Stone-Ideas.com 
The “Three Horizons” residential tower was awarded the German Natural Stone Prize 2024. The building in Frankfurt/Main with a façade made of light-colored limestone acts as a visual entrance to the new Schwedler Carré quarter, which was built on a former industrial site. The architects are Ortner & Ortner Baukunst, Hofmann Naturstein supplied the stone.
The jury praised the fact that the architects “have found an extremely convincing answer to the pressing question of how high-quality, dense residential construction can be designed in a very unagitated manner.” This also means that the building with 16 storeys or 60 m in height could make vertical living popular. In Germany, living in a high-rise building is not really considered chic, even in cities.
The round balconies are eye-catchers. They begin on the seventh floor and break up the strict rectangular grid of the façade. From here, the building takes on a great dynamism, as if it wanted to turn in one direction.
In fact, the city center with its high-rise bank buildings lies in this direction. The other side of the building pays homage to strict geometry.
Architecture forums on the Internet criticized the fact that the façade cladding seemed heavy.
The jury praised the use of St. Louis® limestone:
* It stands out clearly from the red brick on the lower buildings in the neighborhood and thus contributes to the signal effect of “Drei Horizonte”;
* the brick was quick and easy to install despite the cramped conditions on the construction site thanks to modular production in the factory;
* as requested by the client, it is low-maintenance, durable and will give the building a special look over time with its patina.
The jury also praised the compact appearance of the building: “The natural stone slabs were joined using press joints and hair joints in such a way that the individual slabs recede into the background. The required joints are siliconized and sanded. The limestone with its fine pore structure and slight banding supports the monolithic appearance.”
The entrance to the building spans two storeys and thus appears inviting and spacious.
Together with two lower residential buildings, the “Three Horizons” form a self-contained ensemble. The architectural firms Stefan Forster and Karl Dudler provided the designs for this.
This completes the transformation of the former industrial site between Ostbahnhof and Osthafen. It has dragged on for over 20 years. Critics praise the variety of architecture that has been created there, as well as the use of offices and commercial space alongside apartments.
The close and small-scale interplay of squares, alleyways and streets, which characterizes the European city, is also often rated positively.
The German Natural Stone Award is presented every two years at the Stone+tec trade fair in Nuremberg. The overall winner is selected from the winners of the four categories and receives €5,000 in prize money. Orter & Ortner took first place in category A (facades with ventilated exterior wall cladding made of natural stone).
Deutscher Natursteinpreis, Dokumentation download (German)
Photos: Marcus Bredt
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