Baltimore World Trade Center

Project History

Where the city meets the sea lies the Baltimore WTC. Rising majestically from Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, the observation deck of the WTC offers a panoramic 360° view of the city. Constructed in 1977, this 30 -story tower is the world’s tallest regular pentagonal building. Designed by Henry N. Cobb to resemble the prow of a ship rising out of the water, the office structure includes docking facilities for the Maryland Port Administration, and served as a focal point for area redevelopment. Corroding rebar set close to the façade surface caused extensive spalling. Once the damaged areas were removed, ECB corrosion inhibitor was used to coat rebar before patching. ECB was chosen not only for its chemical properties, but also because it was a very easy product to use from high swing staging in often windy conditions. ECB is single component, CSI simply had to close the container when not in use, meaning pot life was not an issue. Since ECB can also be used as a bonding primer, wind conditions and the potential for product blowing on to the substrate was not a concern. A standard color of MIMIC repair mortar was an excellent match for the building. MIMIC was the preferred mortar because it could be easily finished to replicate the board form finish of the original substrate. Injection Grout was selected for its ability to fill hairline to ¾ inch cracking with one standard formulation.