Owings Mill, MD
This state-of-the-art facility provides 110,000 gsf of office and support
space. The design was developed from the client's desire that every employee have a view of the outside. Ayers/Saint/Gross was awarded the project based upon the firm's design and project approach in a limited design competition.
Located in the Owings Mills Corporate Campus, the 7.5-acre site is partially
wooded and includes frontage on a small lake. The design provides a simple,
economical and efficient office building which is subtly connected to its
site through a series of site features beginning at Red Run Boulevard,
proceeding to the building and leading to the lake.
The amenities found
in the "L" shaped site were used in the design. The design team developed a parti which placed the building within the trees and connected the road, building and pond with a sweeping arc represented in different materials as it moves through the site.
A carefully prepared functional program involving almost every employee
of the company was developed through more than a year of study. Various
approaches were tested for their value in satisfying the complex inter-relationship
of functions and physical systems required to operate a modern corporate
entity. The result is a building that breaks new ground in its attempt
to enhance form, function, and aesthetics for the site as well as its employees.
The brick and regularly spaced windows of the entry facade are intended
to project a stable, corporate image, while the glassy facade overlooking
the pond is a response to the site and culture of Baltimore Life. Remnants
of the curved wall are found on each of the floors above and below the
main entry and gallery, vertically unifying the building. Other major
functional elements are directly related to this space including the dining
room on the first floor, the training room on the second floor, and the
executive suite of offices and boardroom on the third floor. Each of these
areas is oriented with a view of the pond and is connected by a monumental
stair which encourages employees to experience all levels of the building.
The other three sides of the building incorporate closed offices which
overlook a vast array of trees and wildlife.
Completion: 1992
Size: 110,000 GSF
Cost: $12,500,000
