30.07.2009 Building project completed on schedule: Messe Frankfurt opens its new Hall 11 and Portalhaus

New building complex to be used for the first time as part of the IAA Car Show

After a construction period lasting only two years, today’s opening of the new Hall 11 and Portalhaus will be giving an entirely new look to the western part of the Frankfurt exhibition grounds.

Together with Michael von Zitzewitz, Chairman of the Board of Management of Messe Frankfurt, and Uwe Behm, the member of the Board of Management of Messe Frankfurt responsible for these new structures, Frankfurt Mayor and Chairperson of the Supervisory Board of Messe Frankfurt, Dr. h.c. Petra Roth, officially opened the new complex.

Since Autumn 2007, two imposing buildings have arisen in the western part of the exhibition grounds: the two-storey Hall 11, featuring more than 23,000 square metres of exhibition area, and the adjoining Portalhaus. Together the two structures offer some 78,000 square metres of gross floor area. They not only represent a suitable supplement to the eastern part of the premises, but are also a successfully accomplished core project for the municipal development of the "Europaviertel" district.

As Mayor Petra Roth put it during the opening ceremony: “The Portalhaus in particular represents another architectural gem in the Frankfurt skyline. Messe Frankfurt has gained an extraordinary, prestigious West Entrance and beautiful exhibition hall, creating outstanding conditions for all of its exhibitors and visitors.”

Construction of the shells of these two buildings occupied 250 people over the past two years, while up to 600 tradesmen were involved in completing the interiors and installing the technical facilities. Nearly 8,000 tonnes of structural steel were utilised and more than 35,000 square metres of concrete poured during the construction period. 48 heavy lorries were used to deliver and install the precast units, some of which weighed as much as 110 tonnes. The timber roof structure, which spans 80 metres, is supported by wooden trusses with a total weight of up to 55 tonnes.

17 transformers have been installed inside the new hall and the Portalhaus, each with an output of as much as 1,600 kilowatts, along with 300 kilometres of power cable, 18 kilometres of energy cable with 103 data racks, 300 kilometres of data cable and 70 kilometres of fibre optic cable. Hall 11 has more than 520 electrical sub-distributors in all, 340 of which will be dedicated solely to supplying exhibition stands. The total connected load of 19.6 megawatts is roughly equivalent to the electricity needed to power 650 single-family homes. Some 16,000 lights, 2,900 smoke alarms and 1,485 speakers have been installed in these two buildings. 

“With Hall 11 and the Portalhaus, two new architectural highlights have been added to our Frankfurt exhibition grounds,” said Michael von Zitzewitz in his speech at the opening ceremony. “Visitors arriving from the motorway or the Rebstock car park will now pass through the impressive Portalhaus entrance on their way to quickly reaching Hall 11 – and thus the exhibition grounds. This means that a continuous transport route now passes through all of our exhibition halls,” he explains.

“One hundred years ago, the Festhalle, the oldest building on the exhibition grounds, was opened; today we are opening our newest hall. Hall 11 is a worthy addition to the rich architectural landscape of Messe Frankfurt. Featuring a striking design and outstanding functionality, Hall 11 and the Portalhaus entrance – which is also visible from afar – also make it possible to carry out two large events simultaneously in the eastern and western parts of our premises,” added Behm.

The first capacity test will be taking place in September, as BMW will be occupying the new hall for its presentation at IAA, the world's largest car show. This will mark the first time that the BMW Group has shown its three brands BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce under the same roof.“We are very pleased that we will be able to continue our tradition of innovative IAA appearances as the first exhibitor in Messe Frankfurt’s newest exhibition hall,” said Thomas Muderlak, Head of International Exhibitions at the BMW Group. “One of the highlights for our visitors will be their opportunity to experience what it is like to drive our cars right at the BWM stand: we will literally be putting our slogan ‘pure driving pleasure’ into practice in September."

The investment costs for this project, Messe Frankfurt’s largest construction undertaking of the past two years, amount to some 170 million euros. Messe Frankfurt is financing this from its own resources. This building complex has been built by the Max Bögl/Lausser consortium in accordance with the design created by the Hascher Jehle architectural office of Berlin.  

Background information on Messe Frankfurt

Messe Frankfurt is Germany’s largest trade fair organiser, with 440 million euros in sales in 2008 and more than 1,500 employees worldwide. The Messe Frankfurt Group has a global network of 28 subsidiaries, five branch offices and 52 international Sales Partners, giving it a presence for its customers in more than 150 countries. Events “made by Messe Frankfurt” take place at more than 30 locations around the globe. In 2008, Messe Frankfurt organised more than 100 trade fairs, of which more than half took place outside Germany. Comprising an area of 578,000 square metres, Messe Frankfurt’s exhibition grounds are currently home to nine exhibition halls and an adjacent Congress Center. The company is publicly owned, with the City of Frankfurt holding 60 percent and the State of Hesse 40 percent.
For more information, please visit our website at: www.messefrankfurt.com

Contact
Messe Frankfurt GmbH
Markus Quint
Ludwig-Erhard-Anlage 1
60327 Frankfurt
Tel. +49 69 75 75-59 05
Fax +49 69 75 75-58 83
markus .quint messefrankfurt .com
www.messefrankfurt.com