BIG . photos: © Nils Koenning
Omniturm among the nominated buildings for the DAM Preis 2021.
Frankfurt is an urban setting that combines the classical European perimeter block with the high-rises of a modern metropolis—forming a vibrant cluster of structures in the city center. This architectural combination offers density and a dynamic skyline, echoing the Taunus Mountains that bound Frankfurt to the north. The Omniturm high-rise is located in the center of this mix of tall and low, informed by its context and program to offer a silhouette both rational and sculptural. The tower expands at its center to capture and accommodate the best spaces for each specific program and height. Omniturm houses a mix of two office types as well as residential and public spaces, utilizing each to define the tower’s design.
Organized as a slender and rational stack of inhabited floors, the tower is interrupted by two sculptural moves where the program changes. At street level the floors are shifted backwards and forwards to create green terraces and canopies facing the park. In the middle, where the tower turns residential, the floor plates slide out in a spiraling movement, creating terraces for residents. In its upper section the tower returns to a simple stack of optimized floor plates, completing its twist to rejoin the orientation of the floors below. These inhabitable movements bring human scale from street level into the skyline, embodying the unique character of Frankfurt. Omniturm combines these spaces for working and living for a form both classical and sculptural.
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