Chemag-Haus

Chemag-Haus stands in Frankfurt as a heritage-listed office building and a clear example of post-war modernism. Ernst Balser designed it for Wintershall’s subsidiaries Chemag and Nitag on a site heavily damaged during the Second World War. Two rectangular wings meet at right angles beside the streets, while the shorter southern wing sits slightly back. A taller stair section at the northwest corner bridges the gap and gives the composition a strong vertical accent.

Bright white plaster contrasts with shiny black cast-glass window sills across the strict façade grid. Deeply recessed, vertically oriented windows fill large rectangular fields and sharpen the building’s geometric appearance. A slightly rounded entrance sits beneath a projecting roof carried by a light steel structure. Behind it, curved glass reveals a spiral staircase winding around a central light spindle. The offices now serve as business and administrative headquarters for several companies, while the architecture preserves Balser’s modernist ideas and technical ambition.