RDK Architects Receives AIA-NJ Merit Award for ‘Architecture for Fragrance’ Design
5/24/16
Englewood, N.J.-Based Architecture Firm Designs Modern-Industrial Office ’Oasis’
The New Jersey Chapter of the American Architects (AIA-NJ) has honored Englewood, N.J.–based architecture firm RDK Architect, LLC, with a Merit Award in the Built Open category in recognition of its design of the Architecture for Fragrance in Englewood, New Jersey.
Architecture for Fragrance, designed by RDK founder and principal Rosette Khorenian, is a 5,000-square-foot office addition on top of an existing 15,000-square-foot warehouse. The addition was designed to house Khorenian’s architectural design studio, along with expanded space for her husband’s perfume distribution headquarters for Europerfumes Inc. With Khorenian’s design, she aimed to create a workplace that inspired creativity, collaboration, and motivation.
The couple purchased the 15,000-square-foot former metal stamping warehouse to house their respective growing businesses. The warehouse has been completely renovated to meet the requirements for the distribution center and to support the newly constructed office addition built above the warehouse space.
The new office addition features private offices, open workstations, a conference room, lounge areas, and a kitchen. The office incorporated both industrial and luxury refinements, reflecting the aesthetics of both businesses. Modern residential style furniture and area rugs were incorporated throughout the office to create a home-like setting for the employees. Khorenian also created a 2,000-square-foot green roof and garden to create a more inspiring work that can be viewed from the office through its glass curtain wall.
“As our businesses were continuing to grow, we decided it would be best to move to a property we could call our own,” said Rosette D. Khorenian, founder and principal of RDK Architects, LLC. “We’re very grateful of the award we’re receiving for the design of our modern-industrial office space that we consider our office oasis.”
Open workstations and lounge areas in the office encourage collaboration amongst employees through informal meetings and brainstorming. Clearstory windows also are used throughout the building to bring more natural light into the workspace and to reduce electrical consumption. The exterior was designed to reminisce sheet metal seems found on box trucks to give the building its industrial characteristic.
“The office design was extremely well-thought out in order to accommodate and reflect two uses that, to most, would seem completely disparate,” said Justin Mihalik, AIA, president of AIA-NJ. “RDK, however, was able to successfully unite these environments to improve both the appearance and functionality of the old warehouse, making it a creative workplace reflective of the modern office trends today.”
Located just off route 4 and the NJ Turnpike in Bergen County, the building provides easy access to all transportation routes and a direct route to New York City, which is located 10 miles away.
About the AIA New Jersey Design Awards Program
The AIA-NJ Annual Design Awards program recognizes architectural projects that exhibit design excellence in one of four categories: open (meant for any building type), residential, historic preservation and interior architecture. Projects are further designated as either “built” or “un-built.” To be eligible, projects must be either located in New Jersey or designed by an AIA-NJ architect. Submitted projects are evaluated during the organization’s annual Design Conference by a group of distinguished architects from throughout the country.
About AIA and AIA New Jersey
Founded in 1857, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) is the professional organization that helps architects serve the public’s needs and builds awareness of the role of architects and architecture in American society. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., its 300 plus local chapters represent 87,000 licensed architects and allied professionals. The organization’s local chapter, AIA New Jersey, has served as the voice of the architecture profession in the Garden State since 1900. Based in Trenton, AIA New Jersey has 2,000 members in six local sections. For more information, please visit www.aia-nj.org.