In the debate about the Juridicum, Head of Planning Mike Josef (SPD) is now in favor of retaining the high-rise building at the Senckenberganlage in Frankfurt.

This does not contradict the valid development plan for the former university campus Bockenheim, he made it clear at an event in the German Architecture Museum.

Josef said he was in favor of including the preservation of the Juridicum as a requirement in the architectural competition that the state and city want to advertise together.

In this competition, solutions are to be found for the culture campus, i.e. the new building for the University of Music and Performing Arts and the Center for the Arts planned by the city.

Josef can imagine providing the Juridicum with an extension of up to six floors in the lower half in order to get additional space.

Gunter Murr

Editor in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.

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So far, the building that was erected at the end of the 1960s and bought from the state by the city's ABG Holding was supposed to be demolished.

But in the past few months, a rethink has set in.

On the one hand, this has to do with the fact that the preservation of existing buildings has become more important.

This is what the exhibition “Better building with inventory” in the Architecture Museum stands for, which also met with great interest at the finissage on Sunday.

Little space on the property

On the other hand, it is questionable whether, according to the specifications of the development plan, there is enough space for the music college and the center of the arts, in which the cultural institutions combined in the Frankfurt Lab are to find a home.

The property between Bockenheimer Landstraße, Senckenberganlage and Jügelstraße is designated as a mixed-use area, in which no more than half may be used by the university.

In addition, at least 30 percent must be accommodated in apartments and open spaces must be provided.

In addition, a maximum of six-storey buildings is permitted.

The preservation of the Juridicum, which is not under monument protection, could contribute to a solution to these problems.

The building, which is around 50 meters high, does not comply with the specifications of the development plan, but enjoys grandfathering rights.

If the approximately 19,000 square meters of floor space were to remain, more usable space would be available on the northern site of the culture campus than would be the case with demolition and new construction.

By converting the upper floors into student apartments, the required proportion of living space could be proven.

"Pie piece" as a supplement

The planning department can imagine expanding the usable area of ​​the Juridicum with an extension of up to six floors.

This would be possible, for example, with a piece of cake-like structure that extends to the street edge of the Senckenberg facility, as Josef's speaker Marcus Gwechenberger explains.

The Frankfurt Lab could be housed in the former legal library, which is located in its own building behind the Juridicum.

For the new building of the music academy, areas on the Bockenheimer Landstrasse in particular are available, where, among other things, the new canteen of the Goethe University is located.

In addition, the music college could use rooms in the lower area of ​​the Juridicum.

However, it is still unclear whether this is possible in view of the special requirements.

It is important to the university that it definitely has more space than today at its three locations.

The room plan has not been published, but according to reports the university needs around 30,000 square meters of space.

When asked, the Hessian Ministry of Science emphasized "that the university must not suffer from other considerations".

In Wiesbaden, it is now expected that the city will approach the state with concrete proposals.

So far it has been agreed that no specifications should be made for the existing buildings in the tender for the competition.

Torsten Becker, the chairman of the urban development advisory board, is in favor of a two-part competition.

First of all, it should be determined what is urban developmentally possible on the area.

After that, designs for the realization should be awarded.

"This is the only way we can get the best architects for this task," he says.