Commerzbank
Tower, Germany
Commerzbank
Tower is a skyscraper located in Frankfurt,
Germany. After it was completed in 1997, it
ranked as the tallest construction in Europe
until 2004, and now is only surpassed by Moscow's
Triumph-Palace. |
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With a height
of 259 m (850 ft), 56 stories, it provides 121,000
m² (1.3 million square feet) of office space
for the Commerzbank Headquarters, including winter
gardens and natural lighting and air circulation.
It was designed by Sir Norman Foster & Partners,
with Arup and Krebs & Keifer (structural engineering),
J. Roger Preston with P&A Petterson Ahrens (mechanical
engineering), Schad & Hölzel (electrical
engineering). Construction of the building began in
1994 and took 3 years to finish.
The signal light on top of the tower
increases the tower's height to 300.1 metres.
The tower is only 2
metres taller than the MesseTurm which is also in
Frankfurt. Before the Commerzbank Tower, the MesseTurm
was the tallest
building in Europe.
The atrium is of a triangular shaped
base and rises through the centre of the building.
It is sectioned by a number of glass levels.
Unlike many skyscrapers, the tower
does not feature an observation level and the only
space which is accessible to the public is the plaza
area. However, the public are permitted to go to the
top floor if they have the permission of a member
of staff in the building. However, even then, the
public need to be allowed by a high ranking member
of staff and finally need to display ID such as a
passport.
The building is illuminated at night
by a yellow light scheme which was designed by Thomas
Ende who was allowed to display this sequence as a
result of a competition.
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