Goetheplatz 1 is envisioned as a contemporary landmark that both strengthens the historic character of one of Frankfurt’s oldest squares and sets a benchmark for sustainable, circular, and resource-efficient construction in the 21st century. 

Project details +

Project details

LOCATION: Frankfurt, Germany

DATE: 2023-Ongoing

CLIENT: Raiffeisen Immobilien Kapitalanlage GmbH 

STATUS: Planning Application Stage

SIZE: 9,700 sqm GIA 

Credits +

Credits

ACME: Yaroslava Dubova, Igor Gola, Friedrich Ludewig, Nikolina Muza, Dylan Pero, Karsten Schulz, Heidrun Schuhmann, Keigo Yoshida


Goetheplatz has been one of Frankfurt’s most important public spaces for five centuries. Once a field outside the medieval city walls, the Rossmarkt area remained unfortified until the 17th century and functioned variously as a horse market, a site for tournaments, and a place of public executions.

Any traces of its history are barely legible on site; most of them have disappeared due to wartime destruction, reconstruction and remodelling, leaving behind a public space whose façades contribute little to its character.

The new construction of Goetheplatz 1 provides an opportunity to strengthen the character and identity of Goetheplatz and to create a new landmark of sustainable and resource-conserving construction.

The building defines its identity in three principles:
- Civic: with a load-bearing arched stone façade
- Landmark: with a sculptural façade
- Sustainability: through reuse, stone & wood, zero carbon in use

Avoiding the use of stone as a thin cladding material, the design revives a traditional Frankfurt vernacular by using solid stone and timber as structural materials. A three-dimensionally sculpted sandstone exoskeleton forms the load-bearing façade, defined by arches of varying spans that introduce visual distinction across each elevation. Every stone element is precisely milled to accentuate the depth and expression of the arches.

Generous planting integrated within one third of the arches brings greenery to the façade, creating small habitats that foster local biodiversity. Inside, exposed timber soffits celebrate the building’s materiality, while heating and cooling are delivered through ceiling-mounted radiant clay panels.

Sourcing Local Stone


The sandstone, sourced and mined locally from the Leistadt quarry and the Neckar Valley quarry, anchors the building materially and culturally within its regional context.


"Sustainability is at the centre of the client’s and future tenants’ requirements and ACME will achieve this by reusing materials and building in timber and stone, with the aim of developing a building with the lowest carbon footprint in Frankfurt.”

Friedrich Ludewig, Founding Director - ACME

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