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
High-rise Construction | Jan 20, 2021
Casablanca Finance City Tower becomes Morphosis’ first project in Africa
The tower is the first building completed in Casablanca Finance City.
Products and Materials | Sep 23, 2020
A new portable restroom is designed for mobility
Lendlease invented the H3 Wellness Hub, which can include natural lighting and UV bacteria control.
High-rise Construction | Mar 20, 2020
Edge, the Western Hemisphere’s highest outdoor skydeck opens
The attraction is part of 30 Hudson Yards.
High-rise Construction | Nov 6, 2019
AS+GG releases design scheme for the South HeXi Yuzui Financial District and Tower
The firm won an international design competition for the project in 2018.
High-rise Construction | Oct 7, 2019
A giant shipwreck sculpture highlights the proposal for Prague’s tallest building
Sculptor David Černý and architect Tomáš Císař from the studio Black n´ Arch designed the project.
High-rise Construction | Oct 4, 2019
KPF-designed CITIC tower is Beijing’s tallest
The tower is the fourth tallest in China and the eighth tallest in the world.
High-rise Construction | Sep 19, 2019
Two residential towers break ground in Chicago’s Lakeshore East
bKL Architecture designed the towers.
High-rise Construction | Sep 18, 2019
Central Park Tower tops out in New York City
The building will be the tallest residential skyscraper in the world.
AEC Innovators | Aug 27, 2019
7 AEC industry disruptors and their groundbreaking achievements
From building prefab factories in the sky to incubating the next generation of AEC tech startups, our 2019 class of AEC Innovators demonstrates that the industry is poised for a shakeup. Meet BD+C’s 2019 AEC Innovators.
Museums | Jul 29, 2019
A new museum debuts inside the Empire State Building
A $165 million, 10,000-sf museum opened on the second floor of the Empire State Building in New York City, completing the second of a four-phase “reimagining” of that building’s observatory experience, which draws four million visitors annually.