Messeturm
Frankfurt, Germany

HEIGHT: 256m/843 feet
FLOORS: 63 floors
COMPLETION: 1990
ARCHITECT: Murphy Jahn Architects

The Messeturm, or Fair Tower, stands as a distinctive marker at the entrance of the Messe Frankfurt complex. This complex, which includes the historic Festhalle built in 1909 and the Korngresshalle, is the exhibition center of Frankfurt.

The goal was to build a new Exhibition Hall with 20,000 square meters of exhibition space. The entry building to the "city" of the Messe is an office building of 85,000 square meters and 900 parking spaces (in accordance with city requirements.) Space is provided for outdoor exhibitions.

The office building is freestanding and designed like a campanile among the surrounding low-rise buildings. The Messeturm's classical composition is carefully synchronized by using the basic shapes of triangles, circles, and squares. The architectural themes, long span hall, arcade, pavilion, tower, campanile, and gate are elaborate in form and subtle in their relationships. Pure geometric forms are interrelated, rotated, transformed and elaborated in the materials and detailing.

The Halle (or hall) 1 is 90 x 140 meters in plan. The clear span of the roof is 80 meters. The total floor area of this building including the entrance pavilion is 70,000 square meters/750,000 sq.ft. Two 140-m by 7-m cores house the large freight elevators, stairs, toilets, and mechanical equipment.

The office tower has a height of 251 meters/825 ft, which makes it the second tallest building in Europe (falling after the Commerzbank Tower also located in Frankfurt.) This height was the result of several factors, one of which is the German labor regulations which requires that an office worker must be in the immediate vicinity of a window. This requirement reduces the size of the floor space which surrounds the core of the building.

The "gate" which the tower forms at the street level, and the pyramid top which is occupied by the cooling towers, also add to the height. The total floor area in the tower is 85,000 sq. meters.

The tower is derived architecturally from the great American skyscrapers of the 1920's and 1930's rather than the modern ones which mostly fill the Frankfurt skyline. The rigorous geometry which governs its shape begins in plan with a granite-clad square. The square is inscribed around a circle which is clad in glass.

This circle, a cylinder in volume, is visible above the "gate," at the notched corners and near the top, where the granite-clad square recedes. The glass cylinder steps back twice below the top pyramid and is articulated there by rhythmically alternating window recesses.

Over the top rises a pyramid which steps back three times. The corners of the pyramid are centered on the sides of the tower where the triangular bay windows rise from the apex of the gate to the top.

The entrance lobby is itself a cylinder with clear glass and surrounded by large columns supporting the core. The entrance lobby contains six shuttle elevators in an open frame leading to the sky lobby from which twelve more elevators bring the occupants to their respective floors.

The building is constructed of concrete and the facade has polished red granite-clad columns laced with flamed stripes and profiled aluminum bands at every floor. The glass is reflective silver. The mullion and window frame color is that of metallic silver beige baked-on paint.

Messetrum broke a world's record when 240 workers poured concrete from 90 ready-mix trucks using pumps in a three-day operation. The 19.7 ft. deep, 22,236 cu. yd. reinforced concrete mat foundation was poured over 78 hours, and is one of the largest in the world.

http://mywebpage.netscape.com/rotpics01/messenice_filtered.jpg

http://home.t-online.de/home/510090210002-0001/messeturm04.jpg

http://img2.ranchoweb.com/images/hypermount/frank.jpg

http://home.t-online.de/home/510090210002-0001/messeturm01.jpg

http://home.t-online.de/home/510090210002-0001/messeturm03.jpg

http://home.t-online.de/home/510090210002-0001/messeturm02.jpg

http://mywebpage.netscape.com/rotpics01/messenight.jpeg

How much will you rate it?

One of my favorites skyscrapers in the World!

9.5/10




http://home.wanadoo.nl/erwin.blezer/frankfurt2000/mtviews/view39.jpg

http://www.courses.psu.edu/nuc_e/nuc_e405_g9c/frankfurtam/wolk/messeturmfam1.jpg

One of the world's most unqiue and economic buildings along with Commerzbank! 10/10

One of the bests, 9/10 cause the color is not perfect :)

beautiful design....sleek and elegant, i like the pyramid shape design on top.... i give it 8.5/10

I'm glad you all like it. It's among my favourites in the world too.

The square base, the box that rises from it, and the inside cylinder that makes the corners round. The box that decreases in widt because it has setbacks that reminds of stairs. The cylinder that tops the main shaft out, the small cylinder on top of the main one, the 45 degree turned sharp corners that rises all way up the flat facade, the big and the small cylinder aqnd finally the pyramid that ends these sharp corners so well!

I give it 10/10 of course.

I added some pics, because I love it so much!

I think this one is nice. I'll give it an 8.5/10.

Commerzbank is my favorite in Frankfurt, though. :)

I like it :) 9/10

8.5/10 that tower would fit in real nice in Atlanta;)

8.5/10

One of my favourites in Europe. Looks a bit like a castle and its colour is unique.

NOTE: I took this photo I showed in my original post. (Just had to tell ya all:cool:)


Originally posted by caledon1981
8.5/10 that tower would fit in real nice in Atlanta;)
Yes, I have always thought of that too, because Atlanta has so many skyscrapers with pyramidal roofs. (which are, like Messeturm, also very fine lit up btw). Comparing the two cities, they have another two things in common as well:

Both cities are not coastal ones, but located pretty high and in a very long distance from any coast.

Both cities has a cylindrical tower as well. Atlanta has Westin Peachtree Hotel, while Frankfurt has Main Tower. Although the two buildings are close to the same hight, there are another 20 floors to find in Westin Peachtree Hotel though.

Anyways, Jasonhouse, thanks for the nice add to this thread! Those pics were very fine indeed. I have taken a photo of Messeturm from exactly the same angle as the b/w pic you posted. Also Jasonhouse, thanks for editing the voting options.

I love this scraper! 9/10!

10/10 of course!

One of the best in the world! I like the design, the color ist ok, and by far the first thing you see is a tower with a pyramide on its top ;)

just absolutely love it

Kul tower!
9/10.

Overall it's a common design especially from a distance.........-1 due to this.....6/10.........awesome up close!

8/10

Not one of my favourites, but it's ok.

6.5/10

Er...not really for me. :(

6/10

I've seen it 3 months ago, I really like its design, but it's not my favourite in Frankfurt.

9/10

This Tower is calling, "Just look at me!" There are very few places in the city of Frankfurt where your not confronted with it. (Like in the Underground) I gave it a 9.5 ;)

Much prefer this to the Bank of America in Atlanta

8.5

tays

Does anyone else have some pics of this building? Any interior shots?

It's good. 8.5/10

This building is fantastic!

9/10 from me. I love its shape. And that shot of the different colours there is superb! Along with the equally beautiful Bank of America in SF, this is easily in my top ten favourite buildings.

One of Europe's finest. I love the warm granite colours, the proportions, the base and the pointed roof. 9.5/10

nice and sleek

Love this joint!!! Unfortunately a bit boring in the middle section, but I admire the way the old stepped roof pattern was incorporated into this design. :cool: 9.5.

lovely, lovely, lovely... 9.5/10

Europe uber alles! 9.5

round with a square, puts a nice variation into the building.

8.5/10

a magnificent tower! surely, one of the best in the world.

9.5/10

it's a beautiful building...sleek but not overbearing, I don't know how some of you can give it a 6 out of 10, most of you would crap in your pants to have as building like this in your skyline!...9.5/10

8.5/10, and maybe I should have given it a 9.5. It races towards the sky, and has an interesting form; the glass and stone are combined nicely. I love that last picture; the glass almost turns into sky, and gives the tower a wonderful, airy feeling as it hovers way up there. Amazing!
Maybe it could use a bit more of that wonderful, ethereal glass, and a few setbacks...

All this buildings tries to be is a big Helmut Jahn statue. It doesn't represent a style nor city, urban center or value and it's very unfriendly to visitors. I ghive it a 6/10, which is only for the marble used.

It`s one of the best looking skyscrapers of the world! the design is perfect!!

:) :guns1: :bleep: I GIVE TIS ONE A 8/10

8/10

Nice shape, but I don't care for the color.

9.5/10

awesome!! one of my favourite in the world

First time I have ever given a scraper a 10/10. NICE!!!!!

nice design, the colour of the building needs to be changed. i would give it 9 out of 10.

This is the best skyscraper in Europe, I think.

9/10. ;)

Some more pictures:
http://tyrell.homeip.net/pics/2004/messeturm01.jpg
http://tyrell.homeip.net/pics/2004/messeturm03.jpg
http://tyrell.homeip.net/pics/2004/messeturm02.jpg
http://tyrell.homeip.net/pics/2004/messeturm04.jpg

It's my favouite building in Germany
10/10

Enjoyed seeing it in person on my Frankfurt stops in December. I thought it stood out and gave the city some good colour.

9.0

Ciao,
Lt-AWACS, Viva la Republica de Tejas

Great design and unique shape. I like it. :naughty: sexy.

I give it a 9. :D

10/10 as it is defining a mayor landmark not only for Frankfurt as also for the whole region :cool:

Messeturm is a beautiful skyscraper, marred (in my opinion) by the pyramid on top. I can't help but think without the pyramid it would look so much better. It still gets a 9.5 from me though.

The absolute best in Europe at this moment, IMO. A 9.5 is at its place.

7. this aint my type of scraper

7.5

Some facts and pictures by Sky | Kai

-stands "alone" at the Frankfurt Fair, but some other high-rises are rising there and some will soon
-was the tallest building in europe from 1991 - 1997 until the commerzbank zentrale was built.
-the pyramide at the top is 36m (119fz) tall and is lighted at night


http://www.alcaudon.com/pictures/germany/pictures_germany_frankfurt_13.jpg

http://www.tu-harburg.de/vt2/pe2000/Meetings/achema/achema3.jpg

http://westwindcapital.com/Images/messeturm.jpg
http://www.tishmanspeyer.com/projects/cities/frankfurt/messeturm/images/view2.jpg

This tower is awsome!And i'm glad i'm visiting Frankfurt next month:)The top is very nice,even better at night.The rest is also very good.9.0/10

Hmm.....nice, but kinda overated due to its height? :) Nonetheless..its a 8/10.

10/10

Possibly the best skyscraper in Europe... this building looks amazing... very powerful and important... influenced by castles... that top is stunning... superb glass and facade... what a great shape... it's brilliant... it's perfect

Un-telling and too simple.

9.5/10

Very original and one of Europe's Best skyscraper. :cool:

10/10 :master:

The circular core with blue glass goes well with this building... One of the best scrapers you can find in Europe.. :guns1:

8/10

I really had to take a good look at this one. I had never seen it before. And well I LOVE IT! 9/10 The box, followed by a cylinder followed by a very interesting point. I think I have found another one to my faves list.

only 8/10 I can see this thing every day, after a while its boring. I wait for some new towers to come! :cheers:

8

Cliche

All this buildings tries to be is a big Helmut Jahn statue. It doesn't represent a style nor city, urban center or value and it's very unfriendly to visitors. I ghive it a 6/10, which is only for the marble used.

Outsch!!

Wether you like Helmut Jahn or not, i as a German claim he is as much a german architect representing Germany in general as much as one from Chicago could claim the same for Chicago, after he is the head of Murphy/Jahn, or someone from Chicago about Mies maybe?
Im sure there would have been a building by Mies in Frankfurt, if the city had started building Skyscrapers earlier.

The Messeturm is/was the then international Style, in so far you are right.
But nevertheless one of its best examples.

By the way, the reason, why Messeturm is red is the red sandstone, that occurs here, and lots of 19th century buildings, that even still dominate large parts of Frankfurt .
(this for example is just literally around the next corner to my home:))

http://frankfurt-nordend.org/rothschildallee/Rothschildallee01.jpg

At least, thats what Jahn answered, when being asked. He used granite, which came from i dont know where, but red is red, isnt it ? :D

8.5 it has personality .I like it.

<table cellpadding=4 cellspacing=0 width=98% class="quoteBox">
<td align=left valign=center> <smallfont> <b>Quote</B> <I>originally posted by Mike </i></b> </smallfont> </td>
<tr><td align=left valign=top>Some more pictures:
http://home.t-online.de/home/510090210002-0001/messeturm01.jpg
http://home.t-online.de/home/510090210002-0001/messeturm03.jpg
http://home.t-online.de/home/510090210002-0001/messeturm02.jpg
http://home.t-online.de/home/510090210002-0001/messeturm04.jpg</td></tr>
</table>
Nice!

Ohh i just loved this last pic:)

6.5/10...Obviously good height, and great detail on the facade, but the red color is fine at first sight but looks awful after constantly looking at the tower. I don't like the top either the pyramid looks out of place on top of the circular crown.

I was in Messe Turm few times. This building is impressiv.

10/10

8/10

splendiferous! I love these sort of skyscrapers... reminds me of Simcity.

a 9

let down slighlty by the very angular pyramid crown but still one of europes finest. 9/10

9/10. One of the nicest European skyscrapers, along with the likes of 1 Canada square, Commerzbank, and Swiss RE!:)

it´s very impressive to look to the top of this SS if
you stand on the Ground. 9.5 of 10

it's a nice looking tower.

8/10

great balance between masonry and glass. like this one better than commerzbank.

9.5

7.5/10

5/10. I do not like it. Ugliest tower of Frankfurt IMO

Best in Frankfurt IMO!
9.5

One of the most elegant buildings that i have seen in my life

10/10

A Great One ! :) 10/10 ! :)

Together with One Canada Square, the best skyscrapers in Europe! 10

9/10
cool tower, indeed.
:):cool:

9.5/10


I love this tower.

10/10

One of the better ones in Germany
7

8.5/10

7.5/10
Good crown, nice shape. I don't like the colour & the design.

Pretty nice but I wish the colors were more uniform. 7.5/10

It looks very elegantly!! 9/10

Very nice 10/10

I like, is elegant and with a classic design, very dangerous colors 9,5/10

A great building in a bad color.

When I see this tower, I know that I am home!:)

10/10

9

Fantastic feature in Frankfurt's amazing skyline. Love the top cylindrical part and that as you go down, becomes embraced by the square part of the building. Also fits in well with the base of the building. To me, didn't look quite as good up close though.

beautiful shape, unique, has style, and elegance, 10/10 one of the best in Europe

It'a great building. Couple of things though: Whoever voted this one higher than the Canada Trust Tower in Toronto is delusional. It has very similar features! I love how the design of this building incorporates straight lines, with round and pyramidal structures. Very nice indeed! The colours are a bit off, for my taste...looks a bit like poo. I also think the pyramid is disproportionately large.

8.5/10

8.5.. It's pretty :)


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Impressive tower. One of the best in Europe (but Commerzbank is better IMO) 9/10

10/10 - Europe's best.

Does not look very good when you´re close to it, but a great tower for Frankfurt´s skyline!! 8,5/10

Does anyone have a close up photo of the top?

http://www.sky.s64.pl/home/W/F/DSCF0007.jpg

Awesome photo. The pyramid rocks!

very nice tower, my favourite in europe :cheers:

like the pyramid-style on top! :okay: 8/10

the germans use to call it a pencil 'cause of it's design

7.5/10

8/10
Nice skyscraper. I really liked Frankfurt when I was there (august '03), and the skyline is going to be getting a lot better soon, which will benefit this one. Nice pyramid, and the color is good (at first at least). Like the mix between the windows and masonry, as others pointed out, sort of like the art deco style. Still, this is nota spectacular building, seems a little plain and unoriginal, but does its thing very well.

It's the most elegant building in Europe

Nice looking, very elegant, just not for me. I'm not a fan of the pyramid-roof thing, though I must say this is probably the best one I've seen. It just seems like something's missing. *shrug*

8, its too North Americaish for Germany.

8,5 / 10
very nice tower!

Just beautiful. 10/10.

It must be a 10/10 for germanys and europes best skyscraper!!!

7/10 I like it alot, but the color and the angle of the pyramid bother me.

Modern and very creative, one of europe's best scraper masterpieces. 9.5

4/10

9/10

Yeah that's a very great European skyscrapper!! 9/10.

one of the very few towers in my country! i give 7

A massively overrated tower. The whole thing just makes me think "So what".
Commerzbank is 10 times better.
5.5/10

6/10

Looks nice 8.5

but I wish I was back in Germany. :cry:

This is really one of my favorite towers in Europe. 9.5-10

So much better than commerzbank, 9.5/10 - best in Frankfurt.

8.0/10 lovely tower. Nice facade and slender. :)

One of the best in the world!!

9.5

In my top 5! My favorite color for a skyscraper.... plus it's soaring and has a great form and mixed facade. Only thing keeping it from a 10 is the way the top lights up at night- lil tacky

8/10

Gotta love it.
Despite the top, it's perfect!

sweet, 9.5/10

9/10 - Nice skyscraper

Here are a few more photos of the Messeturm, all taken by me.

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/627/4023111_1136.jpg

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/627/4023111_1146.jpg

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/627/4023111_1148.jpg

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/627/4023111_1134.jpg

8/10

This is a genuine work of art. It is, in my opinion, the continent's greatest masterpiece.

7/10

I still think this building is the missing twin brother of the Bank of America building in Atlanta. It's ok, but Frankfurt has better...Commerzbank. 7/10

Does anyone else have some pics of this building? Any interior shots?

http://www.ctbuh.org/htmlfiles/featured_buildings/big_imgs/messeturm3.GIF


http://www.haider-metall.de/images/edelstahl/theke_messeturm8.jpg


http://www.kanam.de/kanam_dt/img/kanam_grund_leiste2.jpg

7.5/10

7/10

9/10

first elegant european skyscraper

Always reminded me of the BoA Plaza in Atlanta for some reason. But, I like both, so I give it an 8.5/10. :)

10, excellent design and supurb use of colour too.

I really don't like the design of this building 5/10

Beautiful, I love it.

10/10

the most elegant building ever made in Europe.
10/10

One of the best in Europe. 10/10

It looks like a pencil but i like it 8/10

My favorite European skyscraper 9.5/10

Heh, the bottom part is very similar with Canada Trust in Toronto, but there it's working because of the materials and colors :-)
The proportions are absolutely perfect. The transition from the square part to the round part is very well done.
I think the top could be improved. The cladding of the cylinder top is so-so, and the pyramidal top doesn't exactly link with it. The lighting is OK, but not great.
8.

5/10. no comment, nothing excitin for me... :|

9.5/10 Murphy/Jahn... need I say more?

Decent. 7.5.

10.0...........

10/10

one of the best european skyscrapers.. 9.5

7.5/10.

8/10

From an angle it gets a 9, from face on it gets a 6. Average of 7.5/10.

I don´t like the colour. 7/10

beautiful scraper.Nice design 9/10

My favorite skyscraper in the world...im talking #1 here.

8.5

:)

7.5/10. :)

wow looks good to me
9

Again, one of the best in Europe if not the world
10/10

One of the world's most unqiue and economic buildings along with Commerzbank!

10/10

great use of shapes,beautiful structure
9/10

I dont know why but this is one of the greatest of all time to me. I just think its so beautiful. I think its the top. 10.0

I never liked this one, too brown. 7/10

10/10

nice 9/10

9/10 for its beauty and uniqueness.

8.5/10

nice one :cheers:

8.5/10

The Dinos are back ... :gaah:

http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/862/33532772de.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Great design but eewww, the colours... 9/10

7/10

One of the bests, 9/10

8/10

First of all I love the roof. 9/10

A lovely lovely architectural masterpiece! strong 10

one of the best skyscraper in the whole world!

10/10

I love it. Good proportions, and the pencil top is good looking. 9/10.

9/10, nice impact on the skyline.

Nice but I don't rate it as highly as some on here 8/10

8/10

I give it a 9.

Love its contrasts. 9/10

8/10, very nice building

absolutely fabulous....amazing...this one of the best :) 10/10

7/10

one of the top 3 skyscrapers Europe has to offer. Beautiful coloring. one of the sharpest looking towers out there. Everything about is fantastic. Minus a half point soly because this tower deserves to be at least 1000 feet.

9.5/10

10/10
Imho the best Skyscraper in Europe!

http://www.bilder-upload.at/seiten/img/95b83a3a0a790e96605defbcd44d3af4.jpg

http://www.bilder-upload.at/seiten/img/0f613b8e5a31b2811a19409c263ffe50.jpg

http://www.bilder-upload.at/seiten/img/8cefa8afd4f6f5115df5cd3f9a852360.jpg

One of the best in Europe 9/10

8.5/10 It looks like a tall and imposing Structure.

8/10

Love the slick, modern look this building has.

8/10

9/10 great

Great design, hard to to get a building to look so nice with the round and square designs together. The only thing keeping it from a ten is the color, why not make it really shiny, I like shiny!

9.5/10 Great building!
It has such a great figure to it. You have a winner there Frankfurt.
Es sieht wie einen schoenen Bleistift aus!

Very original shape and one of the highest office complex in Europe :)

I LOVE IT!~ 10

7,5/10

8/10 ;)

Very nice building indeed. Looks very American actually.

9.0

7/10

8/10 nice design ,dont like the colors

:okay: great design

5/10

8.5/10.

Pretty typical PoMo, but it gets extra points for height. 7/10

Europe's best skyscraper!! 10/10

I love it 9.5/10

8.5/10 i like this building

7/10

good desighn7/10

7/10

on monster,like montparnasse tower, in europe 8/10

My favourite European tower. It is stunning and amazing on its own in the Frankfurt skyline. 10/10! :D

9,5/10 one of my favorites

6/10

8/10

6.5/10

7.5/10, Okay

9/10

Simply breathtaking! Exquisite! :master: My favourite skyscraper in the world, definitely!!!!

10/10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Es ist wunderbar...

This is why I love highrises. Whotta amazing wonderful tower. Just perfect. It looks like as if the architect was inspired by the crysler building, one of my favorites too. I really like the classic style combined with the recent style.

10/10

6 / 10

Not particularly impressive.

wow that's a great skyscraper, top 10 in the world for me
10/10

One of Europes best towers! 10/10

I don't like the color.

6 / 10

9.5 nice top.

Possibly the most iconic 'scraper in Europe. Reminds me a bit of 330 Wacker Drive and would easily hold its own in the Loop.

It is an 8.5 promoted to 9 because it is iconic of a great skyline.

4.5 / 10

Possibly the most iconic 'scraper in Europe.

I totally agree. It's the classical skyscraper. One of the great(est) skyscrapers of the world.

4 /10

Bad color plus an all too familiar shape.

5 / 10

I'm beginning to get tired of this type of designs. hate the color.

one of my favorites......9

duplicate

6.5 / 10

Best skyscraper in Europe 10

7 / 10

Love this building ... 10/10

im not sure about the color, but this is one of my favourites. really classic 9/10

i love it too

7,5/10