Tall & Urban News

Almost 20 years after the Frankfurt police moved out of the old presidium at Platz der Republik, the property is being redeveloped. According to a design by architects Meixner Schlüter Wendt, the site between Mainzer Landstrasse, Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage, Ludwigstrasse and Hohenstaufenstrasse is to be built on with a 175 meter (574 feet) high-rise and three six-story buildings on the end of the block. The Frankfurters were able to prevail in a competition with 15 participants against strong national and international competition. The Gerch Group acquired the area two years ago for 212.5 million euros (US$251.9 million) from the state. The CEO Mathias Düsterdick announced that he wants to implement the project herself and start construction “as quickly as possible."

After a ten-hour meeting on Monday, the jury voted unanimously for the winning design. Architect Claudia Meixner explained that the shape of the high-rise building and also the color of the natural stone façade refer to the slate-covered gable roof of the old police headquarters. Her office wanted the identity of the building to come from the surroundings. The chairman of the jury, Ulrike Lauber, praised the fact that the tapered roof forms a clear conclusion. "This is an exciting and courageous high-rise that will impress in the silhouette of the city." 

The winning design stipulates that the neo-baroque old building from 1914 on the Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage will be preserved, renovated and used as an office building. The additional buildings of the old presidium will be demolished. Behind the old building will sit the new high-rise with a pentagonal floor plan and 47 stories, one third of which will be used from bottom to top as a hotel, condominiums and offices. Incisions in the façade  mark the change of use. In addition to technical floors, a hall with a roof terrace is to be accommodated at the top. 

Residential buildings are also part of the winning plan. Adjacent to its school yard, the Falkschule on Ludwigstrasse is getting an extension with a cafeteria and classrooms on the lower floors and a gymnasium on the fifth floor. In addition, a free-standing, one to two-story daycare center is being built, with a playground on the roof.

For more on this story, go to Frankfurter Allgemeine.