More than 160,000m² of the glass have been supplied by glass merchants Bischoff Glastechnik for the double-skinned 40-storey building which stands just outside the city by the banks of the Rhine.Designed by American architects Murphy/Jahn, the 162-metre high tower is shaped like a broken oval, with two curved façades.There is also a small two-storey building alongside, which houses conference and meeting rooms.
The outer skin of each façade consists of two layers of 8mm laminated Pilkington Optiwhite. There is a 60cm gap to allow for cleaning and then the inner skin consists of three layers, including one of Pilkington Optitherm low-e glass.
Architect Helmut Jahn said that the double skin was designed to function like a natural skin, to give a natural climate within the building. He said: "We wanted to create a building which set new standards for our time, not only aesthetically but also from a technical point of view."
Pilkington: White tower
The new Post Tower, the headquarters of the privatised German postal service, is the biggest single project in Pilkington Optiwhite ever undertaken.