- Address: Lilla Varvsgatan 14, 211 15 Malmö, Sweden
- Official website: www.turningtorso.se
- Construction: 2001-2004
- Architect: Santiago Calatrava
- Style: Neo-futurism
- Height: 190 m
- Number of floors: 54
- The area is commercial / residential: 4000/13500 sq. M. m
HSB Turning Torso is a unique residential skyscraper in Sweden , located in Malmö on the Swedish side of the Straits of Øresund. Currently, it is the tallest skyscraper in Scandinavia and the second tallest in Europe. The palm of the championship Turning Torso lost to Moscow's Triumph Palace (264 m). Emporis Skyscraper Award named the twisted Turning Torso building in Malmö the best skyscraper in 2005.
History of the skyscraper
It is known that the prototype of the building was the sculpture of the outstanding Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava "Twisting Torso", which translates from the English language "twisted torso".
The idea of building such an unusual building arose as follows. Once Johnny Orbak, ex-president and Chairman of the Council of Developers of the joint housing association HSB in Malmö, leafing through the booklet with photographs of the works of Kalatrava, drew attention to this particular sculpture. Later, Orbak contacted the architect and persuaded him to design the building on the basis of "Twisting Torso". In the summer of 2001, the construction of a residential skyscraper began. The work was completed in 2005.
Skyscraper instead of a crane
Skyscraper Turning Torso in Malmö became the new symbol of the city, replacing the dismantled in 2002 138-meter crane Kockumskranen. The building, which was very expensive to local residents, due to the bankruptcy of the Burmeister & Wain corporation was sold to Korea. The Swedes called this crane "Tears of Malmö": watching the removal of the main landmark of the city, the locals simply could not hold back their tears. Turning Torso is built near the place where the legendary Kockumskranen crane used to stand.
What are the features of the building?
The architectural features of the skyscraper are as follows:
- Turning Torso is a non-standard pentahedral design, twisted around its axis.
- The 54-storey skyscraper consists of 9 blocks located one above the other, which in turn have 5 floors. The shift of the upper block relative to the first, the lowest, is 90 ° C clockwise.
- The total height of Turning Torso is 190 m.
- The entire structure is installed on a solid foundation, which is mounted 15 m deep in a rocky basement.
- The building is decorated quite modestly - on an absolutely smooth surface there are rows of identical windows. It is worth noting that the bizarre form and technically non-standard idea do not need decorations.
- The first two blocks of the skyscraper are reserved for offices and conference rooms, while the rest is occupied by apartments. In total there are 147 apartments.
- On the roof there is a restaurant and an art gallery. For the residents of the building there is a parking lot and a laundry. Those who wish can use the wine cellar.
Since the skyscraper is a private property, access to tourists is limited, but one can not approach the building and appreciate the greatness of this building.
Skyscraper Turning Torso in Malmö is one of the attractions of Sweden , awarded several international prizes in the field of urban and high-rise architecture. The appearance of the skyscraper is impressive both in the daytime and at night, when, painted in different colors, the skyscraper attracts even more attention of tourists.
How to get to Turning Torso?
The nearest bus stop Malmö Propellergatan is located on Stora Varvsgatan street, 600 meters from the landmark. You can come here by buses Nos. 3 or 84. The way to the skyscraper via Västra Varvsgatan takes about 7 minutes. Also close to Turning Torso is the Malmo Centralstation railway station.