Imagine, if you will, a structure conceived not just as a building but as an emblem of commercial and scientific prowess. That’s the I.G.-Farben Nebengebäude. It stands as a testament to ambition and a silent witness to history’s complex turns.
The I.G.-Farben Nebengebäude was part of the headquarters of I.G. Farben. The I.G. Farben group was formed in 1925 from a merger of eight leading German chemical companies. Imagine the power such a concentration of industry held.
Hans Poelzig designed the I.G.-Farben Nebengebäude. Construction occurred between 1928 and 1931. The goal was to create an administrative complex for two thousand employees. It also had to meet the latest standards. The building tender included a usable area of 23,000 square meters. It also needed a service building and dining rooms for 1,600 people. Experimental labs and garages were part of the plan.
Look closely at the I.G.-Farben Nebengebäude. See the steel skeleton structure. Light-colored travertine slabs from Cannstadt clad it. Narrow window axes divide the massive cubes. The building is lit by two thousand windows. Wooden sliding windows were used for office and corridor openings. The roof was covered with rolled copper glued to the ceiling.
Consider the interiors of the I.G.-Farben Nebengebäude. A double-flight marble staircase graces the entrance hall. It leads to the former board of management offices. The north-facing glazed exhibition hall once displayed the group’s products. Marlene Moeschke-Poelzig designed the spatial concept and interior furnishings. Every office had optimal daylight due to its south-facing orientation. Linoleum from the company’s own production covered the floors. Bronze was used for entrance and elevator doors. Aluminum leaf covered the entrance hall ceilings.
Now picture the I.G.-Farben Nebengebäude in the post-war period. The Allies ordered the dissolution of the I.G. Farben group. The building remained the largest office building in Europe until the 1950s. It served as the U.S. armed forces headquarters in Europe until 1995.
Since 2001, the I.G.-Farben Nebengebäude reopened as a university building. It is now part of the Westend Campus of the Goethe University in Frankfurt.
The other ancillary facilities on the grounds like the I.G.-Farben Nebengebäude do not have any spatial relationship to the main building. They are scattered around the edge of the park.
As you stand here, remember the I.G.-Farben Nebengebäude. It is more than just bricks and mortar. It represents the heights of industry, the shadows of war, and the transformation into a center of learning.