The Messeturm is located near theFrankfurt Trade Fair grounds.Helmut Jahn designed the Messeturm in apostmodern architectural style. It is regarded as one of the design classics among European skyscrapers. Despite its name, the Messeturm is not used for trade fair exhibitions but as an office building. It is one of the few buildings in Germany with their ownpostal code (60308), the others beingOpernturm, another Frankfurt skyscraper, and the summit station onZugspitze.
When Germany submitted its application to have Frankfurt selected as the seat of the European Union's Anti-money-laundering authority (AMLA) in 2023, the Messeturm was one of three options – alongsideTower 185 – presented as potential location for the new agency.[6]
The Messeturm is similar in design to towers by other architects including theBank of America Plaza inAtlanta, Georgia andKey Tower (1991) inCleveland, Ohio. Frankfurters often call itBleistift ("pencil") due to its shape. The construction of the building's foundation set a world record for the longest continuous concrete pour. Ninety trucks poured concrete for 78 hours into the 6-metre (20 ft) deep foundation. Its ground floor area is just 1,681 m2 (18,090 sq ft), and features a 36.3 m (119.1 ft) pyramid at the top.
The tower uses numerous geometric shapes in its design such as the square footprint which is the main shape used throughout the tower. It then rises to a cylindrical shape which finally completes in a pyramid.
There are 900 parking places in a public parking garage and a direct connection to the subway.
MesseTurm appears under the nameHogan Wallace and White Insurance as avanilla stage 8 Euro-Contemporary building set inSimCity 4 (Deluxe or with Rush Hour).[7]