Levien & Company completes construction on 20,000 s/f office

Levien & Company has completed the construction of a new 20,000 s/f office for Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. and its subsidiary Enterprise Community Investment, Inc. on the 11th floor of One Whitehall St. in downtown Manhattan, according to Kenneth Levien, president of the project management firm. Enterprise, founded in 1982 by Jim Rouse and his wife, Patty, is a leading provider of development capital and expertise to create quality affordable homes and rebuild communities for low-income families. "We worked very closely with Abby Jo Sigal, vice president of Enterprise and director of the New York Office, to design the new space," said Marcy Stein, project manager at Levien & Co. "The Enterprise team wanted to create an image that would reflect the organization's culture, as well as its goals." The office features numerous green elements, which includes cork flooring and low V.O.C. (volatile organic compounds) paints and carpeting. The work stations, file cabinets and seating, all from the ecological Herman Miller brand, were created from recycled materials. In its move, Enterprise used only recycled crates, and not cardboard boxes, to transport items. In addition, all shredded paper was taken to a paper mill for recycling instead of a landfill. Another of Enterprise's goals was to transition from having individual offices to promoting an open work environment. As a result, the office consists only of open work stations, and glass was used throughout the space to create a more spacious environment. Levien & Company managed the project team, which included: Stephen Yablon Architects, Aragon Construction and Robert Derector Associates as the engineer.