As the first Eexcel project established on the East Coast, Spring Valley Commons apartments integrates community and education, following the intentions of the program's founder, as a affordable rental housing project which envelopes a small after-school tutorial center within its midst.
Placement of the five separate blocks of apartments along the perimeter of the steeply sloped site created a central landscaped commons and allowed for views of the valley below.
A total of 68 units, comprised of two and three bedroom apartments, provides an appropriate inhabitants base with which to develop this family-based community. Four one-bedroom apartments are allotted for visiting tutors, involved in the Eexcel Center and its programs, from Columbia University. The Eexcel Center itself is located at the highest elevation of the site, reinforcing its stature as the central element of the project. The long, low building provides five study rooms, including one focused solely on computer education. Its unusual design and brightly-colored finishes are a constant reminder of the importance of the children's presences within the community.