comf_020412_062energies_edited

The stunning exterior of Lanserhof Sylt, designed by Christoph Ingenhoven, showcasing its integration with the natural landscape and sustainable design elements

comf_020412_062energies_edited

The stunning exterior of Lanserhof Sylt, designed by Christoph Ingenhoven, showcasing its integration with the natural landscape and sustainable design elements

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PROJECTS / COMMERZBANK TOWER

Frankfurt is the only city in Europe where an American-style high-rise skyline has developed over the past four decades, predominantly shaped by banks whose demand for office space seems insatiable. The Commerzbank buildings from the 1960s and 1970s in Frankfurt were also slated for expansion. The client emphasized the importance of a strong presence in the cityscape, in line with the corporate identity. Christoph Ingenhoven proposed a high-rise tower with a height of 185 meters. The precise space program and a massive gross floor area had to be accommodated on a relatively small site at the edge of the banking district, as over 4,000 employees from more than a dozen different office buildings in the Rhine-Main area were to be consolidated at this location. The design for the freestanding high-rise includes 52 stories, accessed via a four-story entrance hall, and connected to the existing building by walkways. In 1991, this design won second place in an international competition.

In his search for a socially and ecologically sustainable high-rise typology, Christoph Ingenhoven, in partnership with Frei Otto, developed an approach that challenges the idea that ecological building is only about using materials like clay, wood, and grass. Otto, interested in the natural foundations of structural problems, researched materials and experimented with ecological building methods. His focus was on the form-finding of structures and architecture through evolution and environmental conditions. This serious, engineering-based perspective has a poetic quality and was successfully implemented at a high level in Ingenhoven's design. This innovative high-rise design marked the beginning of a long collaboration with engineers Ted Happold (deceased) and Klaus Daniels.

The building envelope of the high-rise consists of a glass cylinder with a double facade, which eliminates the need for air conditioning. All rooms are naturally ventilated and illuminated. Staggered gardens act as thermal buffers and supply the offices with fresh air through operable windows. Bamboo plantings ensure a balanced microclimate. The round shape of the building minimizes heat loss through the surface area. The floor-to-ceiling glazing increases the amount of daylight. The four three-column cores and cantilevered floors allow for a flexible configuration and organization of the spaces. The structural bracing is positioned externally as a tapering grid, leaving the floor plan design largely unaffected. The office floors are organized as full and cross layouts around a central core, creating units that span five floors each. Internal staircases and atriums connect the levels, allowing for a continuous spatial experience. The organization of the compartments across floors ensures high interior quality. Although the layout differs from floor to floor, the offices are naturally lit on both sides throughout. The room depths range from 15 to 20 meters, providing equal views and an equitable relationship to the gardens from all workstations. Various office configurations, from individual to team offices, can be combined on the same or different levels.In his design for the Commerzbank in Frankfurt, Christoph Ingenhoven aimed to add a distinct character to the skyline not through dramatic gestures but through the dynamic interplay of uses, light, and shadow. This project garnered international attention even before the RWE high-rise in Essen.