Enterprise Community Partners (Enterprise), Palladia Inc., and Andre Kikoski Architect recently completed the redesign of childcare learning and recreation spaces at a short-term residential facility that provides safety and healing for survivors of domestic violence in New York City.
The children’s room redesign project was selected by desigNYC, a nonprofit that connects local designers and architects with community and civic groups in need of professional, pro bono design services, with the goal of improving the lives of New Yorkers through the power of design.
“Good design can have a transformative impact on communities and improve the quality of life for families and individuals, and Enterprise is committed to bringing strong design to affordable housing,” said Shola Olatoye, vice president and New York market leader, Enterprise Community Partners.
“Thanks to our partners Palladia, Andre Kikoski Architect, Interior Management, and desigNYC, the redesigned children’s room will provide mothers and their children with a refuge to study, play, and spend quality time with one another as they start their new lives together.”
Enterprise’s participation in desigNYC supports its National Design Initiatives mission: to connect developers and architects with the end goal of providing quality affordable housing that strengthens the social and physical fabric of low- to mid-income communities and neighborhoods.
“We are thrilled with the transformation of the space,” said Jane Velez, president & CEO of Palladia, Inc.
“The team has created an inviting and cheerful place for our program’s children. It’s a wonderful way to let them know we care about them and think they deserve a beautiful environment.”
The goal of the children’s room project was to create a comforting activity room that smoothly integrates learning and recreation, taking into account the needs of the residents and how they would use the space.
Resident input was critical to creating the ideal space for the parents and children living at the facility. Enterprise and Palladia facilitated a collaborative design charrette with parents and children and Andre Kikoski Architect.
Andre Kikoski Architect then incorporated the collective aspirations into a design that enhances recreation, childcare, learning, and the most requested activity, reading. Interior Management provided pro bono contractor services.
The end result features designated areas for group activities and for discovering a new book and sharing a story.
The newly renovated spaces will support the Palladia’s ongoing mission of empowerment by providing an improved environment for interaction, education and guidance.
“We are truly honored to have this opportunity to provide thoughtful design to individuals and families at this transitional moment in their lives,” said principal Andre Kikoski.
“My team has been fortunate enough to have had many opportunities to create beautiful spaces. When I met some of the children and families that would be enjoying this space I knew our work would be appreciated on an entirely new level. I now feel even more fortunate than ever,” noted Mark Martinez, president of Interior Management, Inc.
“desigNYC’s interior design projects hope to provide a greater level of human dignity through inviting, light-filled and bright spaces that can change the everyday life of those who need it the most,” adds Laetitia Wolff, executive director of desigNYC.
Over the past three years, desigNYC has helped connect 40+ organizations doing great work in the city with over 100 talented design professionals.
In addition to the children’s room project, Enterprise was also involved in two other desigNYC projects: Fordham Bedford Housing Corporation’s Serviam Gardens, where together with Robin Key Landscape Architects they created an intergenerational garden at a 240-unit affordable senior housing development; and CAMBA’s Anna Gonzalez Apartments, where together with Sohbr Studios they created a community space in a development that provides homes for individuals with special needs.
