Frankfurt on the Main
residential and office spaces, retail, school, 2021
invited cooperative realization competition for urban development with in-depth structural and open space planning
urban development ideas scheme
awarding authority: PE Hellerhöfe F.A.Z. GmbH & Co. KG and PE Hellerhöfe FS GmbH & Co. KG
WBW, BGF 82,000 sqm


Urban development continuity – With the relocation of the print and publishing company of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 100 years of newspaper tradition are coming to an end for the Gallusviertel district. The urban blocks to both sides of Hellerhofstraße are not in any way a random building site. As a place for critical societal and intellectual reflection, the history and meaning of this space from which news went out into the world is not only to be physically transported into a new layer of development – the challenge is to also preserve some of its spirit. From the tradition of the space, a future vision is developed connecting the continuity of Frankfurt’s “Gründerzeit” period with the revolutionary spirit of the “Neues Bauen” era. The basic structure for the design is the urban block with housing lots surrounding a shared courtyard. The borders of these blocks are stipulated by the building lines while the edges are architecturally emphasized. All houses are accessible from either the street or the block center square. The spatial expansion of the block center marks a meeting space and communication point for the residents. Generous passages from Mainzer Landstraße and Frankenallee reach the meeting square with communal activities in the middle block courtyard. An arcade in front of the office building on Mainzer Landstraße upgrades both the main entrance and the shops on ground floor level. The typical parceling of the area prompts structurally diverse layouts and facade designs. Single unit houses with a compact number of flats are the key to a functioning neighborhood, allowing both mingling and privacy according to individual needs.

project team: Jens Jakob Happ, Jelena Duchrow, Roberto Roel, Ting Zheng, Nan Wu
cooperation: BWP Endreß Landschaftsarchitekten, Bollinger + Grohmann, Büro Hausladen