Subscriber-Only Exclusive Content – Audio Interview with Rosette Khorenian.
ENGLEWOOD, NJ—RDK Architect has designed a new 20,000 square-foot office space that combines the architectural business of one spouse with the perfume distribution business of the other, in a novel way that has been honored by the New Jersey Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
The Englewood, N.J.–based architecture firm received a Merit Award in the AIA-NJ’s Built Open category recently, and RDK principal and founder, Rosette Khorenian, tells GlobeSt.com exclusively that she and her husband were seeking a new location for their two businesses when they found an industrial property in need of major renovations.
Hear our exclusive conversation with Rosette Khorenian in the player below.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Architecture for Fragrance, designed by 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.
“We came across this building in Englewood, it was in pretty bad condition, so it actually worked out very well for us,” she says. “Because the site was limited, the lot was already maxed out, the option was to go up. My idea was to try to combine the idea of an industrial and refinement.”
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 NW 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.
“We tried to make it feel more like a home,” says Khorenian. “Since we’re working all the time, that’s our second home. We wanted to feel comfortable, we wanted to have someplace where everyone enjoys coming here.”
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,” says 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.
Share this:
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
Steve Lubetkin is the news director for StateBroadcastNews.com. Steve’s journalism background includes print and broadcast reporting for NJ news organizations. He refocused on multimedia journalism and podcast production after a long career in corporate branded journalism and public relations.
He has won numerous awards for his audio and video news reporting from the Garden State Journalists Association, and he has also been recognized for video by the New Jersey Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He has produced a wide range of audio and video podcasts in his other role as managing partner of State Broadcast News’s parent, The Lubetkin Media Companies.
Steve is co-author, with Toronto-based podcasting pioneer Donna Papacosta, of the book, The Business of Podcasting: How to Take Your Podcasting Passion from the Personal to the Professional.
In March 2021, he was elected to the board of directors of the New Jersey Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, and in July 2021 he was named secretary of the chapter. In August 2021, he was honored by SPJ with one of the organization’s 2021 Howard S. Dubin Outstanding Pro Member Awards, given to regular members of an SPJ chapter who go above and beyond in serving their chapter.
Steve has been the computer columnist for the Jewish Community Voice of Southern New Jersey, since 1996.
Steve also has reported on-camera and produces virtual conferences for NJSpotlightNews.org, a public policy news coverage website focused on New Jersey government and industry; and for clients of StateBroadcastNews.com, a division of The Lubetkin Media Companies LLC.
From May-November 2019, he produced and reported a weekly podcast, The CRE News Hour, a news and features program focusing on the commercial real estate industry.
From 2014 to 2019 he was New Jersey and Philadelphia editor for GlobeSt.com and filled in covering Chicago/Midwest and Atlanta.
Steve has also served (from August 2017 to March 2018) as national broadcast news correspondent for CEOReport.com, a news website focused on practical advice for senior executives in small- and medium-sized companies.
Earlier in his career, Steve reported on rock music at the Jersey Shore for the Asbury Park Press, and was a broadcast news anchor and production engineer for WJLK-AM & FM, then owned by the Press. He also worked as a general assignment reporter for the Red Bank Register, Shrewsbury, NJ.
You can email Steve at steve@statebroadcastnews.com.
Be the first to comment on "RDK Architects Designs ‘Architecture for Fragrance’"