Jean-Claude Trichet: New ECB premises - ceremony of the laying of the
foundation stone
Welcome address by Mr Jean-Claude Trichet, President of the European Central Bank,
at the ceremony to lay the foundation stone of the new ECB premises, Frankfurt am Main,
19 May 2010.
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Ladies and Gentlemen,
Fellow members of the Governing and General Council,
Sehr geehrte Frau Oberbürgermeisterin Roth,
Sehr geehrter Herr Professor Prix,
Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,
Today's ceremony marks the transition from planning to reality.
A number of us have been involved in the project since its very beginning when we, the ECB,
started to look for a suitable site. Others - like the architect and the planners - have spent
years on the planning of our new building from the concept for the international architectural
competition to the details of the execution planning. And now, a new party has joined in: the
construction companies and their workers, a warm welcome to you.
I am very confident that we will continue the very good cooperation between all parties that
has characterised this project so far. Our common goal is to ensure that the new building
complex will become reality as planned to provide the ECB with healthy and functional
headquarters while keeping the building costs within the foreseen budget and using our
resources responsibly. Our new premises will be functional and will meet the complex
requirements of a European institution that works very closely together with our colleagues of
the national central banks, thus playing the central role for the Eurosystem and the European
System of Central Banks (ESCB) with respect to analysis and decision-making, and as
effective and efficient captain of the European monetary team mandated with the primary
goal of maintaining price stability. Price stability is not only the primary objective set out in the
Treaty, but also what our democracies, the people of Europe are asking us.
Our new premises will allow for the necessary flexibility to foster interaction and
communications both among our staff, the Eurosystem and the ESCB. At the same time, our
new premises will reflect the values - integrity, excellence, efficiency and transparency - that
are essential to our activities. We are also committed to ecological sustainability: to this end,
our new premises will also be environmentally friendly and energy-efficient.
I am delighted to stand here with all of you today to celebrate the laying of the foundation
stone and to wish our new building and all of us good luck and a smooth construction phase.
The laying of the foundation stone marks the start of the main construction works for the new
headquarters of the European Central Bank. Let me reiterate the different steps so far and
take the opportunity to point out some of our main partners in this process so far.
The project was initiated by the Governing Council under the Presidency of my honoured
colleague Wim Duisenberg in 1998 - and it is very sad that he cannot be here today. Back
then, when the ECB had barely been founded, none of us could really imagine just how
much time and effort such a project would call for.
The decision in favour of the chosen site was taken on the basis of a variety of criteria, such
as the size of the site and its location on the banks of river Main, as well as the fact that the
Ostend is a lively and well-functioning district close to the centre of the City of Frankfurt. The
size of the site - and of the building to come - has been chosen in view to possible
extensions of the Eurosystem and the European Union, the former today encompassing
16 countries and around 330 million citizens, so as to be able to fit all ECB staff in the new
premises on the site.
I can remember the presentation of all the designs of the international (urban planning and
architectural) design competition, the great variety of ideas from all over the world of how a
European institution and a modern central bank should look like. And how the
Grossmarkthalle, a remarkable monument, would be integrated and become part of this
institution. When deciding on the site in 2001, we aimed at preserving a building that was
remarkable in its own time.
I would like to thank ANP, the consultants who prepared and organised the international
architectural competition that generated so many ideas. The international jury, which was
chaired by the ECB's Vice-President, Lucas Papademos, was the first body to face the
challenge for awarding the prices to the most suitable designs. I would also like to thank the
jury for their work and express my appreciation of their endeavours to find the right design for
the task and the site at hand.
Deciding on the building that is required to serve the purposes of a modern central bank is a
difficult task. I remember how my colleagues in the Governing Council and I became deeply
involved in details when deciding on the final design at the end of the revision phase.
It was only then that the real work for the architect, and for the engineers and planners, really
began, the work of optimising and reviewing the design, while at the same time moving
stepby-step ever-deeper into detail with each new phase and passing month. I would like to thank
the architect, Professor Wolf Prix, his staff of Coop Himmelb(l)au and all planners and
engineers for never giving up, for always fighting passionately for their design and for always
finding a way to improve on the different aspects of the building.
My thanks also go to Drees & Sommer, the external project managers, who supported our
project team within the ECB in the coordination of all the major and minor details that need to
be taken care of and resolved. A crucial situation occurred when the initial tender strategy
failed and a new one, more fitting to the changing markets, had to be developed and
implemented. As of today, with the start of the actual construction works, the main
responsibility for the construction site has passed into the hands of our construction
management company, Gassmann + Grossmann.
Throughout the last few years, all the parties involved have worked closely together with
unfailing energy, determination and conviction to finally make this event possible today.
The Grossmarkthalle in itself has been yet another challenge: together with the historic
preservation authorities of both the City of Frankfurt and the State of Hesse, our project team
and the architect and planners, the structural engineers and restoration experts worked hard
on every millimetre of the market hall to gain an insight into its current state, to discuss all
details and aspects of its desperately needed restoration and how to convert such a building
into an integral part of our institution's premises. I remember one visit by my colleagues and
myself to the site when Thomas Rinderspacher, the ECB's Project Manager, showed me the
new windows that had been developed to improve the insulation of the façade, while
preserving the appearance of the old window frames.
I am proud of all the work carried out. My fellow-members of the Governing Council and I
were and are being informed regularly about the development and the progress of the
project. We are aware of our being a demanding task-master, asking for a perfect building,
as well as for sound and transparent processes on the way towards attaining it. We are
simply aiming for the best possible building for providing a healthy and safe environment for
our staff and visitors, while at the same time ensuring an efficient and effective functioning of
the institution. I am happy that we have come so far today.
Such a project can only become reality if the City authorities, too, prove their commitment.
So, I would also like to express my gratitude to Lord Mayor Petra Roth and the different
departments of the City of Frankfurt, especially the Urban Planning Department, for the
unstinting work and support they provided from the time of the purchase of the site to the
architectural competition and the urban development plan, which was developed in parallel to
our own planning, and also with the issuance of the building permit in May 2008.
This is no time for complacency. We still have many challenges to face, and we have to
make sure that the construction work proceeds smoothly. I am looking forward to seeing the
restoration of the market hall and the rise of the office towers. I have full trust in all of you
who are involved in the project working for our new headquarters, and in your expertise and
knowledge to ensure the successful finalisation of our building - within schedule and budget,
of course, as we are responsible for using our resources effectively and efficiently. I have
advised our team, the New ECB Premises Project Office, to monitor the works carefully and
to keep a close eye on the quality, on the scheduling and on the costs of the project - the
budget has to be respected. This is essential.
Today, I want to thank my dear colleague on the Executive Board, Lorenzo Bini Smaghi, who
has overseen the project remarkably well for the Executive Board over the past few years, as
well as Gerald Grisse and Thomas Rinderspacher in their capacity of Project Coordinator
and Project Manager - also as representatives for the entire team - for the excellent work
achieved thus far, the development of the project within the expected and required quality
and costs estimate and for the successful tendering of the construction works.
I wish all of those who will either be continuing to work or who are just starting to work for our
new building all the best and good endeavours!