The Hauptwache stands out as one of Frankfurt’s most iconic spots, where numerous facets of life converge: commerce, culture and church, past and present, work and leisure. On Katharinenpforte, which borders the Hauptwache plaza, we are planning a six-floor mixed-use building with offices and retail space. Its prominent location at the end of a block, facing the Katharinenkirche (St. Catherine’s Church), inspired us to design the facade and cubature with a subtle twist. The perforated facade features light-colored terrazzo elements with colored aggregate, punctuated by floor-to-ceiling windows. This net-like facade envelops the entire structure, gracefully curving around the block’s corners. The top two floors gently incline at two points, without compromising the grid pattern. This design feature enables the new building to harmonize with its shorter neighbors across Kleiner Hirschengraben and align with the church’s roofline. It creates a visual bridge between old and new, unifying the contrasting architectural protagonists into a cohesive urban landscape.

“In order to adapt to the different eaves heights, we developed the idea of a slightly twisted structure. With its gentle twist, it creates a kind of portal situation in conjunction with the St. Catherine’s Church across the street. The twist is the subtle but striking feature of the building, and at the same time symbolizes the idea of integrating differences, which is programmatically so important for the future of inner cities.”