Nassau County executive Thomas Suozzi and North Hempstead town supervisor Jon Kaiman served as keynote speakers September 22 for the groundbreaking and green ribbon cutting ceremony for The Harp, Great Neck's first environmentally-conscious professional office building. "The building will really stand out, not just along Great Neck's "Miracle Mile" but throughout Nassau County," said Afshin Hedvat, whose Foremost Real Estate is the developer for The Harp. "We've chosen fabricators and contractors who are experienced in building Green and we're looking to create a safer working environment, save energy and enhance the atmosphere for the people who work in these offices." Expected to be completed January of 2010, The Harp will be the flagship property for Majestic Property Affiliates, the building's exclusive leasing agent. "I think The Harp reflects the advances that are being made and where American industry is headed. Architecturally the building is heads and shoulders above everything else and will hopefully encourage people to rethink what commercial real estate can mean in this market," said Domenic Maltempi, director of leasing for Majestic Property Affiliates. An all glass building, The Harp's three 18,000 s/f floors will rely primarily on natural light and incorporate energy conserving light systems. The building will also incorporate water conserving fixtures, air flow measurement systems and indoor air contamination reduction. All this serves to create a better building for an enhanced working environment. "We have a developer in Afshin Hedvat who is extremely environmentally conscientious and a designer in Guilor Architects who was told not to think about money and just design the best building they could," said Bob Huhem, president of Majestic Property Affiliates. Hedvat said, "As the developer and owner my goal is to make The Harp a gold-certificate green building and an example for other developers. I hope this building will encourage other developers throughout New York to make more environmentally-conscious buildings." Kulka Construction is the builder for the $20 million project.