Symrise, the world’s third largest supplier of flavorings and fragrances, has a newly renovated office and laboratory space in New York City.
Architecture firm Montroy Andersen DeMarco (MADGI) revamped the Manhattan space so it has an open floor plan and offers more efficient communication between Symrise’s 37 employees.
“Before the renovation, the sales force was on one floor and the perfumers were on another, preventing the easy flow of ideas,” says Rhona Stokols, v.p. of Symrise. “Smells have to be communicated in person, not electronically.”
The studio now includes a social space, reception area, multiple conference and meeting rooms, seven private offices, a fragrance laboratory, a pantry, a private phone room, an IT room and an elevator lobby. With a focus on functionality, the offices and laboratory are more organized and contain more storage space for thousands of ingredient bottles.
The lab area now includes two Modula Sintes 1.7 computerized storage systems for Symrise’s 40,000 component bottles. The two units use laser pointers to indicate the specific bottles in storage. This system saves employees’ time as the bottles are automatically located and do not require employees to stoop over to pick up fragrance bottles.
A split HVAC system prevents pollutants and outside odors from coming into the lab. Additionally, spill-resistant rubber flooring will not absorb smells and is better for the lab technicians. MADGI and the designers incorporated sustainable materials and systems into the space by using LED lighting and a majority of local sources for the furniture, lighting and finishes.
Symrise makes 15,000 products in the flavor and nutrition market, including meat, dairy, sports drinks, soda, liquor, canned goods, condiments and ready meals. Symrise’s products improve the sensory and nutritional performance of food by boosting palatability, flavor, texture, color and smell. Some of the flavors they create in their lab include citrus, vanilla and mint flavoring.