Turning Torso

HSB Turning Torso is a skyscraper in Malmö, Sweden on the Swedish side of the Oresund strait, just opposite to Copenhagen. It is designed by Santiago Calatrava and estimated to be finished by November 2005. Upon completion, it will be the tallest building in Scandinavia, and be Europe's second highest apartment building.

The tower reaches a height of 190 metres (623 feet) with 54 storeys. The design is based on a sculpture by Calatrava called Twisting Torso. The tower's design uses nine five-storey cubes that twists as it rises; the top-most segment is twisted ninety degrees clockwise with respect to the ground floor. Each floor basically consists of a rectangular section surrounding the central core, along with a triangular section, which is partially supported by an exterior steel scaffold. The two lower cubes are intended as office space. Cubes three through nine will house apartments, estimated to number roughly 150.

Johnny Örbäck , former CEO of the Turning Torso contractor and Board Chairman of the Malmö branch of the co-operative housing association HSB , saw the sculpture in 1999 and contacted Calatrava to ask him to design a building using the same concept. Construction started in the summer of 2001.

One reason for the building of Turning Torso was to reestablish a recognizable skyline for Malmö since the removal of Kockumskranen ("The Kockum Crane") in 2002, which was located less than a kilometer from Turning Torso. The local politicians deemed it important for the inhabitans to have a symbol for Malmö - Kockumskranen, which was a large crane that hade been used for ship building somewhat symbolized the city's blue collar roots. Turning Torso can be seen as a monument of a new, more internationalized Malmö.

The skyscraper won the 2005 MIPIM award for Best International Residential Building in Cannes, France, winning out over No 1 West India Quay in London, UK, and Espirito Santo Plaza in Miami, USA.

Sculpture

Turning Torso is based upon Santiago Calatrava's sculpture, Twisting Torso. Twisting Torso is a white marble piece based on the form of a twisting human being.

External links

• Turning Torso webpage
• Construction webcam