Outline Concept
“The new ECB slab faces the city of towers in Frankfurt as a thin blade of glass, but faces the main river as a large window revealing the varied activities within the bank. The idea of the new ECB is to arrange the functional requirements on an ordered plan, which Is then flipped up to form a vertical city slab.

The scheme unites the two flows across the site; water and nature. The river Main spills onto the ECB site creating a natural secure barrier Likewise, Frankfurt’s proposed extension of the green lung wrapping the city will feed its way through the ECB site. It interweaves between the fingers of water, creating a new ecological zone. The buildings become the interface between forest and over.

The layout of the new vertical city slab is arranged as if it were a plan, vertical, diagonal and horizontal circulation routes connect various zones together. Each zone is treated as a micro-city with Its own security requirements and functions. Offices, meeting rooms, restaurants are dispersed evenly within the micro-cities to allow ease of movement and add diversity. The purpose and activity of the bank is revealed in the facade.

The tower is strategically placed to take full advantage of the best location on the site. Flying into Frankfurt, the overwhelming impression is the forest of green foliage that hugs the river. Positioning a thin slab building fronting this view gives the occupants an immediate relationship with the longer views and the river. This strategy frees the Grossmarkthalle from attachments and respects the scale and profile of the building.”