Seat of the European Central Bank

The seat of the European Central Bank (ECB)[6] is an office building complex in Frankfurt, Germany. It comprises a twin-tower skyscraper and the former Wholesale Market Hall (Großmarkthalle), with a low-rise building connecting the two. It was completed in 2014 and was officially opened on 18 March 2015.

Seat of the European Central Bank
Building in 2015
Alternative namesNew ECB Premises, Neubau der Europäischen Zentralbank
General information
StatusComplete
TypeGovernment offices
Architectural styleDeconstructivism
LocationRuckertstrasse
Frankfurt
Hesse, Germany
Coordinates50.10944°N 8.7025°E / 50.10944; 8.7025
Construction startedSpring 2010
CompletedOctober 2014
Inaugurated18 March 2015
Cost~ €1.4 billion
OwnerEuropean Central Bank
Height
Antenna spire201 m (659 ft)[1]
Roof185 m (607 ft)
Technical details
Floor count48
Floor area184,000 m2 (1,980,000 sq ft)
Lifts/elevators18
Design and construction
ArchitectCoop Himmelb(l)au
EngineerBollinger + Grohmann
Ove Arup & Partners
Ebert-Ingenieure Nürnberg
References
[2][3][4][5]

The ECB is required by the Treaties of the European Union to have its seat within the city limits of Frankfurt, the largest financial centre in the Eurozone.[7] The ECB previously resided in the Eurotower and, as its duties increased due to countries joining the Eurozone, in three further high-rise buildings nearby - the Eurotheum, Japan Center and Neue Mainzer Straße 32–36, the former head office of the Commerzbank.

Architecture

The main office building, constructed for the ECB, consists of two towers that are joined by an atrium with four interchange platforms. The North tower has 45 storeys and a roof height of 185 m (607 ft), whereas the South tower has 43 storeys and a roof height of 165 m (541 ft). With the antenna, the North tower reaches a height of 201 m (659 ft). The ECB premises also includes the Grossmarkthalle, a former wholesale market hall built from 1926–1928, fully renovated for its new purpose.[8]

History

Development

In 1999, an international architectural competition was launched by the bank to design a new building. It was won by a Vienna-based architectural office called Coop Himmelb(l)au. The building was to be 185 meters tall (201 meters with antenna), accompanied by other secondary buildings on a landscaped site on the site of the former wholesale market (Großmarkthalle) in the eastern part of Frankfurt. The main construction work was planned to commence in October 2008, with completion scheduled for before the end of 2011.[9][10]

Construction was put on hold in June 2008 as the ECB was unable to find a contractor that would build the Skytower for the allocated budget of €500 million[11][12] due to the bidding taking place at the peak of the pre-late-2000s recession bubble. A year later with prices having fallen significantly the ECB launched a new tendering process broken up into segments.

  • Großmarkthalle site (2006)
  • Model seen in 2011
  • Construction in 2012
  • Building at night

It is expected that the building will become an architectural symbol for Europe and is designed to cope with double the number of staff who operate in the Eurotower.[13] The total cost of the project was between 1.3 and 1.4 billion euros. For the total surface of 185,000 square meters, this gives a building cost in excess of 7,000 euros per square meter.[8]

Opening

Staff began moving into the new building in November 2014,[14] and the building was officially opened on 18 March 2015.[15] The opening was marked by a three-day protest organised by the Blockupy movement.[15] [16][17][18] Ulrich Wilken, an organizer and member of the Hesse state assembly for the Die Linke party, said: “Our protest is against the ECB, as a member of the troika, that, despite the fact that it is not democratically elected, hinders the work of the Greek government. We want the austerity politics to end.”[16][19] Police used water cannons and tear gas against protestors, while demonstrators threw stones at police, firefighters and Frankfurt's trams, and set fire to cars and barricades.[20][21]

Headquarters Agreement

The seat of the European Central Bank enjoys special legal protections granted by an agreement with the German government. It is illegal to enter the ECB's premises to enforce a court order or execute a search warrant. It is also illegal to confiscate materials on the ECB's premises. The German government has a duty to protect the Central Bank against intruders, including foreign agents and protestors.[22][23]

See also

References
  1. "ECB newsletter 5/2013" (PDF). European Central Bank. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  2. "Seat of the European Central Bank". CTBUH Skyscraper Center.
  3. Seat of the European Central Bank at Emporis
  4. "Seat of the European Central Bank". SkyscraperPage.
  5. Seat of the European Central Bank at Structurae
  6. "New ECB Premises". European Central Bank. Retrieved 8 March 2008.
  7. "Consolidated versions of the treaty on European Union and of the treaty establishing the European Community" (PDF). Eur-lex. Retrieved 12 June 2007.
  8. "New ECB premises. Facts and Figures" (PDF). European Central Bank. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  9. "Winning design by Coop Himmelb(l)au for the ECB's new headquarters in Frankfurt/Main". European Central Bank. 6 January 2003. Archived from the original on 9 June 2007. Retrieved 2 August 2007.
  10. "Launch of a public tender for a general contractor to construct the new ECB premises". European Central Bank. 6 January 2003. Retrieved 2 August 2007.
  11. "The European Central Bank formally closes the public tender for a general contractor to build the new ECB premises". European Central Bank. 25 June 2008. Retrieved 10 September 2008.
  12. Rainer Schulze (27 June 2008). "Angebot für EZB-Turm lautete auf 1,4 Milliarden Euro". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  13. Dougherty, Carter (16 November 2004). "In ECB future, a new home to reflect all of Europe". The International Herald Tribune. Retrieved 2 August 2007.
  14. ECB (1 December 2014). "New Premises". European Central Bank. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
  15. Bloomberg (18 March 2014). "ECB besieged by protests as Draghi celebrates $1.4bn tower". The Telegraph. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  16. "At least 350 people arrested in protest at ECB HQ in Frankfurt". The Guardian. 18 March 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  17. "'Blockupy' protesters clash with police at new ECB headquarters in Frankfurt". SCMP. 18 March 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  18. "Thousands to protest in Frankfurt against ECB 'austerity'". Reuters. 15 March 2015. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
  19. "Germany riot targets new ECB headquarters in Frankfurt". BBC News. 18 March 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  20. "Mehrere Festnahmen bei Blockupy". Hessischer Rundfunk (in German). 18 March 2014. Archived from the original on 18 March 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  21. "Straßenbahnen stehen, A661 gesperrt". Hessischer Rundfunk (in German). 18 March 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  22. Gruber, Georg; Benisch, Martin. "PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES OF THE EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK" (PDF). Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  23. "Headquarters Agreement between the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany and the European Central Bank concerning the seat of the European Central Bank" (PDF). Retrieved 8 July 2019.
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