Location: 
Columbia, Maryland
Total Square Feet: 120,000
Construction Period: Oct 1998 to Sep 1999

Construction Team
General Contractor: Atlantic Builders Group - 9635 Philadelphia Road, Baltimore, MD 21237
Structural Engineer: Morabito Consultants - 2526 St. Paul Street, Baltimore, MD 21218
Electrical & Mechanical Engineer: Century Engineering, Inc. - 32 West Road, Towson, MD 21204

Located within the Gateway Corporate Park in Columbia, Maryland, Woodlands Two is a 4-story, Class "A" office building. DRBrasher was hired by Corporate Development Services, LLC, a subsidiary of Corporate Office Properties Trust, one of the largest REIT developers in the Maryland area. 

The challenge of this project was meeting the client's request of designing a building that was different, yet complimentary to a previously built office building on the same property. 

The site was a heavily wooded area and DRBrasher wanted to preserve as much as possible to capitalize and maximize the views that would be seen from the office windows. The storm water management was already in place between the two buildings. There were environmental wetland areas, which needed to be preserved as well. To take advantage of these areas, a walking path was designed around the natural areas for the tenant's enjoyment and relaxation and to provide a connection for the two buildings.

Corporate Development Services requested a building designed for not only today's technology users but for the future as well. The 30,000-square-foot large floor plates were structurally designed for 100 psf live load per floor to accommodate the dense population of office users today. These large floor plates allowed for open space plans, which are a must for many of today's tenants. Fiber optics were installed in the building and the electrical systems were enhanced. The mechanical system was designed with multiple systems per floor to provide flexibility for tenant users.

Woodlands Two has a unique wing-shaped design, which gives it a monumental presence, emphasizing and projecting the curve of the building and provides for more exterior windows. For the exterior skin of the building, DRBrasher chose the SlenderWall' system manufactured by the Smith-Midland Corporation. The system is an integrated precast-concrete brick finish with precast accent band panels. The curved precast panels set this building apart from other buildings in the corporate park. The architect was able to achieve the desired design of combined masonry and precast in one panel, which saved significant cost over the conventional brick veneer and precast method. This system allowed the building to be constructed with a masonry appearance in the dead of winter without cold weather delays and added costs for winterized construction. The system's erection time also provided cost savings.

To coincide with the building's exterior, the interior had to be upscale. The interior finishes included granite flooring in the lobby, with custom wood millwork and glass. These finishes continued into the elevators. But one of the most unique features of the interior is an 11-foot 6-inch ceiling height with a back-lit luminous ceiling system, which created the illusion of a skylight and of a much higher ceiling. By using this system to create an atrium effort, the architect was able to maximize the rentable square footage area per floor. 

Woodlands Two recently won a NAIOP (National Association of Industrial and Office Properties) Design of Excellence Award 2000 for the office building mid-rise 3-4 floors category.

Manufacturers/Suppliers
DIV 03: Precast Concrete Brick Finish: SlenderWall# by Smith Midland Corporation.
DIV 07: Roof Insulation: Owens Corning; Membrane Roof: Firestone.
DIV 08: Entrances & Storefronts: YKK AP America. Wood & Plastic Doors: Marshfield DoorSystems.
DIV 09: Floor Tile: Dal-Tile; Resilient Flooring: Azrock; Carpet: Monterey Spoolcraft; Gypsum Board: United States Gypsum; Painting: Duron.
DIV 14: Elevators: Otis.