80-plus employees.
Independent School Design: Latin School of Chicago Virtual Reality Tour
Independent schools are special places. Their distinctive values and educational philosophies create a culture unique unto themselves. This resonates perfectly with Sheehan Nagle Hartray’s situational approach where individual design solutions are favored over universal treatments.
Get an immersive view of Latin School through our Virtual Tour.