The Highest Residential Building in Germany:

Grand Tower – Frankfurt am Main
  • Frankfurt am Main, April 30th 2014

    Magnus Kaminiarz & Cie. win architectural competition

    In the Europaviertel ("European Quarter") in Frankfurt am Main, gsp STÄDTEBAU will be developing the so-called "Tower 2" as a residential building. The Frankfurt-based architectural office Magnus Kaminiarz & Cie. won the first prize of the architectural competition for the building , which at 160 meters in height will be the tallest residential building in Germany.

    The current local land-use plans permit the realization of a 160-meter-tall high-rise. In coordination with both the Department of Planning and Construction and the City Planning Department of the City of Frankfurt am Main, gsp STÄDTEBAU invited the following architectural offices to take part in the competition:

    • ASTOC GmbH & Co. KG Architects and Planners, Köln in Zusammenarbeit mit Lorber und Paul Architekten, Köln

    • Magnus Kaminiarz & Cie. Architekturgesellschaft, Frankfurt am Main

    • nkbak Nicole Kerstin Berganski Andreas Krawczyk, Frankfurt am Main

    • nps tchoban voss GmbH & Co. KG, Hamburg

    • raumwerk Gesellschaft für Architektur und Stadtplanung mbH, Frankfurt am Main

    • schneider + schumacher Planungsgesellschaft mbH, Frankfurt am Main



    The jury session on April 29th 2014 was led by the renowned Munich-based architect Christoph Sattler (of Hilmer & Sattler und Albrecht Gesellschaft von Architekten mbH). Frankfurt am Main was represented by the Mayor and Head of the Department of Planning and Construction, Olaf Cunitz, and Martin Hunscher of the City Planning Department, while the Urban Planning Advisory Board of the City of Frankfurt am Main was ably represented by the architect Birgit Giebel (of MOW Architekten BDA).

    The decision of the jury for the design created by Magnus Kaminiarz & Cie. was unanimous.

    The winning design is of a 160-meter-tall high-rise with a gross floor area of approx. 44,000 m². With the exception of the ground floor area and the floor space occupied by technical and building services installations, the high-rise will have a purely residential use. Of the approx. 340 apartments, the design provides for a mixture of sizes: ca. 30% will be smaller apartments; ca. 55% classical 3-to-4 room apartments; and 15%, on the top floors, will be spacious apartments of up to approx. 280 m².

    In addition to meeting all the formal requirements of the completion guidelines, the design by Magnus Kaminiarz & Cie. also features an excellent energy standard that liberally exceeds current legal specifications, while the eye-catching panoramic views enabled by the glass façade along with the spacious loggias ensure a unique living experience and notably high residential quality. In formal terms, the solution to the challenge posed by the required separation area to the planned extension of the city subway line U5 into the Europaviertel – which in turn resulted in a limitation of the number of possible sub-levels and a corresponding solution involving above-ground parking – is excellent.

    We build for people

    When summarizing the competition results to the principals involved, Jürgen Blankenberg, the Executive Director of gsp STÄDTEBAU, , stated: „We build for people. The winning design meets all the significant attributes required of high-quality architecture, as well as those necessary for an individual style of living.“

    Second prize went to the design by nps tchoban voss Architekten, Hamburg, while the third prize went to the design by ASTOC GmbH & Co. KG Architects and Planners, Cologne.

    In late December 2013, the project company of gsp STÄDTEBAU acquired the southern part of the site for the so-called "Tower 2" in the Europaviertal in Frankfurt am Main from CA Immo Deutschland GmbH. With the conclusion of the architectural competition, the groundwork for the application of the construction permit has been laid. This will be prepared for and executed in close coordination with the relevant city authorities of Frankfurt am Main. All further scheduling as well as the projected completion date of the project depend on the preparation time and subsequent processing time required for the construction permit.

    The competition designs are on public display in the lobby of the City Planning Department at Kurt-Schumacher-Strasse 10 in Frankfurt am Main until approx. the end of June 2014.

    For questions regarding the project and the outcome of the architectural competition, please contact:

    Jerzy Behnke
    gsp STÄDTEBAU
    Telephone 030 20 94 76 00
    Email jerzy.behnke@gsp-staedtebau.de

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