blue ocean
location: Baltimore, MD category: Commercial Architecture program: New Exterior Skin & Interior Remodel of a Mid-century Office Building in Northwest Baltimore
The project involves a range of exterior and interior improvements to a 1960’s former bank located in an area where original businesses departed long ago and subsequent building and streetscape improvements have ranged from fresh signage, to the commercial vernacular of EIFS and carpet. Adhering to $40/sf budget, the project set its sights on the region’s best commercial developments as both the standard of amenity, and its future competition. The project’s identity and the financial strategy involve reasserting the building’s existing Modernism through a combination of low-cost preservation and strategic innovation intended to signal the reoccupation of the building and enhance performance on all fronts.
BLUE OCEAN HEADQUARTERS
19060s -present socio-economic downturn subsequent slow recovery
after before
robust buidling stock
? 6609 Reisterstown OFFICE BUILDING
proJect location
Reisterstown Plaza LANDMARK COMMERCIAL CENTER proJect conteXt
1960s today open-air shopping center EIFS-clad mall/government services
reisterstown road plaZa
reisterstown road plaZa
SKIN TREATMENT
SUBCUTANEOUS AND SUPERFICIAL PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT TO A LEGACY CURTAIN WALL
Existing Exterior. The ‘skin treatment’ is presented as a sensitive approach to one of Modern Architecture’s common ailments not only with regards to improved comfort and performance, but also sensitive to what it doesn’t require including the need to dispose of an existing system or purchase a new one.
NEW 3 1/2" TUBE STEEL POST
EXISTING SINGLE PANE GLASS NEW GLASS PANEL 1/2" DESICANT STRIP ALUMINUM STOP EXISTING CURTAIN WALL FRAME
NEW PERFORATED ALUMINUM PANEL
ALIGN
TERMINATION BAR PREPAINTED ALUMINUM 2" RIGID INSULATION EXISTING CURTAIN WALL MULLION
SECOND FLOOR
SUBCUTANEOUS
ALIGN
STEEL PLATE BOLTED TO NEW TUBE STEEL & WELDED TO EXISTING STEEL BEAM
subcutaneous sKin treatment
Skin Treatment involves both ‘subcutaneous’ and ‘superficial’ modifications to the building, which address both the performance and the image of the legacy curtain wall. The ‘subcutaneous’ enhancements take place beneath the skin and include the application of additional low ‘e’ glazing, sealant and insulation producing significant gains in the systems thermal performance including a tripling of the buildings ‘R’ value equating to a 20% energy savings for the building overall.
SUPERFICIAL
The ‘superficial’ and arguably more interesting of the performance enhancements take place above the skin in the form of a perforated metal rainscreen. The rainscreen both leaves the legacy curtain wall intact in an act of preservation and shades the surface of the building from direct solar gain. The act of penetrating one façade to support another provides the designer opportunities to reconfigure the building appearance as a form of aesthetic renewal that preserves rather than erases the original skin off the building.
3 1/2"
2 A3.1
4"
E 8 1'-
1'-2 1/2"
" 1/4
S1
S1
G1
G1
G1
G2
G2
G2
G2
G2
G2
G2
G2
G2
G2
G1
G1
S1
S1
S1
S1
120°
G1
G1
120°
G1
S1
3"
S1
G1
G1
G2
G2
G2
S1
S1
S1
S1
S1
S1
G1
G1
S1
G1
G1
G2
G1
G1
S1
S1
S1
5 1/4"
81 /4"
- 52 PANELS TYPICAL GLAZING PANEL (2X8 ALUMINUM SHEET) G2
G2
S1
S1
S1
G2
SECOND FLOOR 3"
S1 - 65 PANELS
S1
G1 9"
90°
G2
G2
G2
G2
G2
G2
G2
G1
G1
G1
G1
S1
S1
S1
S1
10
3" 3"
"
1/2
S1
G1 G2
G2
G2
FIRST FLOOR
30°
60°
TOP SPANDREL PANEL (4X8 ALUMINUM SHEET)
G2 - 55 PANELS G2 G2 LIGHT-SHELF GLAZING PANEL (2X8 ALUMINUM SHEET)
G1
G1
S1
S1
S1
S1
S1
S1
G1
G1
G1
G1
B12
B11
B10
G1 CAP 1'-2 1/2"
16'-2"
S1 CAP
B18
B17
B16
B15
B14
B13
B9
2'-11"
B19
3
S1 1'-7"
G1
2
5'-5 1/2"
S1
G1
28'-9 1/2"
S1
G1
16'-2"
S1
1
S1
1'-
1 A8.2
2'-11"
S1
G1
S1
12'-7 1/2"
S1
G1
S1
1 A3.1
D 90°
ROOF S1
4 1/4"
4" /4" 81
CORNER TO BE REINFORCED WITH BLOCKING INSIDE OF THE CORNER 90° PANEL JOINTS. A 1/2" GAP TO BE LEFT BETWEEN PANELS
1
.050 ALUMIN METAL PANEL BOLTED HSS. 1/2" GAP TO BE LE BETWEEN PANE
EXISTING STOREFRONT GLAZING TO REMAIN
7 3/4"
4'-1"
3 A3.1
EXISTING EXT. LIGHTS TO BE REMOVED
10"
12'-7 1/2"
2
3 1/2"
6'-11 1/2"
4 A3.1
HSS 2" X 3" X 1/8" ANCHORED TO EXISTING FLOOR STRUCTURE
CORNER PANELS TO BE CUT TO 45 AND ALIGNED WITH THE CORNER PANELS1'-1 ON 1/2"THE WEST FACADE
EXISTING STOREFRONT GLAZING TO REMAIN
6'-11 1/2"
3" THICK EXT. RIGID FOAM PANELS ATTACHED TO EXISTING SPANDREL PAINTED
81 /4"
.050 ALUMINUM METAL PANEL BOLTED TO HSS. 1/2" GAP BETWEEN PANELS
F
E
D
C
G2 CAP
5 1/4"
3'-9"
G
WEST ELEVATION SCALE: 1/8" =
1'-1 1/2" 3 1/2"
1'-0"
3"
2 A2.1
SINTRA PVC FOAM BOARD END CAPS 3/4"
SIZED TO FIT INSIDE OF RESPECTIVE PANELS
7 3/4"
10"
3 1/2"
4 1/4"
7'-6"
4"
3'-9"
ALUMINUM PANEL PROFILES SCALE: 1"
3'-9"
4"
ROOF
4'-1"
120°
81 1'-
81
/4"
12'-7 1/2"
G1
- 52 PANELS TYPICAL GLAZING PANEL (2X8 ALUMINUM SHEET)
superficial sKin NO GLAZING PANELS MAY SIT BETWEEN 3'-6" ABOVE FIRST FLOOR FF AND 6'-6" ABOVE FIRST FLOOR FF
3
G2 ALIGN TOP OF PANEL W/ SILL
9"
30°
1'-7"
5 1/4"
S1 - 65 PANELS
90° 60°
10
TOP SPANDREL PANEL (4X8 ALUMINUM SHEET)
4
G1
3"
3"
5 A2.1
ALIGN TOP OF PANEL W/ TOP OF STEEL
S1
6'-11 1/2"
2'-11"
1 2
/4"
/4"
1'-2 1/2"
81
1'-
90°
120°
1'-0"
/4"
81
90°
=
SECOND FLOOR
"
1/2
G2
5
5'-5 1/2"
- 55 PANELS LIGHT-SHELF GLAZING PANEL (2X8 ALUMINUM SHEET)
S1
S1
3" 3"
G1
G2 16'-2"
1'-2 1/2"
6'-11 1/2"
G1 CAP
S1 CAP
G2
NO GLAZING PANELS MAY SIT BELOW 6'-6" ABOVE FIRST FLOOR FF TUBE STEEL
2'-11"
ALIGN TOP OF PANEL W/ SILL G2 CAP
FIRST FLOOR 3"
EXISTING TYPICAL 2-BAY CURTAINWALL SINTRA PVC FOAM BOARD END CAPS 3/4"
SIZED TO FIT INSIDE OF RESPECTIVE PANELS
G1 SOLID PANEL
BAY 1 PROFILE
3'-11 1/2"
5 1/4"
3'-9"
S1
New Exterior Skin. Perforated aluminum panels shading the south and west facades of the building.
INTERNAL OPERATIONS RESTORATIVE ORGANIZATION OF SPACIAL SYSTEMS
Internal Operations aimed to restore primary spatial qualities of the building through the removal of excess partition and ceiling, and the considered arrangement of the company’s operational organs within the curtain wall and below a new pendant lit ceiling.
leasing office
commercial operations A membrane of translucent storefront and back-to-back reception desks separates the retail and commercial operations. The retail system is a ‘leasing center’ entered from the main road which presents apartment hunting for the company’s low to middle income customers as a staged experience including a lobby populated with sleek furniture, scale apartment models, a regional map of apartment choices, interactive kiosks, beverages, a sales bar, and finally the signing offices. The commercial system, entered from the parking lot houses the company’s development and management functions, but also provides a curated exhibit of the company’s portfolio, the conference center and a management side view of ‘leasing’ for the company’s current and future investors.
BLUE OCEAN HEADQUARTERS
The project involves a range of exterior and interior improvements to a 1960’s former bank located in an area where original businesses departed long ago and subsequent building and streetscape improvements have ranged from fresh signage, to the commercial vernacular of EIFS and carpet. Adhering to $40/sf budget, the project set its sights on the region’s best commercial developments as both the standard of amenity, and its future competition. The project’s identity and the financial strategy involve reasserting the building’s existing Modernism through a combination of low-cost preservation and strategic innovation intended to signal the reoccupation of the building and enhance performance on all fronts.
BLUE OCEAN HEADQUARTERS
19060s -present socio-economic downturn subsequent slow recovery
after before
robust buidling stock
? 6609 Reisterstown OFFICE BUILDING
proJect location
Reisterstown Plaza LANDMARK COMMERCIAL CENTER proJect conteXt
1960s today open-air shopping center EIFS-clad mall/government services
reisterstown road plaZa
reisterstown road plaZa
SKIN TREATMENT
SUBCUTANEOUS AND SUPERFICIAL PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT TO A LEGACY CURTAIN WALL
Existing Exterior. The ‘skin treatment’ is presented as a sensitive approach to one of Modern Architecture’s common ailments not only with regards to improved comfort and performance, but also sensitive to what it doesn’t require including the need to dispose of an existing system or purchase a new one.
NEW 3 1/2" TUBE STEEL POST
EXISTING SINGLE PANE GLASS NEW GLASS PANEL 1/2" DESICANT STRIP ALUMINUM STOP EXISTING CURTAIN WALL FRAME
NEW PERFORATED ALUMINUM PANEL
ALIGN
TERMINATION BAR PREPAINTED ALUMINUM 2" RIGID INSULATION EXISTING CURTAIN WALL MULLION
SECOND FLOOR
SUBCUTANEOUS
ALIGN
STEEL PLATE BOLTED TO NEW TUBE STEEL & WELDED TO EXISTING STEEL BEAM
subcutaneous sKin treatment
Skin Treatment involves both ‘subcutaneous’ and ‘superficial’ modifications to the building, which address both the performance and the image of the legacy curtain wall. The ‘subcutaneous’ enhancements take place beneath the skin and include the application of additional low ‘e’ glazing, sealant and insulation producing significant gains in the systems thermal performance including a tripling of the buildings ‘R’ value equating to a 20% energy savings for the building overall.
SUPERFICIAL
The ‘superficial’ and arguably more interesting of the performance enhancements take place above the skin in the form of a perforated metal rainscreen. The rainscreen both leaves the legacy curtain wall intact in an act of preservation and shades the surface of the building from direct solar gain. The act of penetrating one façade to support another provides the designer opportunities to reconfigure the building appearance as a form of aesthetic renewal that preserves rather than erases the original skin off the building.
3 1/2"
2 A3.1
4"
E 8 1'-
1'-2 1/2"
" 1/4
S1
S1
G1
G1
G1
G2
G2
G2
G2
G2
G2
G2
G2
G2
G2
G1
G1
S1
S1
S1
S1
120°
G1
G1
120°
G1
S1
3"
S1
G1
G1
G2
G2
G2
S1
S1
S1
S1
S1
S1
G1
G1
S1
G1
G1
G2
G1
G1
S1
S1
S1
5 1/4"
81 /4"
- 52 PANELS TYPICAL GLAZING PANEL (2X8 ALUMINUM SHEET) G2
G2
S1
S1
S1
G2
SECOND FLOOR 3"
S1 - 65 PANELS
S1
G1 9"
90°
G2
G2
G2
G2
G2
G2
G2
G1
G1
G1
G1
S1
S1
S1
S1
10
3" 3"
"
1/2
S1
G1 G2
G2
G2
FIRST FLOOR
30°
60°
TOP SPANDREL PANEL (4X8 ALUMINUM SHEET)
G2 - 55 PANELS G2 G2 LIGHT-SHELF GLAZING PANEL (2X8 ALUMINUM SHEET)
G1
G1
S1
S1
S1
S1
S1
S1
G1
G1
G1
G1
B12
B11
B10
G1 CAP 1'-2 1/2"
16'-2"
S1 CAP
B18
B17
B16
B15
B14
B13
B9
2'-11"
B19
3
S1 1'-7"
G1
2
5'-5 1/2"
S1
G1
28'-9 1/2"
S1
G1
16'-2"
S1
1
S1
1'-
1 A8.2
2'-11"
S1
G1
S1
12'-7 1/2"
S1
G1
S1
1 A3.1
D 90°
ROOF S1
4 1/4"
4" /4" 81
CORNER TO BE REINFORCED WITH BLOCKING INSIDE OF THE CORNER 90° PANEL JOINTS. A 1/2" GAP TO BE LEFT BETWEEN PANELS
1
.050 ALUMIN METAL PANEL BOLTED HSS. 1/2" GAP TO BE LE BETWEEN PANE
EXISTING STOREFRONT GLAZING TO REMAIN
7 3/4"
4'-1"
3 A3.1
EXISTING EXT. LIGHTS TO BE REMOVED
10"
12'-7 1/2"
2
3 1/2"
6'-11 1/2"
4 A3.1
HSS 2" X 3" X 1/8" ANCHORED TO EXISTING FLOOR STRUCTURE
CORNER PANELS TO BE CUT TO 45 AND ALIGNED WITH THE CORNER PANELS1'-1 ON 1/2"THE WEST FACADE
EXISTING STOREFRONT GLAZING TO REMAIN
6'-11 1/2"
3" THICK EXT. RIGID FOAM PANELS ATTACHED TO EXISTING SPANDREL PAINTED
81 /4"
.050 ALUMINUM METAL PANEL BOLTED TO HSS. 1/2" GAP BETWEEN PANELS
F
E
D
C
G2 CAP
5 1/4"
3'-9"
G
WEST ELEVATION SCALE: 1/8" =
1'-1 1/2" 3 1/2"
1'-0"
3"
2 A2.1
SINTRA PVC FOAM BOARD END CAPS 3/4"
SIZED TO FIT INSIDE OF RESPECTIVE PANELS
7 3/4"
10"
3 1/2"
4 1/4"
7'-6"
4"
3'-9"
ALUMINUM PANEL PROFILES SCALE: 1"
3'-9"
4"
ROOF
4'-1"
120°
81 1'-
81
/4"
12'-7 1/2"
G1
- 52 PANELS TYPICAL GLAZING PANEL (2X8 ALUMINUM SHEET)
superficial sKin NO GLAZING PANELS MAY SIT BETWEEN 3'-6" ABOVE FIRST FLOOR FF AND 6'-6" ABOVE FIRST FLOOR FF
3
G2 ALIGN TOP OF PANEL W/ SILL
9"
30°
1'-7"
5 1/4"
S1 - 65 PANELS
90° 60°
10
TOP SPANDREL PANEL (4X8 ALUMINUM SHEET)
4
G1
3"
3"
5 A2.1
ALIGN TOP OF PANEL W/ TOP OF STEEL
S1
6'-11 1/2"
2'-11"
1 2
/4"
/4"
1'-2 1/2"
81
1'-
90°
120°
1'-0"
/4"
81
90°
=
SECOND FLOOR
"
1/2
G2
5
5'-5 1/2"
- 55 PANELS LIGHT-SHELF GLAZING PANEL (2X8 ALUMINUM SHEET)
S1
S1
3" 3"
G1
G2 16'-2"
1'-2 1/2"
6'-11 1/2"
G1 CAP
S1 CAP
G2
NO GLAZING PANELS MAY SIT BELOW 6'-6" ABOVE FIRST FLOOR FF TUBE STEEL
2'-11"
ALIGN TOP OF PANEL W/ SILL G2 CAP
FIRST FLOOR 3"
EXISTING TYPICAL 2-BAY CURTAINWALL SINTRA PVC FOAM BOARD END CAPS 3/4"
SIZED TO FIT INSIDE OF RESPECTIVE PANELS
G1 SOLID PANEL
BAY 1 PROFILE
3'-11 1/2"
5 1/4"
3'-9"
S1
New Exterior Skin. Perforated aluminum panels shading the south and west facades of the building.
INTERNAL OPERATIONS RESTORATIVE ORGANIZATION OF SPACIAL SYSTEMS
Internal Operations aimed to restore primary spatial qualities of the building through the removal of excess partition and ceiling, and the considered arrangement of the company’s operational organs within the curtain wall and below a new pendant lit ceiling.
leasing office
commercial operations A membrane of translucent storefront and back-to-back reception desks separates the retail and commercial operations. The retail system is a ‘leasing center’ entered from the main road which presents apartment hunting for the company’s low to middle income customers as a staged experience including a lobby populated with sleek furniture, scale apartment models, a regional map of apartment choices, interactive kiosks, beverages, a sales bar, and finally the signing offices. The commercial system, entered from the parking lot houses the company’s development and management functions, but also provides a curated exhibit of the company’s portfolio, the conference center and a management side view of ‘leasing’ for the company’s current and future investors.
BLUE OCEAN HEADQUARTERS
