The Turning Torso Of Malmö, Sweden
When Turning Torso opened in 2005, it took the crown off the tallest building in Malmö by more than doubling the height of its nearest rival. Yet the height of the building is far from its most remarkable feature. The twisted design has continued to inspire a completely new architectural style.
Eager architects who hope to visit the building may, however, be disappointed. Although it is a spectacular sight up close, it is only possible to enter the building by arrangement. This is because although the building is undeniably a tourist attraction, its primary use is for residential apartments.
The remarkable building exists only because of the nearby Öresund Bridge, another iconic part of Scandinavian architecture that connects Sweden with Denmark.
Inspired by a human sculpture
As early as 1999, Johnny Örbäck worked as the managing director of the Swedish housing cooperative HSB. When reviewing materials related to the architectural competition for the bridge, he saw a human sculpture in white marble called “Twisting Torso” by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. Örbäck loved the concept so much that he asked Calatrava to design a building based on the sculpture’s concept.
The construction – plagued by budget overruns, winds of up to 45 mph and minus degrees – was profiled in an episode of Discovery’s Extreme Engineering.
The result – nine stacked pentagons that rotate relative to each other – became the world’s first rotating tower. Since then, the groundbreaking structure has inspired ever higher and more twisted skyscrapers around the world.
In recognition of its impact both locally and globally, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) awarded the Turning Tower its 10 year award In 2015, CTBUH administrator Vincent Tse called the building “iconic, amazing and inspiring.”
The Turning Torso in numbers
With its 190 meters (623 feet) high and 54 storeys high, the Turning Torso became the tallest building not only in Malmö but throughout Scandinavia when it opened in 2005. The building rotates 90 degrees from base to tip.
A huge concrete pipe with an inner diameter of 34.5 feet serves as the core of the building, home to stairs and elevators. Construction plates are mounted around the core, each rotated 1.6 degrees compared to its neighbors.
The building’s striking exterior consists of 2,313 curved panels and 2,368 windows. Although the windows themselves are flat, each one leans either inwards or outwards to follow the curvature of the panels.
Turning Torso has 148 apartments, ranging from compact studios to family-sized penthouses. Tenants in the apartment are managed by HSB and also have access to a gym with sauna and hot tub, a laundry room and a couple of floors dedicated to private events.
While Turning Torso is usually banned for visitors, HSB plans to open the tower for guided tours on selected days during the summer of 2022.