ECB moves to new domicile

After a decade of planning and four years of construction, the new ECB building is open for business. The bank has relocated from downtown Frankfurt to the city's East End - a short distance physically, but a long time in the making since its initial planning stages in 1998.

The towering structure already dominates Frankfurt's skyline. The design competition was launched in 2003 and drew 80 renowned architects from home and abroad. Vienna-based architecture firm Coop Himmelb(l)au won the contest, with its building costing an estimated 1.2 billion euros ($1.5 billion).

The EU's Treaty of Maastricht, signed in 1992, lays out Frankfurt as the ECB's headquarters. In 1998 the central bank moved into the city's Eurotower - an office building, whose rent turned out to be more expensive over time than the bank itself. Officials scrutinized 35 sites and then decided on a disused market hall (pictured) as the location.

The sprawling area was last used in 2004 as a wholesale fruit and vegetable market. With most of the buildings dating back to 1928, preservation rules required the complex to be incorporated into the modern ECB structure. The market's five halls now house an exhibition area and a visitor center, as well as conference rooms and a cafeteria.

The ECB building's two towers are 185 meters (607 feet) and 165 meters tall, respectively, and are linked by an atrium on the ground floor. With 45 and 43 floors, they provide ample office space.

The whole structure is flooded with light, and the facades are partly asymmetric. The ECB said the new building should be an open work environment, with bright and flexible rooms. Many offices have moveable walls.

The ECB used to rent office space in four Frankfurt buildings - the best known being the Eurotower. The bank had to give up its plan of completely moving out of that building, once the new home was completed. With its new task of supervising Europe's banks, the ECB needed more space than originally planned.

ECB President Mario Draghi will move just like his coworkers. The downside: In the council's new conference room on the 41st floor, Draghi will be sitting with his back to the windows, thus missing out on the spectacular view of the city.

The ECB is keen on saving energy. Rain water is collected on the roof of the market hall to water plants and to flush toilets. The heat generated by the bank's computer center is used to heat offices. In the summer, sunblinds and glare shields prevent the building from warming up.

Shiny skyscrapers belonging to banks and insurance companies dominate the Frankfurt am Main city horizon. The new ECB headquarters (foreground) expands the skyline that gave the city its nickname "Mainhattan."