EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK

This geometry, which is echoed in many of the agency’s most recent projects, conveys the image of a combination of autonomous yet interdependent elements, much like the various member states of the European Community. The restructuring of the Grossmarkthalle, Frankfurt’s wholesale fruit and vegetable market, located at the foot of the imposing building, has made it possible to incorporate visitor and staff reception facilities: entrance hall, exhibition rooms, meeting rooms, restaurants, and cafés. In order to fully integrate the former market into the program, an artificial floor called the “energy lake” is projected over almost the entire plot, so named because of the photovoltaic panels installed there. Interrupted at intervals by patios featuring landscaped gardens, this covering also houses offices underneath and orchestrates traffic flow throughout the site. This space ultimately extends into a triangular square that connects the central bank to the rest of the city.