News


Architecture competition for "Millennium-Areal" launched in Frankfurt

  • Development of a high-rise complex with a vibrant mix of office, residential, hotel and other complementary uses
  • High proportion of residential space with 200 subsidised rental flats
  • Aiming to create the tallest and most sustainable high-rise office tower in Germany
  • Public viewing platform with restaurant space

 

Frankfurt, 30 September 2020 --In cooperation with the City of Frankfurt, the property company CA Immo has launched an architectural competition for the "Millennium-Areal" in Frankfurt's Europaviertel. The competition's goal is to develop a mixed-use building complex with two high-rises and a perimeter block development with a total gross floor area of approximately 185,000 m². The 8,700 m² competition site is centrally located not far from Frankfurt's main train station between Hohenstaufenstraße and Osloer Straße on the western edge of Frankfurt's banking district.
 

The City of Frankfurt and CA Immo have concluded an urban-planning contract for the development of the site. The vision for the location is a high-rise, urban mix of flats, offices, a hotel and a day-care centre, as well as additional spaces for restaurants, retail, everyday services and leisure.
 

In the words of Mike Josef, Head of Planning for the City of Frankfurt, "It's a good thing that after 20 years the area on the edge of the Europaviertel and the Messe Frankfurt exhibition grounds is being developed. It's my hope that the competition and its two high-rise buildings will be a win for Frankfurt and its skyline. We place great importance on carrying out a competition procedure that does justice to the significance of this project. The towers will become a notable part of the city's skyline and will complement the urban design of the high-rise cluster surrounding the Messe Frankfurt exhibition grounds. In addition to creating a mix of functional and social uses, sustainability is an important factor. Public mixed-use spaces throughout the plinth area of the high-rises and a viewing platform create a vibrant environment. The total of around 500 flats will contribute to the vibrancy of the neighbourhood. 200 of these flats will be publicly subsidised under the 1st and 2nd Förderweg (funding scheme)".
 

Matthias Schmidt, Managing Director CA Immo Germany and Head of Project Development says, "We would like to create a project that has international appeal – thanks to its architecture, its vibrant mix of uses and, in particular, its sustainability. For this reason, we've set forth ambitious targets for the competition participants with regard to energy efficiency, use of renewable energy sources and CO2 reductions. With a height of around 260 metres, we aim to develop not only Germany's tallest building but also Germany's most sustainable office tower.
 

Vibrant, diverse and urban mixed-use building
CA Immo's concept envisages the construction of a six-storey perimeter block development with a possible recessed floor, as well as two high-rise towers with heights of approximately 260 and 150 metres. One special feature is that the first three floors in the high-rise buildings and the first two floors in the perimeter block development are to be reserved for public use. The residential development with some 500 residential units in total – 200 of which will be funded under the 1st and 2nd Förderweg – are to be located exclusively in the perimeter block development and in the approximately 150-metre high tower. The perimeter block development should also include a 4-group day-care facility with a gross floor area of around 1000 m² and an outdoor area of 600 m². The approx. 260-metre tall tower will house a hotel and office space. This tower will also have a public viewing platform with restaurant space. The public areas of the buildings are also to include other public-use spaces, such as restaurants, cafés, retail shops, cultural offerings, doctors' practices and everyday services. The complex itself should feature an open design on the ground floor that is thoroughly linked to its urban environment by means of public passageways and communal spaces.
 

Ambitious sustainability goals
As with all of CA Immo's projects, this complex is being developed as a green building in accordance with strict sustainability criteria. The company has set itself ambitious goals in this regard, including an innovative energy concept that meets a large part of the primary energy requirements through regenerative systems located directly in and on the building, such as large-scale photovoltaic systems in the façades of the high-rises as well as storage and utilisation of internal heat sources. In terms of the materials, it is important to ensure that the extraction and processing comply with recognised ecological and social standards. They should generate the lowest possible level of "grey energy", require low operating costs for cleaning and maintenance, provide the longest possible service life and feature a high degree of deconstruction and recycling capability. CA Immo has carried out extensive preliminary studies on all aspects of sustainability, the results of which have been presented to the competition participants as objectives and concrete planning guidelines. With these measures, CA Immo is starting early in achieving the construction, operation and induced mobility goals set forth in Germany's CO2reduction targets for the year 2045. In addition, the project will be at least 30 % below the requirements of the current version of the German Energy Saving Ordinance (EnEV).

However, the project measures its sustainability not only in terms of energy efficiency, but also in terms of the high diversity of space usage, enabling flexible responses to changing market demands. The project is to be certified with the platinum seal of the German Sustainable Building Council (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen, DGNB) and the WELL Building Institute.
 

Top-class competition participants
Eight renowned international, national and local architectural firms have been invited to participate in the architecture competition. These include the firms 3XN Architects (Copenhagen, DK), David Chipperfield Architects (London/Berlin, UK/D), Cobe (Nodhaven, DK), Ferdinand Heide Architekt (Frankfurt, D), Herzog & de Meuron, (Basel, CH), Ingenhoven Architects (Düsseldorf, D), OMA (Rotterdam NL), Schneider + Schumacher Architekten (Frankfurt, D). The competition is expected to be concluded with the jury meeting at the end of January 2021. 
 

Profile of the building complex on the "Millennium-Areal"

LocationFrankfurt, Europaviertel between Hohenstaufenstraße and Osloer Straße
Plot sizeapprox. 8,700 m²
Building typeTwo high-rise buildings (approx. 150 and 260 metres) and a plinth building with 6 full storeys and possibly 1 staggered storey
Main useOffice, hotel, residential, day-care centre (4 groups), food services, viewing platform/rooftop restaurant
Supplementary
uses
Retail, everyday services, medical practices, leisure, social and cultural uses
GFATotal: approx. 185,000 m² above ground, of which approx. 93,000 m² office space, approx. 48,000 m² residential, approx. 21,000 m² hotel space, approx. 10,000 m² access areas, restaurants and supplementary uses, approx. 1,000 m² indoor space with at least 600 m² outdoor space for a day-care facility
Subsidised housingapprox. 200 rental flats through the 1st and 2nd Förderweg
Privately financed housingapprox. 300 flats

 

Images

Images of the "Millenium-Areal" can be found in the image archive in the Press section at www.caimmo.com with the keyword "Millenium-Areal" or downloaded from this link.