Swanke expands gobal presence by opening new Paris office

Real Estate Weekly, Jan 10, 2001

Swanke Hayden Connell Architects (SHCA) has concluded an agreement with prominent French architect Olivier Vidal to open a new office in Paris. The move, according to SHCA managing principal Richard Hayden, FAIA, RIBA, will allow SHCA to extend its international reach at the same time as it extends its practice areas to include hotel and retail projects.

"We continue to broaden our base by offering additional specialty services to a global marketplace," noted Mr. Hayden. Last summer, SHCA acquired New York-based Taylor Clark architects, which specializes in the planning and design of healthcare and assisted living facilities.

The new office will be known as Swanke Hayden Connell Vidal Architects, SARL. It will employ the current staff of Mr. Vidal's former firm and will be under the direction of SHCA's London office. Mr. Vidal will be headquartered in the firm's offices in New York and will be responsible for developing projects in the United States, as well as in Europe, primarily in the hotel and retail industries.

Mr. Vidal, registered French and U.S. architect, has completed a number of high-profile projects over the last thirty years. These include the Musee du Louvre's Retail Carrousel, European headquarters for Disney, the Palace Hotel in Beirut, and the Rodeo Collection in Beverly Hills. He is currently completing renovation of the Concorde Lafayette Hotel and is designing new hotels in Barcelona, Spain, Goa, India, and Ghantoot in the Emirates. He is also providing retail coordination for Beirut, Lebanon's town center, a mix of retail and public spaces