Central Business Tower Frankfurt

The Central Business Tower is a 205 m-high skyscraper being built in Frankfurt’s financial district, featuring complex geometry and state-of-the-art prefabricated construction methods. Zentrale Technik is supporting the project with innovative solutions in the areas of design, structural engineering and BIM.

Client

Helaba

Contractor

Ed. Züblin AG & Dobler Metallbau GmbH Joint Venture

Location

Frankfurt

Participation ZT

Since 2021

Type of building

High-rise building

Construction method

Skeleton construction

Parts of the façade of the CBT building in Frankfurt, which is currently under construction, have already been clad.

A striking landmark in the Central Business District

In the heart of Frankfurt’s financial district, the Central Business Tower – a spectacular skyscraper – is taking shape. During the design and construction phases, it has already impressed with its innovative solutions to technical challenges. Standing 205 metres tall, with 52 storeys above ground and five below, the new building is one of the most striking construction projects in the city on the Main.

A bird’s-eye view of the foundations of the Central Business Tower.

CBT Frankfurt: A multi-purpose high-rise complex

The Central Business Tower will be used primarily as an office building, offering a total of over 70,000 m² of space for modern work environments. In addition, the building complex will feature integrated and public catering facilities, a branch of the Museum of World Cultures, and a multi-storey underground car park. The location in the densely built-up city centre, amidst the towers of the banking district, requires a particularly well-thought-out logistics concept: an elevated construction access road initially served as an assembly and transport level and is now being gradually integrated into the building.

Designing such a highly complex high-rise building in a confined city centre environment requires the highest level of technical precision, interdisciplinary collaboration and digital integration – and this is precisely where our strength lies.

The picture shows building materials and a ZÜBLIN container.

Technically outstanding design solutions

This complex project is being carried out as part of a joint venture with Dobler Metallbau GmbH. Zentrale Technik played a key role from the outset – from the teamconcept^®phase through to the execution design. During the design phase, numerous structural requirements relating to the high wind loads on the slender high-rise core had to be precisely coordinated. Together with the structural engineers, ZT developed a bespoke solution: the use of a special concrete containing basalt aggregate specifically increases the modulus of elasticity, thereby helping to minimise deformation.

In the foreground, two civil engineers are looking at a tablet; prefabricated components are lying in the background.

Efficient thanks to digitalisation and prefabrication

The design of the structural shell is carried out entirely on a model-based approach using the BIM method. This integrates all the construction details of the prefabricated building method, as well as site-specific elements such as crane anchors, protective shields and inclined spigot sleeves for column assembly. Various construction systems are used within the high-rise itself: The reinforced concrete cores are constructed using climbing formwork; the slabs consist of prefabricated prestressed concrete ribbed elements; and the perimeter columns are built using a combination of composite construction and prefabricated reinforced concrete elements. The basement levels are constructed using the ‘deck’ method as a watertight structure – in a confined space and with a high degree of technical precision.

Services

Engineering services in accordance with the HOAI
- Service Phase 5: Execution Design
- Service Phase 6: Preparation for Tendering
- Service Phase 7: Assistance with Tendering