Central Business Tower, Frankfurt/Main
How did we open a high-rise up to the public?
For our high-rise Central Business Tower on Neue Mainzer Strasse in Frankfurt we combined the Weltkulturenmuseum with an office building. Sounds unusual, but it works. In our concept the tower acts crucially as a hinge bonding the greenbelt of the old Frankfurt bastions and a group of high-rises along Neue Mainzer Strasse. Urban life and the world of work mingle.
Our design thinking hinges on the idea that place, context, time, and usage must all be considered. On Mainzer Strasse, there is already an existing neo-classical building, an historical rotunda, and We therefore consciously chose a hybrid ensemble: All the elements co-exist, and interlock – like an organic urban world. Our design forms a triad of high-rise, museum, and public space. The lobby zone will consist of a walk-through basement as a covered five-story public space boasting restaurants, cafés, and the museum. By interfacing highly frequented everyday public usages and the museum we will bond urban life and the world of work. Unlike conventional office towers, we are giving life to a public arcade between Neuer Mainzer Strasse and the greenbelt. The result: the city steps into the building. The tower consists of two parts that are linked by a seam in the middle – a vertical visual axis. The building houses 52 floors with different office configurations for flexible usages, highlighting the value of diversity.
We energized the place by incorporating numerous usages – fostering its appeal.
Project: Central Business Tower, Frankfurt/Main
Client: Helaba Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen
GFA: 114.500 m²
Height: 205 m
Competition: 02/2001, 1st prize
Completion: Expected end 2027
Visualization: Rendertaxi
“Hybrid structures in high-rises are a good solution to boost urban densities and energize cities.”
For us, architecture is a social task: Here we can help shape our cities. In our proposal for the Central Business Tower, the tower and the podium form a hybrid urban ensemble. Always up to date and live: Webcam.