Administrative buildings

At the International Network Management Centre of Deutsche Telekom AG – uniquely in the world – 250 employees monitor, control and document data, internet and voice connections to 220 countries around the globe with absolute precision, 24/7.

This centre has been instituted to provide its customers with optimum quality and security for their data and voice connections at all times.  It is responsible for providing connections, monitoring the network, quality assurance, invoicing and security management.

The operating status of the global network is depicted and controlled on a 72 m² screen.  This requires the use of one of the most high-performance graphic computers available, together with the pertinent technical instruments.

This high level of efficiency in the technical network sector, which is acknowledged even by business rivals, must of course also be demonstrated to customers and business partners in order to support and pursue the company’s claim to be a ‘global player’ in the field.

For these reasons we had to meet the need for an extremely high level of security on the one hand, and transparency, openness and visitor accessibility on the other.

These basic objectives (security and openness) explain the decision to design an ensemble of three buildings connected by a glass hall at the foot of the telecommunications tower, a landmark visible from afar.

The functional heart of the complex is the ‘pie-slice’ segment, which had to be completed in advance for scheduling reasons so that the control centre could be operated with the minimum of delay.  The curved central block body represents an appropriate counterpart to the adjacent telecommunications tower.

The six-storey rotunda with its suspended design and outwards-slanting double façade provides an impressive counterpoint and closing line to the city of Frankfurt.

Due to the arrangement, form and shape of the structural elements the hall space is an enthralling, almost tension-loaded area with varying widths which can be used for manifold events and exhibitions at the heart of the complex.

The structural elements are designed to meet functional needs.  The rotunda is a suspended steel frame design, and the block and segment have been created as a solid reinforced steel and reinforced steel frame structure, respectively.

The hall is spanned by steel truss girders which taper conically in relation to the span width, thus providing a sense of rhythm and an analogy to the network.

The combination of solid and lightweight structural elements, as well as their spatial distance and zoning entail the architectural realisation of the basic need for security on the one hand and transparency and openness on the other.

Finding solutions to the conflicting objectives resulting from these inherent challenges proved problematic.

The building (10 m from the motorway) had to meet sound insulation specifications (> 52 dB), i.e. above-average demands.  Security had to be taken into account, as did heat insulation and fire prevention (smoke removal system).  An absolutely disturbance-free working environment was achieved by using double windows in the segment and a double façade in the rotunda.

Air conditioning in the offices is seasonally controlled by means of the double façade and the hall.  Natural ventilation to the southwest is provided for the block.

The functionalities of the screen and the large computers to which it is connected are managed by elaborate building control systems so as to ensure year-round operation.

Limits were imposed on the complex in terms of costs and deadlines.  Construction time for the segment was 9 months, and for the entire complex 16 months.