• Mecanoo designed a 140m tower at Frankfurt Grand Central. Picture: Mecanoo

    Mecanoo designed a 140m tower at Frankfurt Grand Central. Picture: Mecanoo

  • Mecanoo designed a 140m tower at Frankfurt Grand Central. Picture: Mecanoo

    Mecanoo designed a 140m tower at Frankfurt Grand Central. Picture: Mecanoo

  • Mecanoo designed a 140m tower at Frankfurt Grand Central. Picture: Mecanoo

    Mecanoo designed a 140m tower at Frankfurt Grand Central. Picture: Mecanoo

  • Mecanoo designed a 140m tower at Frankfurt Grand Central. Picture: Mecanoo

    Mecanoo designed a 140m tower at Frankfurt Grand Central. Picture: Mecanoo

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Innovation

Striking tower to bring new identity to Frankfurt

Mecanoo has designed a 140-metre tower close to Frankfurt Grand Central railway station.

by Magda Ibrahim 13 May 2019 Tall Buildings

The tower, with its glass and copper-coloured metal façade, was inspired by the industrial atmosphere of the location. 

Bounded by Hafenstrasse and Adam-Riese-Strasse, on the north side of the railway, the area is beginning to be transformed from a business-focused district into a neighbourhood for living and working. 

The arrival of the new residential tower will bring flexible workspaces, retail, catering, fitness and a kindergarten to the area. 

The approach to public space also contributes to this transformation: on the railway side, there will be a linear park that extends to the Central Station, while on the city side, a green square will be added as a lively public space connecting the area with the existing neighbourhood and with the centre of the city. 

The multifunctional residential tower is being developed by Phoenix and Gross & Partner and the design competition has been won by Mecanoo. 

The design consists of an ensemble of two volumes on a plinth. The 140-metre tower contains social housing up to the seventh floor and owner-occupied units and penthouses on the higher levels. 

The lower volume consists of social housing. The two buildings are connected by a transparent plinth, which is enlivened by residential entrances and facilities. 

The tower’s dynamic shape seems to transform as you gaze upwards. 

As the tower rises, it widens, and the round corners gradually change into right angles. 

This subtle play of lines and perspectives gives the tower a characteristic silhouette. It is not the floor plans of the dwellings that are increasing in area, but the balconies that change in size and position.

On the upper levels, glass screens add an extra layer to the façade and the balconies become continuous.

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