FRANKURT, GERMANY.- At today's meeting the Governing Council of the European Central Bank (ECB) reached a decision on the design of the ECB's new premises in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. After extensive discussions and a careful evaluation, based on the selection criteria, of the strengths and weaknesses of all three prize-winning designs from the international urban planning and architectural design competition, the Governing Council concluded that the revised design concept of COOP HIMMELB(L)AU best meets the functional and technical requirements specified by the ECB, and has features that reflect the ECB's values and translate them into architectural language. This decision confirms the judgement of the international jury, who awarded first prize to this project.

The main element of this design is a distinctive, dynamic ensemble of three buildings: a 184-metre high-rise building of a twisted shape, a "groundscraper" and the Grossmarkthalle. The groundscraper contrasts with the verticality of the towers and interacts with the design of the Grossmarkthalle, providing harmony and respecting the appearance of this unique listed building. In particular, when viewing the Grossmarkthalle from the south of the river Main, the west wing now becomes visible.

The high-rise building consists of two polygonal office towers connected by an atrium. The atrium serves as the communication hub with interconnecting platforms and communal areas. This satisfies two important elements of the competition brief, namely that the new premises should "foster interactive communication" and "promote teamwork". This design addresses the complex functional requirements extremely well and ensures a high quality of workplaces.