Outline Concept
“The site for the new European Central Bank Headquarters in Frankfurt ‘Ostend’ has the conditions to create a visible icon, despite the height limitation of 150 meters compared to the Frankfurt skyline.

Starting from a research base of urban sight lines and cones of vision, we propose a double slab tower with a polygonal/amorphous form in the east-west orientation. The narrow side of the tower profile is a solitary figure seen from all of the important views of downtown Frankfurt and along the river Main.

The horizontal body of the ‘groundscraper’ contrasts the verticality of the tower and is simultaneously the urban/functional connection between the Grossmarkthalle and the local urban context. The body of the ‘groundscraper’ on one hand transforms the strong horizontal space of the river, and on the other creates an artificial horizon for a transition from downtown to the developing areas of ‘Ostend’ and the park area along the Main. The combination of the horizontal structure and the verticality of the double towers express the functional program of the ECB.

The Grossmarkthalle contains the entrance lobby and all public and semi-public functions, such as exhibition space, visitor center and library. The ‘groundscraper’, which is the horizontal connection to the office towers, holds in two levels the conference center and the main IT services combined on a third level. The towers provide the large amount of office space, including internal meeting spaces and recreational hanging gardens for informal meetings in the atrium.

The floating volume of the multi-functional auditorium for press conferences and other events is a special space in the body of the horizontal structure, cantilevering over and acting as a symbol for the main entrance from the city, while from inside a large window frames the view from the auditorium back to the Frankfurt downtown skyline.”