Nextower

A sensational large construction project was realised in the inner city of Frankfurt am Main under the title of „Palais Quartier“ at the corner of Große Eschenheimer Straße / Zeil. Four buildings arose on an area of approx. 17400m²: A multi-storey hotel, the MyZeil shopping centre, the Thurn und Taxis Palais, a baroque city palace which was reconstructed during the building measures according to historical example, and the 34 storey office skyscraper „Nextower“. The 135m high office tower has a subterranean garage reaching almost 23m under the ground. To ensure an efficient construction process despite the surrounding buildings and the immense depth, the underground levels were built using the dig-and-cast construction method.

The skyscraper is braced by two reinforced concrete cores that are coupled by steel girders. The sculpture-like outer shape results from the inclination of the edge columns close to the facade, the deviation forces of which are equilibrated by the concrete slabs. A structural challenge was posed by the fact that a part of the building with 28 stories cantilevering 15 m had to be suspended or propped. The solution was an arrangement of inclined columns which interact with the slabs to form a truss.

Architect
KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten, Frankfurt am Main

Client
MAB Projektentwicklung GmbH

Gross area
47.700 sqm

Gross volume
185.800 cbm

Awards
DGNB Zertifikat in Gold 2011
Auszeichnung für nachhaltiges Bauen - Finalist
CTBUH: „Best Tall Building Awards – Europe“ 2010