DZ Bank

”The shape of a fish is a perfect example of motion. I attempt to capture this motion in my buildings.” Frank O. Gehry
The impressive DZ BANK building in Berlin was designed by the Californian architect Frank O. Gehry. A multi-functional office centre with an events area and an independent apartment building has been built according to his design on a site covering around 4,240 qm”. The bank is located at Pariser Platz 3 and is not only a place of work but also a place of art, culture and communication.
Gehry has succeeded in talking account of the requirements of urban planning and has also simultaneously incorporated his inimitable style in the building. The bank has an austere classical facade which reflects historic forms and materials. The inside of the building forms a contrast to this. The large hall is covered by a vaulted glass roof v hich is said to have the form of a fish. The jeweI of the building can be found in the centre of this hall: A wall -in sculpture with a skin made of brushed high-grade steel. For Gehry, it is ”... the best form which I have ever made in my entire life.”
This sculpture is simultaneously the skin of the conference room featuring top-quality interior fittings and with space for around 80 persons. Room for events ivith up to 500 guests is provided by the forum in the basement, ivhere the red carpet shimmers through the glass roof with its filigree effect. The v hite glass sculptures that hang from the ceiling in the basement originate from the American designer Nikolas Weinstein. Both the conference room and the forum are rented out for events.
In 1995 the Banl invited bids from eight famous inter national architects and Franl O. Gehry won the competition. Born in Toronto in 1929, Gehry is well known as the creator of original buildings such as the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein (Germany) and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao (Spain).
For the Bank, the domicile in the historic centre of Berlin represents a return to its roots. The first co-operative central bank, the ”PreuHenkasse”, was originally founded in 1895 only a stone’s throw away. The banl which now operates under the name DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral-Genossenschaftsbanl is both a central bank and a commercial bank with an international orientation. The new, institute was formed in September 2001 following the merger between DG BANK Deutsche Genossenschaftsbank AG and GZ-Bank AG Frankfurt/Stuttgart.

Facts and figures Site: approx. 4.240 m²
Gross floor area: approx. 19,100 m²
Office/conference area: - approx. 18,800 m²
Residential area: - approx. 3,300 m²
Start of construction: December 1996
Foundation stone laid: June 1997
Occupation of offices: June 1999