Design Giants BBG-BBGM Renovate Center for Foster Children

December 3, 2008

Open House on December 5th will showcase renovation by prestigious design firm for The Children’s Aid Society

Contact:
Edith Robles, BBG-BBGM, (o) 646-216-1136, (c) 202-725-6200
Ellen Lubell, The Children’s Aid Society, (o) 212-949-4938, (c) 917-854-6864

NEW YORK, NY – International design firms BBG-BBGM have completed their pro-bono design project refurbishing and renovating visitation rooms for foster children in the South Bronx. The Children’s Aid Society will host an open house on December 5th from 4:30 – 6:00 PM to showcase the re-designed center at 1338 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY 10459.

In an effort to help defuse the anxiety that children in foster care feel at times while interacting with their biological parents during family visits, and to provide a soothing atmosphere that inspires creativity, BBG-BBGM committed to renovate The Children’s Aid Society’s visitation center in the South Bronx. Using donations from select vendors and companies, BBG-BBGM staff and partners provided design-build services to renovate three visitation rooms, a multi-functional conference room and signage.

“We are thrilled to provide design services that will have long-term positive impact on children in foster care,” said Amy Jakubowski, Partner, BBG-BBGM. “The project also served to promote collaboration and strengthen our firms’ team work philosophy.”

“The Children’s Aid Society always strives to improve the well-being of children in our care,” said Children’s Aid’s COO William Weisberg. “The beautiful renovation of these visitation rooms in the Bronx will make a real difference to the families striving to remain connected while their children are in foster care. We are honored that the prestigious design firms BBG-BBGM undertook this renovation and made such an improvement to this site.”

The design firm fundraised and obtained pro bono donations of materials in order to accomplish the renovation. Challenges for the design firm included space limitations, lack of natural light (three of the rooms do not have windows), and working within a limited budget of pledged donations. BBG-BBGM’s design solution to transform cold, mundane visitation rooms entailed implementing functional and creative designs. The design themes included a paint bucket, a garden, a fish bowl, and an island oasis.

About The Children's Aid Society
The Children’s Aid Society is one of the country’s largest non-sectarian child and family welfare agencies in the country. With over 45 locations in New York, Children’s Aid Society assists 150,000 of New York City’s children and their families each year regardless of race, religion, nationality or socio-economic status. The services offered address every aspect of a child’s life, from infancy through adolescence, and provide the guidance and resources a family needs to ensure its children’s well-being. For more information, visit www.childrensaidsociety.org.

About BBG-BBGM
BBG-BBGM are internationally-renowned, award-winning architecture and interior design firms with extensive expertise in the design of mixed-use complexes, luxury urban hotels, resorts, high-end residential, retail, and corporate/office buildings. The firms have offices in New York City; Washington, D.C.; Scottsdale, AZ; Sydney; and Shanghai. For more information, visit www.bbg-bbgm.com.

The following entities donated materials or financial resources for the renovation:Advantage Sports Flooring, Inc; Artistic Tile, Inc.; Benjamin Moore; BestArt & Mirror; County Draperies; Design Communications; Drapery by LORE; Design Tex; DFB Sales Inc.; Evan Shatz Sales Associates; Haig Lighting; Hightower Group; Interface Flooring Systems, Inc.; Johnsonite; Kellex Corporation; Knoll Textiles; Koroseal; Liora Manne; Milliken; Osborne & Little; P Kaufmann; Pavarini McGovern Construction Company; Richard J. Fasenmyer Foundation; Selective Surfaces; Soho Myriad; The Erwyn Group; Ultrafabrics LLC; Wolf Gordon; and 3-FORM.

*Before and after photos available

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