It is one of the most frequented shopping streets in Germany. The formerly busy Zeil street became a permanent pedestrian zone 50 years ago. But that is not the only thing that has changed in the long history of the shopping mile. Many a building has been demolished and some facades have been given a more modern look. For example, the residential and commercial building at Zeil 111 - which today looks as if it has always stood here.

The detailed, solid and load-bearing natural stone façade lends the building its timeless quality. Portal stones weighing up to ten tons made of Portuguese sandstone flank the eight-metre-wide entrances to the passage. The edges of the portal stones are broken and irregularly cut at an angle of 45 degrees. In the style of a gatehouse, the portal stones are pointed at the top and bottom and are a reflection of solid massiveness.

In order to improve the commercial use and circulation, Tek To Nik Architekten planned the entrance to the passage in the form of a wide two-storey portal. As Zeil 111 has two façades, one facing the Zeil and one facing the Holzgraben, the architects combined the sculptural depth of the natural stone blocks with the spatial depth of the passage. This also resulted in the design differences between the two façades. On the Zeil side, the portal motif is echoed by the contrasting effect of prismatic projecting baffle plates on the five upper storeys. The smooth, steeply inclined glass surfaces solve two problems at once: they offer pigeons no settlement areas and reduce noise, which is important for the practice rooms facing the Zeil.

Incidentally, the traditional Hirsch pharmacy, which was founded in 1462 and is the founding site of the Fresenius pharmaceutical company, is located on the Zeil side of the first floor entrance. The Else-Kröner-Fresenius Foundation was therefore the client for the residential and commercial building at Zeil 111. The former Zeil-Passage was therefore officially rededicated as the Else-Kröner-Passage on November 19, 2018. The Zeil-111 predecessor from the 1960s had insufficient ceiling heights and unattractive retail spaces. Its complete demolition was planned around this historic pharmacy. During the entire construction period, the pharmacy remained in operation and was temporarily supplied by the fire walls shared by the neighboring buildings, which were to be preserved.

www.tektonik.net

Photos:

TEK TO NIK; Andreas Stimpert

(Published in CUBE Frankfurt 04|23)