House of Finance, Campus Westend
Particularly the tectonics of Poelzig’s IG Farben set of buildings, the markedness of its socle course towards the city, the building’s enclosed corners, and the three-dimensional openings like carved into the structure with its monolithic appearance, in correlation with the comb structure’s risalit effect constitute the broad outline for the concept planning of the House of Finance.
Towards the lower situated Grüneberg park the House of Finance will have with a distinct socle course that is especially prominent because of its bigger sized stones, and it is omitted towards the above lying plateau of the central campus because of the difference in levels of the terrain. Here the park architecture flows in between the HoF building and the Rechts- und Wirtschaftsinstitut (institute of law and economics) down to the central square. From the 1st to the 4th floor the structure opens U-shapedly towards Grüneburg Park.
The House of Finance follows the central idea described earlier. The interconnecting elements of the buildings form distinct façade risalits. They echo the Poelzig building from afar in the enclosure of the building’s corners together with the extremely raised attic. This design philosophy is also recognizable in Poelzig’s Haus des Rundfunks in Berlin. The new institute building is interpreted as a perforated façade whereas the lateral risalits are vertically emphasised by rather narrow two-axle window sections. A shadow gap underlines the volume’s framing. The new construction’s façade is done in Trosselfels stone. Special care is taken not to be more colourful than the Poelzig house.
All publicly accessible tuition areas, the bistro and the technical services on the ground floor, the PC pool and the seminar halls belonging to the chairs and the administration too will be put into the HoF’s head- end structure facing the campus square.
Location Grüneburgplatz 1, 60323 Frankfurt on the Main, Germany
Type of use House of Finance, new building for the Institute of Law and the Institute of Economics with auditorium and lecture halls, cafeteria and offices.
Architects Jan Kleihues and Norbert Hensel
Client Federal State of Hessen represented by the Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe-University
Competition 2004, 1st prize
Realization 2006-2008
Plan of work Phases 1-9 (HOAI)
Gross floor area 12,325 sqm
Building costs 23.2 million Euros
