Commerzbank tower
Facts & figures
Commerzbank's Head Office at the Kaiserplatz is the stand-out architectural landmark of the financial capital Frankfurt. This extraordinary building, designed by Lord Norman Foster, has been a feature on Frankfurt's skyline since 1997 and is considered an outstanding example of environmentally-friendly and energy-saving architecture.
Conception
Visitors enter the 259m high tower from the Kaiserplatz by means of stairs covered by a glass roof. On the first floor a spacious plaza with a restaurant provides an area for rest and relaxation. Above the lobby, which is at the side of the plaza, the central atrium, rising high through all the floors, is flooded with light and creates a bright and airy atmosphere. The nine sky gardens, the green lungs of the building, can be used by employees as communication and recreation areas.
Architecture
The building is in the shape of an equilateral triangle with rounded corners and slightly convex sides. This allows for the floors of the building and the shafts at the three corners to be arranged around the central atrium. The atrium, which is also triangular in shape, gives the tower an open and transparent feel. The building is enclosed in a two-layer façade. This permits natural ventilation and is energy-saving. The stepped top of the tower rounds off the building in a highly distinctive manner and creates a striking landmark for Frankfurt's banking district.
Sky gardens
The nine spacious sky gardens rise up the tower in spiral form; three each facing eastwards, southwards and westwards. Each geographical orientation has a different botanical theme, featuring Mediterranean, North American Pacific or Asian vegetation. The gardens provide the inner offices with plenty of daylight. They can be used by staff for communication purposes and for breaks; they also create a feeling of openness and space and form part of the sophisticated system of natural ventilation.
Green Building
The architect and his client worked together to make the Commerzbank tower innovatively environmentally- and climate-friendly. The natural ventilation and the environmentally-friendly air conditioning make a long-term contribution to climate protection. The tower has been supplied entirely with "green" electricity since the beginning of 2008 and - like all Commerzbank buildings - is cleaned exclusively with biodegradable cleaning products. In 2009 the city of Frankfurt awarded the Commerzbank tower the "Green Building Frankfurt" award.
