Outline Concept
“The Grossmarkthalle is not preserved in order to be exposed as an old glory, its positioning and architectural nature allows us to provide an ideal space that agglutinates all public and access areas of the proposal. Therefore the interior space of the Grossmarkthalle becomes the first image perceived by the visitor of the institution.

Being a relatively young institution with an unconventional and yet dynamic, advanced and progressive way of working, the new building for the ECB should have a powerful image; abstract and modern, away from fashion but original and daring.

The predominant horizontality of the new building contrasts with the image of the skyscraper, it does not want to be a symbol of power but of efficiency, transparency and democracy. It avoids any clear scale or rhythm on the façade abstracting its architectural language and contrasting with the Grossmarkthalle presenting itself as a unitary element instead of programmatically segregated and fragmented architecture.

The new office building is based on a flexible and modular scheme that responds to an institution reliant on teamwork and constant change. The adaptability of the institution is clearly reflected in the modular proposal in our scheme.

The most emblematic perception of the building would be from the river side. The image of an volume floating and sheltering the Grossmarkthalle would be the most iconic and representative view of our proposal. On the other hand the North façade is more responsive to its urban surrounding. It acts as a perforated wall allowing framed views into the renovated Grossmarkthalle.

The spatial disposition of the new building protects and shelters the Grossmarkthalle, the new building reaches towards the market hall but they never actually touch. The interstitial space creates a clear access point between the two elements. The close volumetric relationship represents the complex symbiosis between the past and the future of Europe, where one cannot exist without the other.”