bjarke ingels group's shifting 'omniturm' tower in frankfurt nears completion

nestled within frankfurt’s diverse urban fabric of glass high rises and stone heritage buildings, the ‘omniturm’ tower by bjarke ingels group (BIG) nears completion. first proposed in 2015, designboom followed its development as the tower began to take shape — its distinctive, staggered profile marking its place in the german city. photographer nils koenning has shared these images from spring 2019, with the series capturing the tower’s expressive shifting floor plates that accommodate both offices and residences. 

all images © nils koenning

bjarke ingels group (BIG) designed the ‘omniturm’ tower to express its multi-programmatic nature with its dynamic geometry. the lower half of the building, a slender and rational stack, houses office space. this lower volume is interrupted as floor plates slide outwards with gestural animation, signifying the tower’s residential programming. along the topmost section, the structure’s form returns to that of a simple tower block, recalling the organization of the floors below.

now nearing completion, the frankfurt tower conveys a signature that is at once sculptural and sensitive to the urban language of its context. the project rises to a height of 185 meters (607 feet), while the stepping geometry of dramatically offset floor-plates define its form.

project info:

project title: onmiturm tower

architecture: bjarke ingels group (BIG)

location: frankfurt, germany

program: mixed-use

client: tishman speyer

partner-in-charge: bjarke ingels, andreas klok petersen

project leader: lorenzo boddi

project team: enea michelesio, max aldunate reitour, gabrielė ubarevičiūtė, joanna jakubowska, katarzyna joanna piekarczyk, lucas carriere, emily king, julieta muzillo, giedrius mamavicius, lucian tofan, raphael ciriani

collaborators: bollinger + grohmann

total size: 65,000 sqm / 645,835 sqf

height: 185 meters (607 feet)

photography: nils koenning