AfE-Turm
Encyclopedia
The AfE Tower is a 116 metre tall skyscraper in Frankfurt. It belongs to the campus Bockenheim the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University and houses the offices and seminar rooms of the departments of Social Sciences and Education. The acronym AfE means Department of Pedagogy (Abteilung für Erziehungswissenschaft); however, this department never moved into the tower because it was closed before the construction was finished.
Planning and construction of the AfE Tower began in the early Sixties. The building became necessary in 1961, when the College of Pedagogy was incorporated into the University, and the old Bettinaschule
in the Westend
turned out to be inadequate even as a provisional arrangement. The building inherently lacked the required functionality.
The tower was briefly the tallest building in Frankfurt until the construction of the City-Haus
. The north side of the tower houses the library of the social sciences, as well as seminar rooms with 1.5 times the floor height. The south side consists of offices only a single floor high, which requires an intricate system of staircases and split-levels between the two halves, considerably complicating orientation. After the construction, a cafeteria was established in the top floor, but was closed for lack of popularity. This floor is not accessible with all lifts, and is considered a hard-to-find secret due to the good view in all directions. The student-managed TuCa (Tower Café) on the ground floor was cleared by the police at the behest of the university administration, in order to open a café managed by the Studentenwerk
, named the C'AfE. Since the beginning of 2007, the TuCa sits "in exile" on the fifth floor.
The tower was designed for 2,500 students. However, the building has been occupied since its opening with a multiple of that, so that at the seven elevators (only six of which are serviceable at most times) have waiting periods of up to fifteen minutes.
In August 2005, a University employee was killed in an accident when her lift got stuck between two floors, and she attempted to exit. It is still controversial whether this accident was a result of human error or a series of almost daily failures of the building's technology. Since the tower is to be demolished within the next few years, the university administration has avoided all non-essential renovation work. At intervals, however, facade repairs must be carried out.
The tower is a popular destination for student protests, as it can be completely sealed off with relatively few helpers, in contrast to most other buildings of the university. The dramatically worsened study conditions within the tower in recent years are another motive. The resulting tower blockades have been an integral part of periodic protests at the Goethe University for many years.
Planning and construction of the AfE Tower began in the early Sixties. The building became necessary in 1961, when the College of Pedagogy was incorporated into the University, and the old Bettinaschule
Bettinaschule
The ' is a Gymnasium in Frankfurt am Main , Germany.The eponym is Bettina von Arnim . The school has approximately 71 teachers and 1,028 students.- Notable alumni :...
in the Westend
Westend (Frankfurt am Main)
The Westend area of Frankfurt contains the two districts of Westend-Nord and Westend-Süd. The Westend with its Wilhelminian style buildings is a beloved residential quarter...
turned out to be inadequate even as a provisional arrangement. The building inherently lacked the required functionality.
The tower was briefly the tallest building in Frankfurt until the construction of the City-Haus
City-Haus
The 142 meter high City-Haus is located in the Westend district in Frankfurt am Main at the Republic Square. It was constructed from 1971 to 1974 and designed by architects John Krahn and Richard Heil.- History :...
. The north side of the tower houses the library of the social sciences, as well as seminar rooms with 1.5 times the floor height. The south side consists of offices only a single floor high, which requires an intricate system of staircases and split-levels between the two halves, considerably complicating orientation. After the construction, a cafeteria was established in the top floor, but was closed for lack of popularity. This floor is not accessible with all lifts, and is considered a hard-to-find secret due to the good view in all directions. The student-managed TuCa (Tower Café) on the ground floor was cleared by the police at the behest of the university administration, in order to open a café managed by the Studentenwerk
Studentenwerk
A Studentenwerk is a semi-governmental institution in Germany that provides services to college and university students. Usually there is one Studentenwerk for all colleges and universities in a city or region...
, named the C'AfE. Since the beginning of 2007, the TuCa sits "in exile" on the fifth floor.
The tower was designed for 2,500 students. However, the building has been occupied since its opening with a multiple of that, so that at the seven elevators (only six of which are serviceable at most times) have waiting periods of up to fifteen minutes.
In August 2005, a University employee was killed in an accident when her lift got stuck between two floors, and she attempted to exit. It is still controversial whether this accident was a result of human error or a series of almost daily failures of the building's technology. Since the tower is to be demolished within the next few years, the university administration has avoided all non-essential renovation work. At intervals, however, facade repairs must be carried out.
The tower is a popular destination for student protests, as it can be completely sealed off with relatively few helpers, in contrast to most other buildings of the university. The dramatically worsened study conditions within the tower in recent years are another motive. The resulting tower blockades have been an integral part of periodic protests at the Goethe University for many years.