Porsche Design selects winning proposal for Frankfurt Tower

Barkow Leibinger, Neutelings Riedijk, NMDA, Dominique Perrault, and Coop Himmelb(l)au were among a star-studded list of teams in a closed competition to design the Frankfurt Tower, an upcoming residential structure for luxury brand Porsche Design. As Porsche's European debut in real estate, the brand sought a distinctive and fitting architectural concept, equipped with high-quality vertical access solutions and apartment floor plans for 150-200 units. The tower also had to complement its urban environment and landscape.

In the end of the competition, the jury selected German firms for the four top prizes:

• 1ST PRIZE (€100,000): Grüntuch Ernst Planungs­­gesell­­schaft | Berlin, Germany
• 2ND PRIZE (€62,500): blauraum architekten | Hamburg, Germany
• 3RD PRIZE (€50,000): Meixner Schlüter Wendt | Frankfurt, Germany
• 4TH PRIZE (€37,500): Behnisch Architekten | Stuttgart, Germany

The project will immediately start once the construction permit has been issued, with the groundbreaking and sales planned for early 2016. The Frankfurt Tower is slated for completion in the beginning of 2018.

Check out all the proposals below.

1ST PRIZE: Grüntuch Ernst Planungs­­gesell­­schaft

Project description: "A slender residential tower that tapers towards the top to accom­modate the required spacing on the northern side stands together with a much lower counter­part on a connec­ting plinth build­ing. The glazed ground floor detaches the entire build­ing from the ground and high­lights the levels that appear as alter­nating layers and that become lighter towards the top. The western build­ing body offers room for urban town houses."

2ND PRIZE: blauraum architekten

Project description: "The building is clearly divided into three areas with different uses. A 4-storied plinth build­ing with parking areas and public as well as semi-public areas. On the western side, a 4-storied resi­dential complex resting on the plinth build­ing with town houses and PDS, and finally, the main tower as a slender disc that con­tains the 3-5 room apart­ments. Towards north, south and east the façade is mainly closed, while the façade to the west is domi­nated by large-scale glazing."

3RD PRIZE: Meixner Schlüter Wendt

Project description: "Covered in white glass, the resi­dential tower with irregularly placed, differently sized openings that are offset from each other, is supported by two interior centrally positioned access cores. As an optical counter­balance, the plinth floor, which houses the garage, was provided with an exposed white concrete façade whose pixilated struc­ture provides natural illumination and ventilation."

4TH PRIZE: Behnisch Architekten

Project description: "The building is not conceived as the agglom­erated compo­sition of various useful units. The concept is rather more of a sculp­tured structure. Balconies, loggias, terraces and winter gardens, some of which extend over two floors, with different protrusions and inden­tations provide texture to the façade. The greened façade extends upwards as an exten­sion of the park. The core faces east, with views of the sky­line available on every floor as the resi­dential areas face north, west, and south."

Find the rest of the competition designs below.