European Central Bank Headquarters
| European Central Bank Headquarters | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| General information | |
| Status | Construction |
| Type | Office |
| Location | Frankfurt, Germany |
| Coordinates | 50°06′34″N 08°42′9″E / 50.10944°N 8.7025°ECoordinates: 50°06′34″N 08°42′9″E / 50.10944°N 8.7025°E |
| Construction started | Spring 2010 |
| Estimated completion | 2014 |
| Height | |
| Roof | Est. 185 metres (607 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 48 |
| Floor area | 184,000 m2 (1,980,000 sq ft) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Coop Himmelb(l)au |
| Services engineer | Ove Arup & Partners |
The European Central Bank Headquarters[1] is a building complex under construction in the eastern part of Frankfurt, Germany. It includes a 185-metre-skyscraper which will be the new headquarter for the European Central Bank (ECB).[2] It is expected to be completed in 2014.
The ECB's headquarters is legally required by the EU treaties to lie within the city limits of Frankfurt, the largest financial centre in the Eurozone.[3] The ECB currently resides in the Eurotower (the old Commerzbank Tower) and the Eurotheum in the Bankenviertel (financial district) of Frankfurt.
Contents |
[edit] Development
In 1999, an international architectural competition was launched by the bank to design a new building. It was won by a Vienna-based architectural office called Coop Himmelb(l)au. The building will be approximately 185 meters tall and will be accompanied by other secondary buildings on a landscaped site on the site of the former wholesale market (Großmarkthalle) in the eastern part of Frankfurt. The main construction work was planned to commence in October 2008, with completion scheduled for before the end of 2011.[4][5]
Construction was planned to start in late 2008, but was put on hold in June 2008 as the ECB was unable to find a contractor that would build the Skytower for the allocated budget of €500 million[6][7] due to the bidding taking place at the peak of the pre-late-2000s recession bubble. A year later with prices having fallen significantly the ECB launched a new tendering process broken up into segments. With the project back on, the ECB plans to move in mid-2014.[8][9]
It is expected that the building will become an architectural symbol for Europe and is designed to cope with double the number of staff who operate in the Eurotower.[10]
[edit] Design
The main building is estimated to be 185 metres (607 ft) tall and surrounded by other structures that will also serve as offices of ECB staff. It is expected the complex will have twice the floor area compared to the current, temporary home.[11]
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Großmarkthalle site from the river (looking north)
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Großmarkthalle site from the air
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Building work
[edit] References
- ^ Skytower, Frankfurt / Emporis.com
- ^ "New ECB Premises". European Central Bank. http://www.ecb.int/ecb/premises/html/index.en.html. Retrieved 8 March 2008.
- ^ "Consolidated versions of the treaty on European Union and of the treaty establishing the European Community" (PDF). Eur-lex. http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/oj/2006/ce321/ce32120061229en00010331.pdf. Retrieved 12 June 2007.
- ^ "Winning design by Coop Himmelb(l)au for the ECB's new headquarters in Frankfurt/Main". European Central Bank. 6 January 2003. Archived from the original on 9 June 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070609011252/http://www.ecb.int/ecb/premises/html/image29.en.html. Retrieved 2 August 2007.
- ^ "Launch of a public tender for a general contractor to construct the new ECB premises". European Central Bank. 6 January 2003. http://www.ecb.int/press/pr/date/2007/html/pr070710_3.en.html. Retrieved 2 August 2007.
- ^ "The European Central Bank formally closes the public tender for a general contractor to build the new ECB premises". European Central Bank. 25 June 2008. http://www.ecb.int/press/pr/date/2008/html/pr080625.en.html. Retrieved 10 September 2008.
- ^ FAZ, 27. Juni 2008 Angebot für EZB-Turm lautete auf 1,4 Milliarden Euro (German, retrieved 2008-09-10)
- ^ Koeppen, Nina (17 December 2009) ECB WATCH: Financial Crisis Helps ECB To Build New Home, Wallstreet Journal
- ^ ECB green light for new Frankfurt headquarters Gulf Daily News 18 December 2009
- ^ Dougherty, Carter (16 November 2004). "In ECB future, a new home to reflect all of Europe". International Herald Tribune. http://www.iht.com/articles/2004/11/16/ecb_ed3_.php. Retrieved 2 August 2007.
- ^ Carter Dougherty (16 November 2004). "In ECB future, a new home to reflect all of Europe". International Herald Tribune. http://www.iht.com/articles/2004/11/16/ecb_ed3_.php. Retrieved 8 March 2008.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Großmarkthalle, Frankfurt |
- Information, including video tour, in ECB website
- The project's main page
- Architect's website with page on the project
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