400East Pratt Street
400 East Pratt Street Baltimore, Maryland RETAIL AND LOBBY ADDITION
(c)2015 Kevin Weber © 2015 Kevin Weber
400 East Pratt Street Baltimore, Maryland PROGRAM SUMMARY SITE The addition to 400 East Pratt is located on Pratt Street between Commerce Street and Gay Street, overlooking the Inner Harbor with views of the World Trade Center and the National Aquarium.
PURPOSE In the original urban plan for the Pratt Street corridor, all buildings were set back from the street a significant distance to provide green space as a way of offsetting the industrial feel often found in urban centers. This approach creates projected building fronts on all office buildings, adding amenities for tourists and residents. The purpose is to attract people to the Harbor and surrounding vicintiy by offering great retail and pedestrian-friendly public spaces. The addition at 400 East Pratt is a wildly successful prototype of this new typology.
DESIGN HIGHLIGHTS 400 East Pratt Street is a mixed-use addition to an existing Class-A office building. The addition contains 44,000 square feet of retail and office space on two levels, surrounded on three sides by a two-story curtain wall. The ground floor hosts the new lobby serving the entire building as well as three fast-casual restaurants, a bank, and a convenient store. The second floor hosts a new office space and rooftop terrace that offers tenants scenic views of the city and harbor. The design of the building is meant to be a “light and airy” addition to the existing building. The new addition has become the design catalyst for future Pratt Street corridor redevelopments. Several adjacent properties are currenlty undergoing similar studies.
TECHNICAL ASPECTS
Storm Water Management | The vegetated roof serves as the building’s SWM system. Utilities | City water supply and sewer service, all other utility service is electric. Foundation | Concrete grade beam foundation. Structure | The metal frame addition is connected to prexisting round concrete columns with customized metal collars. FEMA requirement | A 4-foot flood barrier was required around the exterior of the entire addition because the project is within the 100year flood plane. The flood barrier design is custom to the building and can be assembled by a single person in a short span of time.
SUSTAINABLE FEATURES
Bioswale | The promenade drains into a bio-retention basin that filters the water before it reaches the bay. Green Roof | The green roof on the addition is 80% vegetated. Sustainability | Exceeds Baltimore City’s Green Building Standards Public Transit | The building is within a half mile of the light rail and all bus routes, centrally located downtown. Bike storage | Tenant bike storage was introduced in the preexisting garage during the addition’s design.
AWARDS
On top of having the distinction of “Innovator of the Neighborhood,” the new 400 East Pratt Street addition won the 2016 NAIOP Maryland Award of Excellence as the Best Mixed-Use Project and was a finalist for the Baltimore Business Journals’ Best in Retail Award. The project is currently seeking LEED Gold status….
400 East Pratt Street Baltimore, Maryland NEW VISION
Baltimore, MD has a spectacular Inner Harbor, known all around the globe as one of the most vibrant and lively pedestrian waterfront destinations in all of North America. Across the street however, the vitality of the commercial and public space was not the same. With the large number of tourists visiting the city each year and surrounding businesses vying for top tenants, the city of Baltimore realized the economic and cultural importance of re-envisioning this major downtown waterfront artery. As part of the redevelopment plan of the Inner Harbor complex, the city proposed to create several new office building additions and public space amenities that would re-energize and extend the pedestrian connection to the waterfront. The newly completed 400 East Pratt Street retail, office lobby and green roof addition, the first in a series of redevelopment additions to be added to the waterfront, has indeed set a high precedent to follow. As with any new architectural development, success is often measured in how people-friendly, environmental sound and utilized the development is after completion. The 400 East Pratt Class-A office building not only continues to be leased at 100% but now offers its users an inviting green rooftop terrace that overlooks the beautiful Inner Harbor waterfront. Too, the adjoining restaurants in the projected two-level retail addition have cue lines out the door every day, even during the winter. It goes without saying that this new scenic and park-like addition has added a key “PlaceMaking” component to the already thriving Inner Harbor waterfront development.
400 East Pratt Street Baltimore, Maryland WORKPLACE WELL-BEING The transparency from inside to outside intentionally connects building occupants to the beauty of the surrounding waterfront. Natural light illuminating the serene gallery-style lobby instills a sense of well-being to occupants as they enter and exit the building each day. The green roof-top terrace, though environmentally utilitarian, also serves as a quiet and restorative outdoor seating area for building residents that provides unobstructed views of the National Aquarium, Science Museum, Power Plant and Inner Harbor food and retail pavilions and waterfront. © 2015 Kevin Weber
© 2015 Kevin Weber
400 East Pratt Street Baltimore, Maryland PLACE MAKING The redesign of 400 East Pratt Street’s pedestrian promenade came from the city’s desire to make the Pratt Street waterfront corridor more accessible and safe. While the previous design offered plenty of shade and space, it did not offer businesses and pedestrians a sense of security and a comfortable place to engage with others in an outdoor setting. The old design created a haven for rodents and encouraged loitering. The new design for the public space continues to provide shade but also creates an open and bright walkway with beautiful views of the Inner Harbor and surrounding environment. The sleek modern retail facade has a cleaner and more transparent appearance that is both vibrant and inviting. The newly created PLACE offers pedestrians and office occupants 3 restaurants with outdoor seating, a bank and a 24-hour convenient store.
BEFORE AFTER
SEAMLESS DESIGN
The new modern two-story curtain wall design was specifically chosen to provide maximum views to the Inner Harbor waterfront. The “less is more” aesthetic was intentionally conceived to blur the lines between inside and out in hopes of bringing the openness and vibrancy of the pedestrian walkway and Inner Harbor activities into the building. From the interior, the space blends seamlessly with the exterior, connecting building occupants and retail customers to the beauty and expansiveness of the pedestrian promenade and water’s edge. From the exterior, the steel and glass storefront design refrains from taking center stage but instead, reflects the surrounding waterfront landscape and skyline, which is after all, the main attraction.
400 East Pratt Street Baltimore, Maryland
GREEN ROOF
STOREFRONT SECTION © 2015 Kevin Weber
400 East Pratt Street Baltimore, Maryland GREENING UP DOWNTOWN The rooftop terrace on the 400 East Pratt Street addition hosts a serene outdoor seating area amidst an extensive green roof populated with native plants. This design offers a relaxing atmosphere for office occupants as well as providing a natural habitat for local birds, bees and butterflies. Providing this habitat ensures that the city will continue to have clean air and prosperous plants amid the ever-growing presence of concrete and asphalt. The green roof also serves to cool the building and manage storm-water run-off efficiently and cleanly.
LEVEL TWO - OFFICE SPACE TERRACE
GREEN ROOF
400 East Pratt Street Baltimore, Maryland SAVE THE BAY The bio-retention basin between the pedestrian promenade and Pratt Street serves many of the same purposes as the green roof. It hosts native birds, bees, butterflies, and plants, inspires a sense of well-being for passer-byers, and manages stormwater run-off. The canopy trees and lush flower pots along the basin edge also provide a haven from the heat island effect produced by the vast quantity of non-pervious surfaces in the downtown area. Additionally, the dense vegetation in the basin provides a physical beautifying buffer between pedestrians and cars, creating a friendlier walkway experience for all user groups.
Bio-Retention Basin “Stormwater is directed to the basin and then percolates through the system where it is naturally filtered by a number of physical, chemical, and biological processes before entering the bay.” “By creating a diverse, dense plant cover, a bio-retention facility will be able to treat stormwater run-off and withstand urban stresses from insects, disease, drought, temperature, wind, and exposure.”
-- Maryland Department of the Environment
PEDESTRIAN PROMENADE AND BASIN
PRATT STREET
(c)2015 Kevin Weber © 2015 Kevin Weber
400 East Pratt Street Baltimore, Maryland PROGRAM SUMMARY SITE The addition to 400 East Pratt is located on Pratt Street between Commerce Street and Gay Street, overlooking the Inner Harbor with views of the World Trade Center and the National Aquarium.
PURPOSE In the original urban plan for the Pratt Street corridor, all buildings were set back from the street a significant distance to provide green space as a way of offsetting the industrial feel often found in urban centers. This approach creates projected building fronts on all office buildings, adding amenities for tourists and residents. The purpose is to attract people to the Harbor and surrounding vicintiy by offering great retail and pedestrian-friendly public spaces. The addition at 400 East Pratt is a wildly successful prototype of this new typology.
DESIGN HIGHLIGHTS 400 East Pratt Street is a mixed-use addition to an existing Class-A office building. The addition contains 44,000 square feet of retail and office space on two levels, surrounded on three sides by a two-story curtain wall. The ground floor hosts the new lobby serving the entire building as well as three fast-casual restaurants, a bank, and a convenient store. The second floor hosts a new office space and rooftop terrace that offers tenants scenic views of the city and harbor. The design of the building is meant to be a “light and airy” addition to the existing building. The new addition has become the design catalyst for future Pratt Street corridor redevelopments. Several adjacent properties are currenlty undergoing similar studies.
TECHNICAL ASPECTS
Storm Water Management | The vegetated roof serves as the building’s SWM system. Utilities | City water supply and sewer service, all other utility service is electric. Foundation | Concrete grade beam foundation. Structure | The metal frame addition is connected to prexisting round concrete columns with customized metal collars. FEMA requirement | A 4-foot flood barrier was required around the exterior of the entire addition because the project is within the 100year flood plane. The flood barrier design is custom to the building and can be assembled by a single person in a short span of time.
SUSTAINABLE FEATURES
Bioswale | The promenade drains into a bio-retention basin that filters the water before it reaches the bay. Green Roof | The green roof on the addition is 80% vegetated. Sustainability | Exceeds Baltimore City’s Green Building Standards Public Transit | The building is within a half mile of the light rail and all bus routes, centrally located downtown. Bike storage | Tenant bike storage was introduced in the preexisting garage during the addition’s design.
AWARDS
On top of having the distinction of “Innovator of the Neighborhood,” the new 400 East Pratt Street addition won the 2016 NAIOP Maryland Award of Excellence as the Best Mixed-Use Project and was a finalist for the Baltimore Business Journals’ Best in Retail Award. The project is currently seeking LEED Gold status….
400 East Pratt Street Baltimore, Maryland NEW VISION
Baltimore, MD has a spectacular Inner Harbor, known all around the globe as one of the most vibrant and lively pedestrian waterfront destinations in all of North America. Across the street however, the vitality of the commercial and public space was not the same. With the large number of tourists visiting the city each year and surrounding businesses vying for top tenants, the city of Baltimore realized the economic and cultural importance of re-envisioning this major downtown waterfront artery. As part of the redevelopment plan of the Inner Harbor complex, the city proposed to create several new office building additions and public space amenities that would re-energize and extend the pedestrian connection to the waterfront. The newly completed 400 East Pratt Street retail, office lobby and green roof addition, the first in a series of redevelopment additions to be added to the waterfront, has indeed set a high precedent to follow. As with any new architectural development, success is often measured in how people-friendly, environmental sound and utilized the development is after completion. The 400 East Pratt Class-A office building not only continues to be leased at 100% but now offers its users an inviting green rooftop terrace that overlooks the beautiful Inner Harbor waterfront. Too, the adjoining restaurants in the projected two-level retail addition have cue lines out the door every day, even during the winter. It goes without saying that this new scenic and park-like addition has added a key “PlaceMaking” component to the already thriving Inner Harbor waterfront development.
400 East Pratt Street Baltimore, Maryland WORKPLACE WELL-BEING The transparency from inside to outside intentionally connects building occupants to the beauty of the surrounding waterfront. Natural light illuminating the serene gallery-style lobby instills a sense of well-being to occupants as they enter and exit the building each day. The green roof-top terrace, though environmentally utilitarian, also serves as a quiet and restorative outdoor seating area for building residents that provides unobstructed views of the National Aquarium, Science Museum, Power Plant and Inner Harbor food and retail pavilions and waterfront. © 2015 Kevin Weber
© 2015 Kevin Weber
400 East Pratt Street Baltimore, Maryland PLACE MAKING The redesign of 400 East Pratt Street’s pedestrian promenade came from the city’s desire to make the Pratt Street waterfront corridor more accessible and safe. While the previous design offered plenty of shade and space, it did not offer businesses and pedestrians a sense of security and a comfortable place to engage with others in an outdoor setting. The old design created a haven for rodents and encouraged loitering. The new design for the public space continues to provide shade but also creates an open and bright walkway with beautiful views of the Inner Harbor and surrounding environment. The sleek modern retail facade has a cleaner and more transparent appearance that is both vibrant and inviting. The newly created PLACE offers pedestrians and office occupants 3 restaurants with outdoor seating, a bank and a 24-hour convenient store.
BEFORE AFTER
SEAMLESS DESIGN
The new modern two-story curtain wall design was specifically chosen to provide maximum views to the Inner Harbor waterfront. The “less is more” aesthetic was intentionally conceived to blur the lines between inside and out in hopes of bringing the openness and vibrancy of the pedestrian walkway and Inner Harbor activities into the building. From the interior, the space blends seamlessly with the exterior, connecting building occupants and retail customers to the beauty and expansiveness of the pedestrian promenade and water’s edge. From the exterior, the steel and glass storefront design refrains from taking center stage but instead, reflects the surrounding waterfront landscape and skyline, which is after all, the main attraction.
400 East Pratt Street Baltimore, Maryland
GREEN ROOF
STOREFRONT SECTION © 2015 Kevin Weber
400 East Pratt Street Baltimore, Maryland GREENING UP DOWNTOWN The rooftop terrace on the 400 East Pratt Street addition hosts a serene outdoor seating area amidst an extensive green roof populated with native plants. This design offers a relaxing atmosphere for office occupants as well as providing a natural habitat for local birds, bees and butterflies. Providing this habitat ensures that the city will continue to have clean air and prosperous plants amid the ever-growing presence of concrete and asphalt. The green roof also serves to cool the building and manage storm-water run-off efficiently and cleanly.
LEVEL TWO - OFFICE SPACE TERRACE
GREEN ROOF
400 East Pratt Street Baltimore, Maryland SAVE THE BAY The bio-retention basin between the pedestrian promenade and Pratt Street serves many of the same purposes as the green roof. It hosts native birds, bees, butterflies, and plants, inspires a sense of well-being for passer-byers, and manages stormwater run-off. The canopy trees and lush flower pots along the basin edge also provide a haven from the heat island effect produced by the vast quantity of non-pervious surfaces in the downtown area. Additionally, the dense vegetation in the basin provides a physical beautifying buffer between pedestrians and cars, creating a friendlier walkway experience for all user groups.
Bio-Retention Basin “Stormwater is directed to the basin and then percolates through the system where it is naturally filtered by a number of physical, chemical, and biological processes before entering the bay.” “By creating a diverse, dense plant cover, a bio-retention facility will be able to treat stormwater run-off and withstand urban stresses from insects, disease, drought, temperature, wind, and exposure.”
-- Maryland Department of the Environment
PEDESTRIAN PROMENADE AND BASIN
PRATT STREET
