New headquarters for the European Central Bank
The new headquarters for the European Central bank (ECB), designed by the Coop Himmelb(l)au architectural practice, is under construction on the site of a former wholesale market to the east of Frankfurt’s city centre. Three main elements make up the new premises: twin office towers, an entrance building and the former wholesale market hall itself. The two twisted towers of the high-rise building will add a prominent feature to the Frankfurt skyline. The entrance structure connects the glass twin towers to the refurbished market building, which dates from the 1920s and is now protected by a conservation order.
The external envelope to the 185 m high twin towers is in the form of a “shield hybrid façade” – designed, produced and erected by seele. This energy-efficient façade is a vital component in the overall energy concept and consists of three-ply prefabricated aluminium elements with electrically operated, room-high, parallel push-out elements in every second bay. These opening lights ventilate the offices directly and naturally; sunshades and anti-glare screens are fitted into the cavity of the façade. The shaping of the twin office towers has resulted in sloping façade surfaces with a hyperbolic form and scores of different elements. seele’s skills and experience in the design and construction of highly complex but nevertheless batch-produced building envelopes are indispensable here. CAM, for example, i.e. using data from 3D planning directly for programming and controlling the machining centres for element fabrication.
The external envelope to the 185 m high twin towers is in the form of a “shield hybrid façade” – designed, produced and erected by seele. This energy-efficient façade is a vital component in the overall energy concept and consists of three-ply prefabricated aluminium elements with electrically operated, room-high, parallel push-out elements in every second bay. These opening lights ventilate the offices directly and naturally; sunshades and anti-glare screens are fitted into the cavity of the façade. The shaping of the twin office towers has resulted in sloping façade surfaces with a hyperbolic form and scores of different elements. seele’s skills and experience in the design and construction of highly complex but nevertheless batch-produced building envelopes are indispensable here. CAM, for example, i.e. using data from 3D planning directly for programming and controlling the machining centres for element fabrication.
