27-01-2017

An urban sculpture by schneider+schumacher in Frankfurt

schneider+schumacher,

Frankfurt,

Design,

Urban Interventions,

The office complex “die welle” (the wave) in Frankfurt, Germany not far from the Alte Oper (opera house) also extends outdoors thanks to an integrated project of landscaping and art, the former by KLA kiparlandschaftsarchitekten and the latter by architecture firm schneider+schumacher


“Die Welle” or the “The Wave” in Frankfurt's West End district is a complex of buildings constructed in the late 1990s in the city centre, mainly used by the services sector.



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An urban sculpture by schneider+schumacher in Frankfurt The office complex “die welle” (the wave) in Frankfurt, Germany not far from the Alte Oper (opera house) also extends outdoors thanks to an integrated project of landscaping and art, the former by KLA kiparlandschaftsarchitekten and the latter by architecture firm schneider+schumacher


“Die Welle” or the “The Wave” in Frankfurt's West End district is a complex of buildings constructed in the late 1990s in the city centre, mainly used by the services sector. The new owner - AXA group - decided to give it a major makeover that involved both the architecture, by restyling the building facades to bring in more daylight, and community engagement.
The redesign of the exteriors, an urban design operation with a bold architectural value and an artistic object to make room for a space that the community could actively use was assigned to multi award-winning firm schneider+schumacher, known for their extension of the Städel Museum, also in Frankfurt.
schneider+schumacher were inspired by the complex's name and this sparked the idea for the aluminium wave sculpture consisting of six elements that flow, wave-like, through the whole space running between the main buildings.
Three of these elements stand above the ground: the “diving arch”, which stands about 7 metres high, followed by the 18-metre high “glorious arch”, and the 7-metre tall “joyful wave”. The result is a truly dynamic sculpture, with some parts lying underwater in the ponds scattered across the landscaped area designed by KLA kiparlandschaftsarchitekten. 
The artwork not only gives movement and identity to this central area of Frankfurt, it is also an oasis for locals, a great place for a walk or just to relax. Here, sculpture and art again demonstrate the great power of the urban design nod to inclusion.

Christiane Bürklein

Project: schneider+schumacher http://www.schneider-schumacher.de/
Client: AXA Investment Managers – Real Assets
Gross floor area: about 6.160 m² 
Planning and construction dates: 11/2013 - 04/2016
Workmanship sculptures: Arnold AG
Structure Planning: B+G Ingenieur Bollinger und Grohmann GmbH
Landscape Design: KLA kiparlandschaftsarchitekten GmbH
Images: © schneider+schumacher
Thanks to v2com

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