Jewish Board of Family & Children’s Services

BKSK’s relationship with the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services (JBFCS) began with an earlier project to create a new 90,000 square foot headquarters that would enhance the visibility of this non-profit agency dedicated to mental health and social services, and strengthen their outreach to local communities in the city. The new building was conceived as a vertical campus that would maximize natural light and ventilation within the structure while providing maximum flexibility and legibility of the major program spaces.

After the changed economic climate forced JBFCS to scale back their plans, BKSK worked closely with JBFCS’s building committee to establish a new two-facility headquarters—an Administrative Center on West 50^th Street and a Child Development Center in Harlem. The creation of their new 46,300 square foot Administrative Center, which serves as a basecamp for the agency’s community-focused programs, comprised an upgrade of a single, expansive floor in a Midtown office tower. Simple but impactful design gestures transformed what was a dull gray office floor into a bright, colorful space that, while functionally efficient, celebrates JBFCS’s history and mission.

For the Child Development Center (CDC), BKSK led the build-out of the ground floor space of a new multi-use building in Harlem. Read more about our work for the CDC here.