Outline Concept
“The proposed concept for the building involves stacking the towers of the ECB on a long plinth in much the same manner that containers are stacked on the deck of a modern freight ship. Like the European Union itself the design idea of this new European Central Bank is one of expandability through addition.

The footprint of the existing ‘Markthalle’ is exactly replicated by that of the new building. Through this doubling of the plan dimensions, a new integrated whole is created.

Additionally the stacked rows of the office towers pick up and reinforce the industrial character of the old ‘Markthalle’. While the towers contain the office areas, the plinth accommodates the security functions of the complex. The tower ‘slices’ are arranged at right angles to the river Main, and thus preserve the visual contact between the river and the old ‘Markthalle’. The stepping back and forward of the towers combined with their vertical modulation allows for optimal daylighting of the interior spaces.

The tallest of the towers is orientated as a gesture towards the centre of Frankfurt; its upper stories accommodate the decision-making bodies. The requirement for flexible extendibility of the complex is met by the possibility of stacking extra towers on the plinth, which already contains the necessary circulation and service cores for such a development.

The ‘Markthalle’ becomes an integral part of the new concept. The new spaces are set independently into the existing interior volume as box like islands which clearly allow a distinction to be drawn between old and new - as well as leaving the entire original internal volume spatially and visually intact.”