CA Immo Office Building ONE is the First High-Rise Worldwide to be Awarded DGNB Diamond

Christoph Jakoby, Head of Development CA Immo Frankfurt: “The award of the DGNB Diamond underpins our endeavours to create durable and sustainable buildings with our project developments that stand out in a positive way, but also blend harmoniously into the environment and the cityscape. The award is not only about the excellent and timeless external quality of the building, but also about the consistency of the interior design and the floor plans. And this is particularly important in today’s world, in which we are experiencing a fundamental change in our tenants’ demands on their office space, in order to secure the long-term value of our existing buildings. We are proud to have received this highest award from the DGNB for our ONE.”

Prof Thomas Meurer, Partner at Meurer Architektur + Stadtplanung: “In contrast to many other high-rise projects, ONE seeks to open up to the urban space, to create a vital connection with the city and its residents. The open-plan foyer is of central importance here. Covering almost three quarters of the tower’s floor area, it is a freely accessible urban space. A place for informal exchange and communication. This idea is continued throughout the tower, for example by offering co-working on several floors and by implementing the Skybar, which is open to the public. ONE is a “città in nuce” and sees itself as a vertical city. In this way, it is an innovative, new building block in the tradition of our European urban culture.”

Prof Michael Schumacher, architect and member of the independent commission for design quality for the DGNB Diamond award procedure: “In addition to the friendly and accessible design of the ground floor areas, the design of the façade is the most important task of the architect when designing a high-rise building in the eyes of the commission.  The ONE was developed with a flexible approach, which is reflected not only in the construction and the floor plans, but also in the vertical façade. The external sun protection across all 49 storeys can be described as technically very innovative and exemplary. Together with the client, the architects have ventured into something new and innovative here, which is effective in terms of both energy efficiency and design. The urban integration and the development of the high-rise building were rated as particularly successful by the commission. Access to ONE is deliberately kept low-threshold, which benefits not only the users of the hotel and office but also the residents of the city. The individual office, hotel and public areas (café, lounge, cocktail bar) are clearly visible from the street in the ground floor zone. The active use of the ground floor zone helps to ensure that the neighbourhood is also lively outside office hours in the evenings and at weekends, thus giving something back to the citizens.”

Focus on sustainability, durability and timelessness
A prerequisite for participation in the DGNB Diamond award procedure is previous DGNB certification in Gold or Platinum. The DGNB Diamond award certifies that the project is of outstanding design and architectural quality. All design criteria to be assessed by an independent commission for design quality as part of the award process are considered in terms of appropriateness and timelessness. This also includes construction, materiality and scale.  Further criteria for the assessment are the proportions, composition and overall impression of the building, the form and flexibility of the floor plans, aspects of user-friendliness such as orientation, visual relationships and spatial references. In addition, the urban integration into the neighbourhood and the handling of the open spaces in relation to the building and the surroundings are also assessed.

ONE – Triple platinum certified and diamond awarded
The ONE is recognised as a best-in-class office building in terms of architecture, technology and sustainability. Accordingly, it has already been awarded triple platinum certification: The ONE has been awarded the platinum certificate of the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) for its sustainability, and the building has also received the SmartScore certificate and the WiredScore certificate, both in platinum – also the first high-rise building in Central Europe to do so.

In addition to office space, the 190 metre high, mixed-use high-rise also houses a 4-star superior hotel under the nhow brand, a coworking facility and attractive public uses, such as the Skybar, which is unique in Frankfurt, and a café in the lobby.