Aztec designs for Franklin Mutual in New Jersey.

The Aztec Corporation has completed the interior design of a 27,000s/f office space for Franklin Mutual's 101 JFK Parkway location in Short Hills, NJ. Aztec provided the organization with comprehensive and integrated interior design and complete project management services.

Charles Logan, Aztec's president/ CEO, and Matt Funk, director, spearheaded this assignment.

"We called upon the expertise of our entire team of designers to meet Franklin Mutual's sophisticated operational needs," says Mr. Logan. "Our breadth of expertise in designing space solutions for financial and trading firms contributed to our ability to complete this assignment on time and in budget."

Franklin Mutual's new space includes highly sophisticated design in all its details, including the use of natural materials such as beautiful woods and stone, elegant wall coverings and flooring, and the progressive high tech use of lighting, glass and playful ceiling designs. The overall theme of sophisticated elegance is a replication of the high wealth clients and relationships that Franklin Mutual services.

Franklin Mutual's programmatic requirements included an elegant but technologically capable board room, a dynamic trading floor, two extensive dense filing systems, a cutting edge data center operating continuously with separate cooling capabilities, and a multitude of meeting and conferencing rooms. Each function presented its own unique challenges. Aztec's charge was to seamlessly and creatively integrate these programmatic challenges, while negotiating the building's existing infrastructure. The result is a cohesive composition where the uniqueness of each space and function is featured and displayed. This design approach compelled a delicate orchestration between the architectural intent and the engineering requirements needed to facilitate the design.

The reception area incorporates hardwood floors, fabric wall covering, geometric cherry millwork panels with reveals, and recessed plasma screen multimedia displays. Cove lighting accentuates a subtle barrel vault, highlighting the custom cherry, travertine and glass reception desk. The visitor is greeted by a warm and contemporary assemblage of crisp, clean lines, clad in rich materials.

The boardroom incorporates many design cues found in the reception area, including plasma screens and advanced audio-visual capabilities integrated into custom cherry and travertine millwork. The coffered ceiling and alabaster pendant lighting define a more formal setting for the large conference table which is outfitted with integrated voice and data ports. The rich carpet and fabric wall coverings carry over into the smaller adjacent conference rooms, each with a large glazed opening to the interior. This yields a sense of openness and allows light to penetrate the interior of the office.

At the trading floor, a 3-dimensional geometric ceiling the system and sleek lighting fixtures were employed to articulate and celebrate the function of the space. The trading floor is open and centrally located to facilitate communication and visibility, while maintaining its own specific identity. Multimedia displays and the undulation of the ceiling design and layout of the trading desks convey the spirited tempo of the facility.

The backbone of the office is supported by a jewel box-like data center; carefully and securely exhibited behind glass vision panels. It was very important to the client to convey a visual statement of their vigor and technical prowess, while at the same time a sense of timelessness and durability.

The Aztec Corporation, along with Aztec Architects, P.C., celebrating its fourteenth year as an industry leader and pioneer, is one of the most innovative Facility Planning, Design and Consulting Companies in the industry. Aztec offers its prestigious clients the "Total Architecture" concept which features an integrated array of comprehensive services including Interior Architectural Design, Base Building Architecture, Complete Project Management, Facility Master Planning, Relocation Execution Management, On-Going Facility Management and Facility Asset Planning Services. The Aztec philosophy for facility planning is centered on creating a solid business approach to each facility that matches its clients' objectives.