Since its founding in 1990, Common Ground has created thousands of units of affordable permanent and transitional housing in the North East and enabled more than 5,000 people to overcome homelessness. The nonprofit chose to shed aging space on the 15th floor of 505 Eighth Avenue and move into a new, state-of-the-art office on the 5th floor. Spacesmith took steps to create an inviting, modern and efficient office layout, staying within the budget constraints typical of a nonprofit. In an effort to increase the natural light penetrating the space, floor to ceiling glass was used at perimeter offices and an open-plan workstation layout was implemented. Workstation panels were lowered to allow in as much light as possible and foster communication between employees.