The real estate company CA Immo, in cooperation with the City of Frankfurt, has launched an architecture competition for the so-called “Millennium Area” in Frankfurt’s European District. The aim of the competition is to develop a mixed-use building ensemble with two high-rise buildings and a perimeter block development with a total gross floor area of approx. 185,000 square meters (1,937,503 square feet). The approximately 8,700 square meter (93,646 square feet) competition area is centrally located not far from Frankfurt Central Station between Hohenstaufenstrasse and Osloer Strasse on the western edge of the Financial District.

The City of Frankfurt and CA Immo have signed an urban development contract for the creation of the complex. This provides for a highly urban mix of uses: apartments, office space, hotel, and a kindergarten as well as gastronomy, retail, service, and leisure areas.

Mike Josef, Head of Planning for the City of Frankfurt: “It is good that after 20 years the area on the edge of the European District and the trade fair is under development. I hope that the result of the competition with the two high-rise buildings will be a win for Frankfurt and its skyline. That is why we attach great importance to a competitive process that does justice to this importance, because the towers will help shape the city silhouette and complement the high-rise cluster at the fair grounds in terms of urban planning. In addition to the question of functional and social mix, sustainability is important to us. Mixed public uses in the lower floors and a viewing platform at the top enliven the area. The total of around 500 apartments enliven the quarter. 200 of them are publicly funded, both in funding path 1 and in funding path 2. ” [Editor’s note: Funding paths 1 and 2 are social housing schemes offering price-reduced apartments.]

Matthias Schmidt, Managing Director of CA Immo Germany and Head of Project Development: “We want to implement a project with international appeal. This applies equally to the architecture, the lively mix of uses, and, in particular, the sustainability requirements. That is why we already wrote ambitious goals for the participants in terms of energy efficiency, use of renewable energy sources and CO2 savings in the exercise book. We want to develop not only Germany’s tallest building with a height of around 260 meters (853 feet), but also Germany’s most sustainable office tower. “

The building concept developed by CA Immo provides for the construction of a six-storey perimeter block with provision for another stacked storey above, as well as two high-rise towers approx. 260 and 150 meters high. A special feature is that the first three floors in the high-rise buildings and the first two in the perimeter block development are to be reserved for public use.

The residential building with a total of approx. 500 residential units – including 200 implemented as part of funding routes 1 and 2 – is to be housed in the perimeter block development and in the approx. 150 meter high tower. In the perimeter block development, a gross floor area of ​​approx. 1000 square meters (10,763 square feet), a 4-group daycare center with a 600 square meter (6,458 square feet) outdoor area will be created.

The hotel and office space are planned in the tower, which is around 260 meters (853 feet) high. A public viewing platform with dining options is also to be created here. Other public uses, such as restaurants, cafés, retail stores, cultural offerings, medical practices, and everyday services are planned in the public areas. The ensemble itself should be designed in an open manner and network with its urban environment in a variety of ways in the ground floor area by means of public passageways and spaces.

As with all CA Immo project developments, this ensemble is also consistently developed as a green building, taking strict sustainability criteria into account. The company has set itself ambitious goals. This includes an innovative energy concept through which a large part of the primary energy required is to be generated directly in or on the building through the use of large-area photovoltaic systems in the high-rise facades and through storage and re-use of internal heat sources.

When it comes to the materials used, it is important that the extraction and processing meet recognized ecological and social standards. They should bind “gray energy” as little as possible, cause low operating costs for cleaning and maintenance, have the longest possible service life, and be largely dismantled and recyclable.

CA Immo has already carried out extensive preliminary studies on all sustainability aspects, the results of which were given to the competition participants as specific planning objectives. With this in mind, CA Immo has set a goal of achieving the Federal Republic of Germany’s CO2 reduction targets for construction, operation, and induced mobility by 2045 by the time the ensemble is completed. In addition, the requirements of the current EnEV (Energy Saving Ordinance) should be undercut by at least 30%.

However, the project’s sustainability is not only measured in terms of energy efficiency, but also in the wide variety of room usages, in order to be able to react flexibly to changing market demands.

The project is to be certified with the platinum seal of the German Society for Sustainable Building (DGNB) and the WELL Building Institute.

Eight renowned international, national and local architecture firms were invited to the architecture competition that has now been announced. This includes the offices

• 3XN Architects (Copenhagen, Denmark),
• David Chipperfield Architects (London, United Kingdom / Berlin, Germany),
• Cobe (Copenhagen, Denmark),
• Ferdinand Heide Architekt (Frankfurt, Germany),
• Herzog & de Meuron (Basel, Switzerland),
• Ingenhoven Architects (Düsseldorf, Germany),
• OMA (Rotterdam, Netherlands),
• Schneider + Schumacher Architekten (Frankfurt, Germany).

The competition is expected to end with the jury meeting at the end of January 2021.

Location
Frankfurt’s European Quarter between Hohenstaufenstrasse and Osloer Strasse

Property Size
8,700 square meters (93,646 square feet)

Building Types
Two high-rise buildings (approx. 150 meters/492 feet and approx. 260 meters/853 feet) and a base building with 6 full storeys plus possibly 1 stacked storey

Main Uses
Office, hotel, residential, kindergarten (4 groups), dining, viewing platform / rooftop dining

Complementary Uses
Retail, service offerings, medical practices, recreational uses, social and cultural uses

Distribution of the gross floor area
Total: approx. 185,000 square meters (1,991,323 square feet) above ground, including approx. 93,000 square meters (1,001,043 square feet) of office, approx. 48,000 square meters (516,668 square feet) of living space, approx. 21,000 square meters (226,042 square feet) of hotel, approx. 10,000 square meters (107,639 square feet) of access areas, restaurants, additional uses, approx. 1,000 square meters (10,763 square feet) plus at least 600 square meters (6,458 square feet) of outdoor play area for kindergarten.

Subsidized Housing
approx. 200 rental apartments on the 1st and 2nd funding scheme

Freely financed housing construction
approx. 300 apartments

CA Immo is an investor, manager, and developer specializing in modern office properties in the metropolitan cities of Germany, Austria, and Central Europe. The company covers the entire value chain in commercial real estate and has a high level of in-house construction expertise. CA Immo, founded in 1987, is listed in the ATX of the Vienna Stock Exchange and has real estate assets of around EUR 5.2 billion in Germany, Austria, and CEE (Central European and Eastern European countries).

In Frankfurt, CA Immo is particularly well-known as a district developer for the European District. In addition to the urban development, CA Immo realized the office buildings Europa-Allee 12-22, Tower 185, the Mövenpick Hotel, the Skyline Plaza, and the Kap Europa congress building. CA Immo is currently building the ONE office and hotel high-rise building in the direct vicinity of the future ensemble on the Millennium site, with an investment volume of around EUR 410 million.