Commerzbank Headquarters

Frankfurt

Liakos Ariston
Ben McKay
 The Structure
•Vision of Sir Norman Foster
•Constructed 1994 - 1997 in the
heart of Frankfurt
•299 meters, 53 floors – the
Tallest building in Europe
•Steel framing
•Green Design
The Green Design

• Minimum Environmental
Impact
• Healthy Human Interaction
• Energy Efficient
Happy Worker make better
world. !!!
 The Scientific “S”

• Virendeel
beams

Cross-section of climatic façade

Daylighting

• 7.5 m from a
window!
• Happy
worker
 Cooling and Ventilation

• Garden spaces provide evaporative cooling

• Atrium stack effect produces ventilation
• Operable windows
• Aerodynamic Building Design
 The Solar Envelope

• Not “Green” at other buildings’ expense

 Wrapping it all up
(structurally)
At the

Office facades as built, with air gaps top and

bottom of outer glazing
Sitting monkey
The monolith appears
 The Social “S”

•Not monolithic, but inviting for the happiness of the

workers
 Shape “Forms” Forces

• Socially inviting, not too windy

• Perambulate around the building, stop in a park – a nice park.
• Maybe a Mediterranean park, NO, a North American Park, NO a Asian park (based on the direction).
 Connecting Happy Worker

• You can look into other people’s offices – so there will

be no secrets.
• Secrets that divide us.
SO NICE TO BE OUTSIDE IN GERMANY
Its springtime for Commerzbank
in Germany
][][][][][][][][][

•Galleria, shops, bring

community together
•Fresh feelings
 The Symbolic “S”

• On the day the Commerzbank opened, the Financial Times adopted it as the
symbol of Frankfurt, just as it features Big Ben and the Eiffel Tower as symbols of
London and Paris.
 An Evolution in Form

Are we going GREEN?

• Commerzbank symbolizes, as the tallest building

in Europe, A New Form for Structures
• Like the Menai Straits Bridge of this Era
 Conflicting Ideals
Billington’s Blunder?

• Is structural art, as defined by David P.

Billington applicable to buildings?
• What about the environment?
 Skyscraper Words of Wisdom
“If you ever fall off the Commerzbank
Centrale Building, just go real limp,
because maybe you’ll look like a dummy
and people will try to catch you because,
hey, free dummy.”

Jack Handy