BIG has won a bid to build a 600-foot tower in Frankfurt, its first high-rise in the German city. The Copenhagen- and New York–based firm, lead by architect Bjarke Ingels, announced the new project only a few weeks after securing the bid for Two World Trade Center in New York. Located in Frankfurt’s financial district, home to an eclectic mix of old city blocks and skyscrapers, the mixed-use building will border a public plaza: its first few floors, which feature landscaped terraces, are intended for public programming.

The structure has a square footprint and, for the most part, rises straight up, creating a standard rectangular silhouette. But BIG shifted several floors as if they were cards pushed out from a neatly stacked deck. The accordion-like interruption, occurring about halfway up the tower, marks the point where the building’s use changes from offices to residences.

For more information visit big.dk .