Outline Concept
“We propose to make the new architectural intervention create a continuous building and landscape combination, in this way making an overall topographic proposition.

A primary question that we asked ourselves was how could the Central Bank of Europe be represented architecturally? Our response was to develop the above elements, woven and synthesised into a non-hierarchical, rich fabric of diversity, of transparency; this is our metaphor for Europe.

Symbolically one enters the site through the architecture of the old market building, through history to discover then a new entrance into Europe and the 21st century, and the heart of the new central European bank.

The site is essentially a strong horizontal platform, for this reason we proposed to explore two aspects, first of all we developed the site into a series of horizontal layers that merge inside space with outside, where floors are spatially read as being extended into the landscape and vice versa. And secondly we developed the landscape to meet the specific requirements of security required by the program.

By taking the attitude towards security as a series of circles within circles we proposed also to use this landscape terracing as a strong but subtle way to stop movement into and out of the site and at the same time to direct this movement towards the specific openings between security zones.

From an urban point of view we can now propose this project as an important link or green piece in a series of links along the Main river, a green necklace that holds together already a rich heritage of cultural institutions along its chain.

Thus in this architectural proposition we have tried to convey a series of implicit messages for the Central European Bank, those of stability, simplicity, continuity, transparency, with those of prosperity through a renewable and sustainable future.”