The Marquette Plaza in Minneapolis, Minnesota was designed in 1973 by architect Gunnar Birkerts. It uses an innovative catenary arch design supported by suspension cables between two towers to allow an open public plaza underneath. This unique structural system provides column-free interior spaces. The building was originally constructed as the headquarters for the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis and underwent renovations in the late 1990s and early 2000s to transform it into a premier Class A office building.

1. NAME OF THE PROJECT :
Marquette Plaza, MINNEAPOLIS,MINNESOTA,
UNITED STATES.
ARCHITECT: GUNNAR BIRKERTS
YEAR: 1973.
GUIDED BY : ar. Jaykishor pandit
ar. MEGHNA parkaR
PRESENTED BY: THOLE VISHAKHA V
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tittle

2. introduction
• The building was originally constructed in
1972 as the headquarters for the Federal
Reserve Bank of Minneapolis and featured a
ground breaking support system which
includes 16 catenary cables strung between
two towers.
• The cables worked much like the cables of a
suspension bridge and gave the property its
signature U shape on the front of the building.
• Under new ownership in 1997 the property
went under a multi-year renovation and
addition which was completed in 2002.
• The renovations transformed Marquette
Plaza into one of the finest Class A properties in
Minneapolis. Location: Minneapolis
Building Size:522,656 square feet
total Loading: Six(6) internal
loading docks
Year Built:1970
Architect: Gunnar Birkets
Area: Up to 37,000 square foot data
center space available

3. This study, analyzied the concept of the
design, functions, and circulation to figure
out why the suspension structure was chosen
and construction and the reaction of loading
through Multiframe .
Marquette plaza is an architectural landmark
defined by its unique “catenary” arch design.
• Located in the downtown Central Business
District of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
• Formerly known as the home of the Federal
Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
• This Class A 522,656 square foot office
building is a monumental Presence and boasts
credit tenancy,
• Superior quality design,
• State-of-the-art infrastructure,
• 36,000 square foot open floor plans,
• Column-free design,
• Convenient skyway connection,
• And a 1.5 acre landscaped public park located
on the west side of the building
LOCATION

4. Gunnar Birkerts
Born :January 17, 1925 Riga, Latvia
Died :August 15, 2017 (aged 92)
Needham, Massachusetts, United States
Nationality :Latvian
Alma mater :Technische Hochschule,
Stuttgart
Occupation :Architect
Children :Sven Birkerts
Awards :Fellow of the AIA
Practice :Birkerts and Straub, Birkerts
and Associates Buildings Corning Fire
Station, Corning Museum of Glass,
Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank.
Architect

5. DESIGN CONCEPT
• This building is required to span over the public
square underneath so that the landscape would
not be cut off by the building.
• This concept created an open space which can
offer broad views of the city and a place people
can stay.
• Another important purpose is to bring in as
much sunlight as possible. To give the people
working inside great views of the city, a glass
curtain wall was put on the whole front facade.
• To achieve this, the engineers Skilling Helle
Christiansen and Robertson chose the suspension
system.
• This remarkable building consists of an office tower that bridges 330ft (100 m) across the top of the plaza and
a high-security facility below the plaza.
• The building epitomizes the effective use of tension in its application to high-rise buildings.

6. • The functions of the
16-story main building
are basically for offices
and management.
• Independent office
areas are on the top
floor, comprehensive
office areas are at the
bottom floors.
FUNCTION
• Bank vaults and parking
garage are built in
underground.
• It gives space to the
continuous square and
reduces the building-
covered area.
• The three towers of the
building are of the vertical
circulation space. • The
two on both sides also
carry the vertical loads of
the building.
• The one in the middle
keeps the building away
from swaying.

7. CIRCULATION AND FLOOR PLAN
The visiting route
are mainly at the
bottom floors, and
connect to the
outside through the
two towers.
Employees of the
bank go to their working
places through three
towers.
The vaults of the
bank has a private
circulation .

8. • Buildings are usually designed with
rectangular grid and columns are usually
designed at the intersection of the grid
lines.
• The suspension system gives large
space to the building by taking away all
the columns inside.
CHARACTERISTICS OF SUSPENSION SYSTEM
• Most of the high-rise office buildings would set basements. Normally, the
occupancy load would be transferred from beams to columns, and then to ground.
• The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis takes away 3 floors above the
basement, to make the main building hanging in the air.
•The load would be transferred horizontally to the towers.

9. • The Live load and the dead load on
each floor are supported by the
trusses under each floor.
• The struts transfer the reaction
force of the trusses to the cables.
Thus, struts above the cables are
tensioned, and struts below the cable
are compressed.
• The floors are connected to the
two towers, and part of the loads
are transfer to the towers.
• Thus, there are reaction forces
on the towers in order to hold the
floors.
LOAD distribution

10. • While the cable being pulled towards
down, the roof space truss keep the
towers from bending towards inside, so
that the distance between the towers
would not reduce, which restrict the
movement of the cable.
• The loads are transferred vertically to
the ground from roof space truss
through the towers.
COMPONENTS AND TRUSSES

11. VERTICAL LOADING DESIGN
• Occupancy loads
are distributed on
each floor.
• The floors are
connected to the
two towers on the
sides and
supported by the
trusses
underneath.
• The loads are
mainly transfer
to the trusses.
• The trusses
transfer the loads
to the columns
on the outside of
the floors.
• The columns
are attach to the
two cables, and
transfer the loads
to them.
• The two cables
hanging on the
roof trusses and
transfer the loads
to the trusses.
• The roof trusses
are pinned to the
two towers and
transfer the loads
vertically to
towers.
WIND LOAD

12. • Number Of Piles: 75
• Size of Piles: 24” x24”
• Deep of Piles: 40 ft
• Distance Of Piles: 72
• The building apply the friction pile system because
the soil condition is good for building construction.
• Friction piles can carry loads by frictional forces
developed during driving or by transferring the loads
directly from building structure to an
underlying bearing stratum . FOUNDATION AND Material
STEEL possess
characteristics such as high
strength, light weight, good
integral rigidity and good
flexibility. It is suitable to be
used in building long-span,
highrise and high-density
buildings. It has good plasticity
and ductility, so that it can
bear large deformation and
dynamic loads.
Reinforced Concrete
The Federal Reserve Bank of
Minneapolis needs a strong,
durable and construction on the
both side of the Building. The
reinforced concrete have the
following properties, it has high
relative strength, and high
toleration of tensile strain and
thermal compatibility.
Steel

13. INTERIOR VIEW
•PASSAGE
•STAFF AREA
•METTING ROOM
•RECEPTION

14. PLAZA -CANCER SURVIVOR’S PARK AND SKYWALK WAYS
• Marquette Plaza is home to the Richard and
Annette Bloch, Cancer Survivor’s Park.
• This is the only public park in Downtown
Minneapolis. The 1.5 acre public park is a gateway
to the property and offers beautiful landscaping,
making it a perfect place for a relaxed gathering.
•The park features a 104 foot horizontal granite
water fountain, sculptures and numerous seating
areas amidst the lush greenery.
• The Cancer Survivor’s Park was awarded the
Best Park Large Scale by the Minneapolis DID in
2010.
• Minneapolis is home to a unique 8 mile
climate controlled skyway system.
• The skyways make traveling between
buildings much more comfortable in those
cold winter months.
• Marquette Plaza is connected to the
skyway system, so it is convenient to get to
and from just about anywhere in the
Central Bus
ARCHITECTURE FEATURES

15. SUSTAINABILITY
• Marquette Plaza is home to the largest green roof in the Central Business District.
•This green space is inviting making it a great place to relax during lunch or have and outdoor meeting with
co-workers.
Water Efficiency: • All the toilets in the building are low-flow and all the lavatories have been
equipped with aerators to reduce the amount while maintaining pressure.
• Drip irrigation system is used to aid in the reduction of water consumption. Marquette Plaza now uses
694,000 fewer gallons of water. If all downtown Minneapolis buildings followed the same measures, more
than 90 million gallons of water would be conserved. That’s about 600 gallons/FTE/year! Energy &
Atmosphere: • Marquette Plaza consumes 100% renewable energy, including solar and wind, uses
41% less energythan other buildings of similar size, has energy efficient lighting, HE hot water heaters, and
monitors steam & chilled water use. • Also, adding tenants and common area, over 50% of the building is
cleaned during the day to reduce energy usage at night.
RECYCLING: •All tenants participate in the recycling program at Marquette Plaza to the best of their
ability. They offer a multi-stream recycling service which means that all recycled materials must be sorted in
separate containers. •The materials should be separated into 4 different categories; office paper, newspaper
& magazines, cardboard, and glass, plastic, & AL cans.