European Central Bank

“Public buildings are conveyors of meaning and this one in particular will symbolize the European Union and its currency, the Euro. We expect high quality designs which will provide Europe with an icon of modern architecture.”

The European Central Bank is a bank without tradition, presiding over a currency with no history. The Euro is the only currency not backed by a state. Like Europe itself, the ECB is modern by default, simply because it is unprecedented in its effort.