JRS’s services include interior design, programming and project management.

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JRS Architect P.C. distinguishes itself from its competitors by being active in several markets and providing a variety of services, President John R. Sorrenti says.  “Our approach focuses on how we can enhance our client’s business, thereby helping them succeed,” he says. “That makes our company a stronger player in the market.”

The company, based in Mineola, N.Y., performs corporate, financial, education, hospitality and public space projects, as well as healthcare and pharmaceutical facilities, historical preservation and retail projects primarily in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. JRS’s services include interior design, programming and project management. “Since the company’s inception in 1986, JRS has been directly involved with the design and construction of office facilities for Fortune 500 companies, including major corporations, financial institutions, education and healthcare organizations,” the company says.

Diversity helps the company stay profitable when industries encounter downturns, Senior Vice President Alex Hadjiyane says. For example, when the demand for bank work slows, other industries, such as healthcare, defense and education, pick up. “We are well-rounded in that respect,” Sorrenti says.

The company also prides itself on its high level of service, Vice President Robert Morrisey says. “Ninety percent of our business is repeat business,” he notes. “We are concentrating on maintaining that level of service that keeps them coming back and we have been successful.”

Award-Winning Projects
JRS recently completed a four-story, 7,500-square-foot branch for North Fork Bank in New York City. Each night, 500 LED fixtures display a continuous, changing pattern of lights and colors on the building from two video screens run from a central computer system. This lively Times Square-style billboard promotes North Fork Bank’s products and services.

The building is located on the 59th Street Bridge, a prominent location, Hadjiyane says. “The client wanted to use this like a billboard,” he explains. “It’s like a small Times Square on 59th Street.” He adds that the company has incorporated LED lights into its projects before, but never to this extent. “You can’t miss it,” he says.

The old building was in bad condition before North Fork Bank decided to demolish and create a whole new structure, the company says. “The sleek stainless fixtures and teller positions are simple and modern,” it says. “The designers used glass generously; one gets the feeling of watching commerce in action.”

The company has performed several award-winning projects. “[The awards] are a testimony of the design ability of the firm,” Hadjiyane says. In November, Long Island American Institute of Architects awarded it the Archi Award for a North Fork Bank branch in Long Beach, N.Y. The award was based on the interior fit-out of the 4,200-square-foot building. “The bank has a Southwestern theme and beach atmosphere,” he says. “The interior fit of the branch has warm colors, such as browns and roses, and creamy colors.”

JRS completed the new building in June and designed the interior and exterior of the facility. “Capturing the ambiance of Long Beach, JRS selected a red-tiled roof and a white stucco design and further enhanced it by adding structural accents such as large wood beams and copper gutters that will patina with age,” the company says.

Its ATM vestibule is brightly lit with a secondary tiled roof and grand entrance to the bank, it continues. The floor stone work is also displayed on the teller counter and coffee counter, along with decorative tile. “Bold, bright colors warm the entire space, making it a very comfortable and inviting space fitting for a beach community,” the company says.

In 2005, the company received a similar award for its North Fork Bank branches in Flower Hill, N.Y., and Williamsburg, N.Y.

Last year, the company received the Award of Merit 2007 from New York Construction magazine for Madison National Bank’s flagship branch in Merrick, N.Y. Design ideas were based on late 19th century American Romanesque buildings of Henry Hobson Richardson, which include multicolored brickwork, dramatic arches and round-roof turrets.

“As customers enter this branch, they find themselves in an area that includes a working fireplace, plasma screen TVs and many amenities, evoking a comfortable, living room-quality feeling,” the company says. “Soft curves, fabrics and carpeting with gold and red tones in swirl patterns were also selected to appeal to Madison’s target customer base.

“Madison executives were extremely pleased with the ultimate design,” it continues. “Future branches are going to continue to reflect various design elements as an appropriate extension of this new bank’s branding.”

Since 2005, JRS has placed in the top for Interior Design’s top-100 giants in healthcare, and since 2004, has placed in the magazine’s top-100 giants list.

Design Preserve Build
The company started a new joint venture five months ago called Design Preserve Build, which provides historic preservation services for institutional, corporate and residential properties. This joint venture has already completed two projects: the preservation of an 1867 farm house in Pennsylvania with a large historically sensitive addition, which provides for today’s living styles, and a complete window restoration for Time Equities Inc. in a landmark building in New York City.

The Design Preserve Build team is comprised of JRS; Bresnan Architects P.C., an architecture and historic preservation firm that has managed landmark buildings, parks, historic sites and monuments in New York; and Historic Construction Management Corp., a construction and restoration firm.

“We combined our talent with those of people who are well known in the preservation world,” Sorrenti says. “We have gotten a very positive response, and I anticipate that it will continue.”