Construction of the basement levels

The concreting of the last section of the foundation plate in November 2010 marked the completion of the first phase of the construction works for the double office tower. In order to ensure that the load-bearing requirements of the foundation plate were met, the concreting work had to be carried out without interruption. This sometimes meant working into the night. The winter months that followed saw the construction of the basement of the double office tower and the self-contained underground staff car park to its west. The car park will provide around 600 spaces over two levels. Since the beginning of March 2011 work has been under way on the construction of the ground floor, with the shell of the high-rise now beginning to emerge out of the ground.

The foundation plate for the underground logistics centre, which will be located in the north-eastern corner of the site on the Hanauer Landstrasse, has been completed this year. The logistics centre will serve as the drop-off and distribution point for all goods required by the European Central Bank for its daily business.

The removal works that needed to be carried out on the Grossmarkthalle have been completed, i.e. the roof structure and facade attached to the three concrete shells that were destroyed during the Second World War and then rebuilt in the 1950s have been taken down. As they did not constitute any of the original substance of the building, the historic preservation authorities approved their removal for the construction of the entrance building, which will not only create a functional and visual link between the Grossmarkthalle and the double office tower, but also mark the main entrance to the ECB to the north of the site. Through the construction of the entrance building, the interior of the former market hall will still be visible in the future.

The hall’s basement, including the flooring of the ground floor, was also removed. It is to be replaced by a new, waterproof basement capable of supporting the load of the new building elements that will be incorporated into the hall. Analyses revealed that the concrete of the individual column footings is of varying quality. This is the result of the footings having been continuously enhanced during the construction works carried out in the mid-1920s. Where necessary, these footings have now been strengthened. The works on the footings are in addition to the new foundation plate, which has so far been completed up to half the length of the hall.