Accessibility, sustainability
and modern architecture
combined in the Niederrad district
No more compromises between contemporary architecture and accessibility:
How aesthetic demands and functional necessities come together can be witnessed in the Niederrad district in Frankfurt.
The office building, located in the Lyoner district and covering approximately 50,000 square meters, was built over a three-year construction period according to the plans of Holger Meyer Architektur by Lang & Cie Real Estate AG on behalf of the New Niederrad Initiative.
After completion, the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) awarded the construction project a Gold rating. This recognition was due to installing solar panels, green roofs, and rainwater storage, contributing to a reduction in fossil energies, CO2 emissions, and noise in the neighbourhood while also stimulating groundwater replenishment.
This demonstrates that the Niederrad Initiative has initiated nothing less than a comprehensive sustainable transformation to enhance the formerly purely office-oriented district.
The goal is to merge living, working, and life in the long term, setting new standards in terms of sustainability, quality of life, and infrastructure.
An architecturally significant element in the context of this district's modernization is the two-story glass front of the office building on Lyoner Straße: It is located on one of the major visual axes of the district, providing visitors and residents with an attractive view and high recognizability.
The construction measures for accessibility discreetly integrated into the entrance area, deliberately allowing the building and its exterior to take the forefront visually. Using local materials, the Stepless Platform lift SLP C was custom-made for the stone staircase, making it nearly invisible when retracted. It provides visitors and employees with limited mobility an easy access across the height difference into the building.
The functional product design of the platform lift, with its easily accessible control panel and extendable fall protection, guarantees safety, accessibility, and thus equality for mobility-impaired users — a sustainable contribution to an improved quality of life in the Lyoner district.
