900 S. Wolfe Street – TBC Headquarters

This three-story, 31,000 sq, ft., historically accurate, iron spot and glazed brick office building in Fells Point is home to Trahan Burden Charles (TBC), one of the largest advertising agencies on the East Coast. The design challenge was to provide a structure of this size, capable of being leased to multiple tenants, in keeping with the height and scale of the adjacent structures. The geometry of the site required that the building front on each of the three streets and provide as much natural light as was possible from the narrow ends of the building.

The resulting structure features intricate, articulated, brick facades and corbeling, with incised granite accents at the exterior. Operable windows, exposed 2-by-8 wood plank decking, exposed composite wood/steel trusses, exposed spiral duct and interior brick walls, recycled wood flooring, glass block, rubber tile, and carpeting all create a modern interior belying the more traditional exterior construction.

Spaces constructed for TBC’s work include special audio visual areas, a dubbing/editing room for voice over work, a film studio, arts department, first floor executive lounge, large client conference room, and the computer server room with its separate Liebert HVAC unit.

The third floor clerestory provides natural light throughout the studio space, and interior office partitions include fixed light accents to transmit natural lighting. Private balconies on the third floor are accessed from the conference room and executive office. Core areas for stairways and back-of-house spaces are located along the side walls to assure the fullest impact of the window walls. The 5-foot grade differential between the two ends of the building is barely visible to all but the most vigilant observer.