HSB Turning Torso is the tallest skyscraper in Sweden and the Nordic countries, situated in Malmö, located on the Swedish side of the Öresund strait. Upon completion, it was the tallest building in Scandinavia. It is presently the third tallest residential building in Europe, after the 264?metre (866 ft) Triumph Palace in Moscow and the 212?metre Sky Tower in Wroc?aw. A similar, taller skyscraper featuring a 90° twist is the Infinity Tower, currently under construction in Dubai. Prior to the construction of Turning Torso, the 86?metre (282 ft) Kronprinsen had been the city’s tallest building. It was designed by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and officially opened on 27 August 2005. The tower reaches a height of 190 metres (623 feet) with 54 stories.
The vision of HSB Turning Torso is based on a sculpture called Twisting Torso. The sculpture is a white marble piece based on the form of a twisting human being, created by Santiago Calatrava, a trained sculptor, architect and engineer. The building is constructed in nine segments of five-story pentagons that twist as it rises; the topmost segment is twisted ninety degrees clockwise with respect to 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 luxury apartments.
Construction started in the summer of 2001. One reason for the building of Turning Torso was to re-establish a recognizable skyline for Malmö since the removal of the Kockums Crane in 2002, which was located less than a kilometre from Turning Torso. The local politicians deemed it important for the inhabitants to have a symbol for Malmö — after Kockumskranen, which was a large crane that had been used for shipbuilding and somewhat symbolized the city’s blue collar roots.
