Turning Torso

Turning Torso is a neo-futurist residential skyscraper built in Malmö, Sweden in 2005. It was the tallest building in the Nordic region until September 2022, when it was surpassed by Karlatornet in Gothenburg, which is still under construction.[5][6] Located on the Swedish side of the Öresund strait, it was built and is owned by Swedish cooperative housing association HSB. It is regarded as the second twisted skyscraper in the world to receive the title after Telekom Tower in Malaysia.[7]

Turning Torso
Turning Torso, the second-tallest building in the Nordic region.
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeCommercial office
Rental apartments
Architectural styleNeo-futurism
LocationLilla Varvsgatan 14, 211 15
Malmö, Sweden
Coordinates55°36′48″N 12°58′35″E
Construction started14 February 2001
Completed27 August 2005
Opened1 November 2005
Inaugurated27 August 2005
Height
Roof191 m (627 ft)
Top floor178.79 m (586.58 ft)
Technical details
Floor count54
Floor area27,500 m2 (296,008 sq ft)
Lifts/elevators5
Design and construction
Architect(s)Santiago Calatrava
Main contractorNCC
Website
www.turningtorso.se
References
[1][2][3][4]

It was designed by Spanish architect, structural engineer, sculptor and painter Santiago Calatrava and officially opened on 27 August 2005. It reaches a height of 190 m (620 ft) with 54 stories and 147 apartments.[8] Turning Torso won the 2005 Gold Emporis Skyscraper Award; and in 2015, the 10 Year Award from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.[9]

Design

Turning Torso is based on Twisting Torso, a white marble sculpture by Calatrava that was based on the form of a twisting human being.[10]

In 1999, HSB Malmö's former managing director, Johnny Örbäck, saw the sculpture in a brochure presenting Calatrava in connection with his contribution to the architectural competition for the Öresund Bridge. It was on this occasion that Örbäck was inspired to build HSB Turning Torso. Shortly afterwards he travelled to Zurich to meet Calatrava, and ask him to design a residential building based on the idea of a structure of twisting cubes.[11]

Illustration of the general structure of the Turning Torso.[lower-alpha 1]

It is a solid, immobile building constructed in nine segments of five-story pentagons that twist relative to each other as it rises; the topmost segment is twisted 90 degrees clockwise from the ground floor. Each floor consists of an irregular pentagonal shape rotating around the vertical core, which is supported by an exterior steel framework. The two bottom segments are intended as office space. Segments three to nine house 147 apartments.

Construction

Construction started in February 2001. One reason for building Turning Torso was to re-establish a recognisable skyline for Malmö since the removal in 2002 of the Kockums Crane, which was located less than one kilometre (0.6 mi) from Turning Torso. The local politicians deemed it important for the inhabitants to have a new symbol for Malmö in lieu of the crane that had been used for shipbuilding and somewhat symbolised the city's blue collar roots.[11]

The construction of part of this building was featured on Discovery Channel Extreme Engineering TV programme which showed how a floor of the building was constructed.

Prior to the construction of Turning Torso, the 86-metre (282 ft) Kronprinsen had been the city's tallest building.[12]

The apartments were initially supposed to be sold, but insufficient interest resulted in the apartments being let.[13] The owner has several times unsuccessfully tried to sell the building.[14][15] Construction costs for the building were over twice the initial budgeted costs.[16]

Events

On 18 August 2006, Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner parachuted onto the Turning Torso, and then jumped off it.[17]

Floor 49 is home to the public observation deck while floors 50–52 contain a private club, meeting events, the reception, and the venue restaurant.

Floor 53 and 54 in the Turning Torso are conference floors booked and managed by Sky High Meetings. Since 2009 the owner, HSB, has decided to let the public visit these floors but only on special scheduled days, and pre-booking is required.

  • Construction in 2004
    Construction in 2004
  • Main entrance
    Main entrance
  • Top floors
    Top floors
  • Aerial view
    Aerial view
  • View from the ground level
    View from the ground level
  • View at night
    View at night

See also

Notes
  1. (1) shows a typical floor plan, where the grey circle denotes the core and blue shapes denote the steel framework. (2) shows the way the nine segments fit around the core, and (3) is a dimetric projection of the tower.

References
  1. "Turning Torso". CTBUH Skyscraper Center.
  2. "Emporis building ID 100189". Emporis. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
  3. "Turning Torso". SkyscraperPage.
  4. Turning Torso at Structurae
  5. "Santiago Calatrava's Turning Torso Wins Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat's 10 Year Award". Architect. 2015-08-07. Retrieved 2017-02-18.
  6. Julia Kero (22 September 2022). "Nu är Karlatornet högst i Norden". SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). SVT. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  7. "Twisting Tall Buildings". CTBUH. August 2016. Retrieved 2017-02-05.
  8. "The Turning Torso, Santiago Calatrava's Revolutionary Twisting Skyscraper in Sweden". Archute. 23 January 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  9. "CTBUH Announces 10 Year Award Winner for 2015". CTBUH. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  10. Miller, Meg (25 August 2016). "Charting The Rise Of A New Trend In Skyscraper Design". Fastcodesign. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  11. "HSB Website". HSB Website. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
  12. Mapes, Terri. "The Turning Torso in Malmo, Sweden". About.com. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  13. Westerberg, Olof (2004-04-27). "Turning Torso blir hyreshus". Sydsvenskan (in Swedish). Retrieved 2023-02-16.
  14. "Turning Torso till salu – värderat till 1,75 mdr". Fastighetsvärlden Idag (in Swedish). 2012-03-17. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
  15. Engström, Fredrik (2019-06-28). "Försöker åter sälja Turning Torso". Fastighetsvärlden Idag (in Swedish). Retrieved 2023-02-16.
  16. Rådström, Joakim (2022-01-03). "Så skruvade Malmö sig in i framtiden". Fastighetsnytt (in Swedish). Retrieved 2023-02-16. Bygget av Turning torso blev mycket dyrare än de budgeterade 800 miljoner kronorna. Slutnotan landade på 1,8 miljarder kronor.
  17. "Felix Baumgartner jumps from Turning Torso". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-22. Retrieved 5 December 2010.
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