Construction began this week on the 168-metre OpernTurm (Opera Tower) in Frankfurt. US real estate giant Tishman Speyer, which bought the site in 2004, has contracted Stuttgart-based Ed. Züblin to develop the 44-storey skyscraper. The Opera Tower will provide some 60,000 m[sup]2[/sup] of lettable space when completed in 2009 and will involve an investment of about EUR 230 mln. The launch ceremony was attended by the city's mayor Petra Roth, and the chairman of Tishman Speyer, Jerry Ith Speyer, as well as Juerg Zeltner, chairman of UBS Germany which will be the Opera Tower's main tenant. Eurohypo is providing the financing for the construction. The tower has been designed by architect Christoph Maeckler.
Construction began this week on the 168-metre OpernTurm (Opera Tower) in Frankfurt. US real estate giant Tishman Speyer, which bought the site in 2004, has contracted Stuttgart-based Ed. Züblin to develop the 44-storey skyscraper. The Opera Tower will provide some 60,000 m2 of lettable space when completed in 2009 and will involve an investment of about EUR 230 mln. The launch ceremony was attended by the city's mayor Petra Roth, and the chairman of Tishman Speyer, Jerry Ith Speyer, as well as Juerg Zeltner, chairman of UBS Germany which will be the Opera Tower's main tenant. Eurohypo is providing the financing for the construction. The tower has been designed by architect Christoph Maeckler.
In her speech, Mayor Roth spoke of a unique opportunity that the development of tower represented for a location of such historic and urban significance. 'For Frankfurt, the Opera Tower epitomizes the bond between the world of finance, economic dynamism, and lifestyle, impressively reflecting the character of this city.' Jerry Speyer said in his speech that the tower would do justice to the claim it made: 'Buildings are an expression of creativity, ingenuity, innovation, and ambition. We are proud to be able to develop such a project here.'
