Silver Tower

The Silver Tower designed by ABB Architekten has been shaping the skyline of Frankfurt am Main since 1978. The flowing facade reflects light and lends it a metallic effect with its convex aluminum cladding and curved planes of glass. The architecture company schneider + schumacher revitalized the former headquarters of Dresdner Bank, now Commerzbank, for the new tenant, Deutsche Bahn (German Rail), while retaining the striking original facade. The building was carefully stripped to insulate the structure, carry out the refurbishment work and then add triple glazing. Finally the facade of the listed building was restored. This complex procedure was used to promote sustainable architecture - reducing carbon emissions and energy consumption by one-third. The Deutsche Gesellschaft für nachhaltiges Bauen (German Sustainable Building Council) has awarded the building a prior silver-category certification.

schneider + schumacher developed modern office spaces to suit today’s working practices. Light room structures were created on the 1900 square meters of each of the 32 floors. Subdued interior colors in shades of beige and gray as well as a room height of 4.2 meters ensure the open spaces exude a calm, light atmosphere. A range of intense colors indicate the communication spaces.

Floor coverings in the form of tiles correspond to the high demands made in terms of sustainability and flexible use. Loose-laid Slo 403 tiles from Carpet Concept’s CAS range permit flexible use for urbane working structures and have catapulted the Silver Tower from the 1970s to 2012. The specially developed color scheme with its metallic shine connects the facade with the interior. CAS efficiently deals with the acoustic challenges of an open-plan office. CAS, the Carpet Concept Acoustic System, is a range of carpets demonstrating special sound-absorbing properties developed to satisfy acoustic demands. CAS absorbs sound in the Silver Tower particularly well in the special speech-relevant range of 250 to 1000 Hz thereby ensuring a healthy, ergonomically suitable acoustic quality.

The Carpet Concept Acoustik system is also available in special colors.

ABB Architekten, 1978, Frankfurt am Main
schneider + schumacher, Frankfurt am Main