The OpernTurm is a skyscraper in Frankfurt, Germany. The property is situated opposite Alte Oper on the corner of Bockenheimer Landstrasse and Bockenheimer Anlage. The building was designed by Christoph Mäckler. The project developer was Tishman Speyer, a US firm that previously built the Sony Center in Berlin and the MesseTurm in Frankfurt. UBS AG is the main tenant.
| OpernTurm | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Status | Completed |
| Type | Office Tower |
| Location | Bockenheimer Landstraße 2-4 Frankfurt, Germany |
| Coordinates | 50°06′58″N 8°40′12″E / 50.116°N 8.670°E |
| Construction started | Jan, 2007 |
| Opening | 2010 |
| Height | |
| Roof | 170 m (560 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 42 |
| Floor area | approx. 62,500 m2 (673,000 sq ft) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Christoph Mäckler |
| Developer | Tishman Speyer Properties |
Design
The OpernTurm consists of a 170-m high-rise building (42 floors) and an approximately 26-m low-rise podium building (7 floors) facing towards the Alte Oper. Access is through an 18 meter high lobby. The yellow-beige stone cladding of the facades was designed to fit in with the existing buildings surrounding Opernplatz. Designed to consume 23 percent less energy than stipulated by Germany's 2007 EnEV Energy Regulation, the OpernTurm was one of the first office buildings in Europe to be certified to the LEED Gold standard (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).
The site was previously occupied by one of Frankfurt's first high-rise buildings, the 68 m tall Zürich Tower (Zürich-Haus) built in 1962. In 1998, Zürich Versicherung, the owner of the building, commissioned Christoph Mäckler's firm to design a new building that would be 22 m taller in order to maximize land use. When the initially proposed building was felt to be rather bulky, Zürich Versicherung suggested to the local government to build the new tower up to a height of 160 m and to compensate for the added height by making available company-owned land to extend the adjacent Rothschildpark down to Bockenheimer Landstrasse. The local government eventually agreed but Zürich Versicherung did not go ahead with the development and sold the now empty site -- the old tower had been demolished in 2002 -- to project developer Tishman Speyer in July 2004.
Civil engineering works started in late 2006 with the removal of the former underground garage of the Zürich Tower. The groundbreaking for the development of OpernTurm took place on 22 January 2007.
The completion of OpernTurm in late 2009 added another landmark to the city's much photographed skyline, with its elegant silhouette and the natural stone façade setting it apart from the glass towers dominating the cityscape. The adjoining Rothschildpark has been extended by 5,500 square metres and redesigned in the style of an English garden.
Tenants
In November 2009, the retailer Manufactum was the first tenant to move into the podium building. The main tenant (31,000 sqm) in the tower is the German head office of UBS AG. As of year-end 2010 the property was reported to be 95 percent rented.
See also
External links
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