The Deutsche Bundesbank is putting the results of its architectural competition for the planned new buildings at its Central Office premises in Frankfurt am Main out on display. The exhibition at the German Architecture Museum, featuring the 29 architectural designs submitted, was opened to the public today with a press conference that simultaneously served as a virtual opening.

A jury[1] of 13, made up of renowned architects and representatives from the Bundesbank and the City of Frankfurt am Main, selected six prize winners and awarded two honourable mentions from the designs. First prize was awarded to the design submitted by the Basel-based architects Morger Partner Architekten AG. Second prize went to the design tabled by the Frankfurt architects KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten, while the jury awarded third prize to the Viennese architecture firm Schenker Salvi Weber Architekten ZT GmbH & Franz und Sue Architekten ZT GmbH. Fourth place went to the Berlin-based architects Ortner & Ortner Baukunst GmbH. Wittfoht Architekten bda, based in Stuttgart, came in fifth with their ideas. Last but not least, sixth place went to RKW Architektur + Rhode Kellermann Wawrowsky GmbH from Düsseldorf. The designs put forward by Thomas Müller Ivan Reimann Architekten GmbH and Max Dudler, both from Berlin, earned honourable mentions.

“We are seeing architecture and functionality engage in a symbiotic relationship: high-end, state-of-the-art architecture masterminded by Morger Partner Architekten meeting rational efficiency, while delivering high-quality working space,” said Johannes Beermann, the Bundesbank Executive Board member whose responsibilities include construction management. “The new architecture – the main building and the three identical structures positioned at right angles in front of it – also reflects the Deutsche Bundesbank’s evolution. Independent and strong by tradition – a part of the Eurosystem together with other national central banks and the European Central Bank.” 

The urban development framework for this competition was staked out by the design proposed by Ferdinand Heide Architekten, which was adopted by the Bundesbank at the end of 2018. The idea behind this construction project is to bring together all the employees working for the Bundesbank’s Central Office in Frankfurt at the Bank’s campus on Wilhelm-Epstein-Strasse. At present, roughly half of its staff operate from various locations spread across Frankfurt’s city centre.

“The design that took first prize cleverly expands upon the urban design idea pitched by Ferdinand Heide Architekten,” explained Arno Lederer, chair of the jury, at the press conference. “The jury unanimously recommended that the Bank use the first-prize-winning design as the foundation for further work.” A procurement procedure will be carried out to decide on the awarding of the planning contracts to one or more prize winners.

“Building on the excellent framework design, the competition has made the desired campus solution a reality; the existing main building at centre will be carefully framed by new structures, ensuring that it loses none of its significance,” remarked Mike Josef, Head of the Planning Department of the City of Frankfurt. “As part of the urban fabric containing the Grüneburg Park, the Nidda Park, the rejuvenated former US Army housing area, the sporting grounds, the planned tram circuit and the extension of the U4 underground line, the location will be set in attractive surroundings, and itself enhance the area,” continued Mr Josef. 

The exhibition, entitled “Campus Deutsche Bundesbank – Architectural designs for the Bundesbank’s Central Office in Frankfurt”, will be on display at the German Architecture Museum in Frankfurt from 16 July to 18 October 2020, with free admission.

Footnote:

1. Specialist jury: Professor Arno Lederer, architect, Stuttgart (chair of the jury); Günther Hoffmann, architect, Berlin; Brigitte Holz, architect and urban planner, Berlin/Darmstadt; Sonja Moers, architect, Frankfurt am Main (brought in to replace Professor Anett-Maud Joppien); Professor José Gutierrez Marquez, architect, Berlin; Professor Ulrike Lauber, architect, Berlin/Munich; Christine Steimle, architect, Stuttgart (brought in to replace Ms Almut Grüntuch-Ernst).
   
   Non-specialist jury: Dr Johannes Beermann, Deutsche Bundesbank Executive Board member; Professor Jens-Uwe Fischer, Honorary Professor of integrated brownfield management at the University of Leipzig; Mike Josef, Head of the Planning Department of the City of Frankfurt am Main; Guido Müller, Head of Construction Management at the Deutsche Bundesbank; Diana Rutzka-Hascher, Director General Human Resources at the Deutsche Bundesbank; Professor Sophie Wolfrum, architect and urban planner, Munich.
   
   Alternate jury members: Professor Anne Beer, architect, Munich; Reiner Bruckhaus, Deputy Head of Construction Management at the Deutsche Bundesbank; Stefan Hardt, Director General Cash Management at the Deutsche Bundesbank; Markus Radermacher, Deputy Construction Manager, Frankfurt am Main.