At first glance, the latest renderings released by the Bjarke Ingels-led architecture practice BIG of a skyscraper in Frankfurt seems like the typical, rectangular office building. But then the eye travels to the center of the building, and the tower looks more like the early rounds of a game of Jenga.
Square volumes stacked askew on top of each other seems to be the typology that the firm is keen on using lately: The feature will show prominently in the New York City skyline if BIG's Two World Trade Center design is built.
According to Architect’s Journal UK, the tower in Frankfurt will be 185 meters tall and will house offices, residential units, and public terraces. "By gently shifting the floorplates of the simple elegant volume, the tower incorporates all the elements of a real city: spaces for living and working, inside as well as outside," Ingels told Dezeen. The building in total will be 65,000 sm.
The levels in the middle of the tower that shift outward create terraces and outdoor space for the apartments.
“The tower is located in the center of [Frankfurt’s] mix between tall and low,” a statement from the firm says. “Its design reacts to the constraints and potential of the different programs housed within.”
Austrian engineering firm Bollinger + Grohmann is partnering with BIG to complete the scheme. The building is scheduled for completion in 2018.
Related Stories
| Apr 6, 2012
Flat tower green building concept the un-skycraper
A team of French designers unveil the “Flat Tower” design, a second place winner in the 2011 eVolo skyscraper competition.
| Apr 4, 2012
Bald joins the Harmon glazing team
Bald has 13 years of experience in the glazing industry, coming to Harmon from Trainor where he was the regional manager of the Mid-Atlantic region.
| Apr 2, 2012
Mitsubishi unveils ultra-high-speed elevator for Shanghai skyscraper
The operation of the elevator is scheduled to begin in 2014.
| Mar 27, 2012
Bank of America Plaza becomes Atlanta's priciest repo
Repo will help reset market prices for real estate, and the eventual new owner will likely set rental rates at a new or near the bottom and improve the facilities to lure tenants.
| Mar 26, 2012
McCarthy tops off Math and Science Building at San Diego Mesa College
Designed by Architects | Delawie Wilkes Rodrigues Barker, the new San Diego Mesa College Math and Science Building will provide new educational space for students pursuing degree and certificate programs in biology, chemistry, physical sciences and mathematics.
| Mar 16, 2012
Temporary fix to CityCenter's Harmon would cost $2 million, contractor says
By contrast, CityCenter half-owner and developer MGM Resorts International determined last year that the Harmon would collapse in a strong quake and can't be fixed in an economical way. It favors implosion at a cost of $30 million.
| Mar 14, 2012
Hearing to decide fate of unfinished Harmon in Las Vegas under way
The testimony began with CityCenter consulting engineer Chukwuma Ekwueme methodically showing photo after photo of parts of the Harmon, where he and his team had chipped away the concrete pillars and beams to examine the steel reinforcing bars inside.
| Mar 14, 2012
Plans for San Francisco's tallest building revamped
The glassy white high-rise would be 60 stories and 1,070 feet tall with an entrance at First and Mission streets.
| Mar 13, 2012
China's high-speed building boom
A 30-story hotel in Changsha went up in two weeks. Some question the safety in that, but the builder defends its methods.
| Mar 12, 2012
Improving the performance of existing commercial buildings: the chemistry of sustainable construction
Retrofitting our existing commercial buildings is one of the key steps to overcoming the economic and environmental challenges we face.
