West End Tower, Frankfurt, Germany

FlowCon valves have been chosen for the refurbishment of the fan coil system for West End Tower, Frankfurt. FlowCon was chosen as the requirement of a very compact valve could only be meet by offering a customized solution.

Westendstraße 1 is a 53-storey, 208 meter skyscraper in the Westend-Süd district of Frankfurt, Germany. The structure was completed in 1993 and together with the nearby City-Haus, it forms the head-quarters of the DZ Bank. In 1995 it won the “BestBuilding of the Year” award by the American Chamber of Architects in the multifunctional skyscraper category. The tower is the third tallest skyscraper in Frankfurt as well as in Germany. 

The building is a reinforced concrete structure with a perforated facades and flat slabs. The floor height is usually 3.6 meter with a floor area of 950 square meters. It is housing commercial offices and the construction started in 1990 and the building was opening in 1993.

The building is housing the DZ Bank. Characteristic of this high-rise is its projecting upper termination, which gives the impression of a crown. This corona consists of 11 spokes and extends 11 meters out from the building. In order to prevent icing, it is heated in winter. There is a winter garden in the center of the building, which is open to the public and the building also contains a shopping area and restaurant facilities.

Controlled indoor temperature in any office building is very important for both the comfort and productivity of the employees. However, the demands of a climate control system in office glass buildings can be extremely high. The radiant energy is ultimately transformed to heat and can contribute with up to 700 W per m² window glass.

Especially in the summertime, these high variables can overload the climate control where accuracy and the ability to adjust a dynamic environment are key values. However, with the right HVAC technology it is possible to maintain a stable indoor temperature still only using the exact amount of energy that is required at any given time. Because of all the commercials and offices in the building it is important with optimal indoor climate still with focus is on the environment and the cost of indoor climate. Therefore, a refurbishment of West End Tower was decided including changing of air conditioning and valves. To the refurbishment FlowCon valves were chosen to make sure that the environmental requirements were met, and the best solution obtained.