/// ECB, Frankfurt/Germany
The new headquarter of the European central bank (ECB) is an addition to Frankfurt skyline, which characterized with significant high-rise buildings.
The chosen location for the ECB was the Grossmarkthalle, where it was built between 1926 and 1928 to be the center vegetables market in Frankfurt and its surroundings.
The design was developed by Vienna-based architects COOP HIMMELB(L)AU and Bollinger and Grohmann engineer office Frankfurt am Main to serve as a landmark in Ostend-Frankfurt to be as a counterpoint to the high-rise buildings located in the city center.
The façade of the Grossmarkthalle was renovated, as almost all of the windows were replaced with new double glazed ones, some needed a new steel frames to carry the weight of the glass panels others not.
The office tower contains combinations of different geometries, 90% of the glass elements were identical and runs the entire height of each floor. The façade elements is combining the functions of double-glazed windows, double facades and box window to match the required regulations for energy efficiency. Natural ventilation is offered by manually control the façade elements, which its slats move out horizontally from their frames.
The atrium façade is fully covered in glass panels that are attached to a customized steel grid to bear the weight of the glass façade along the full height of the atrium and the entrance building is covered with aluminum sheets.
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