For a variety of pictures, check out the Turning Torso photo album. The best Turning Torso pictures can be found on the Turning Torso top ten pictures page.

Reasons for Turning Torso price rise

From Sydsvenskan 2004-05-22

360 million SEK. That is the total price increase for the construction of Turning Torso, this far. The major price increases have the following reasons:

Architect Santiago Calatrava calculated the wrong amount of reinforcing iron to use. Instead of 1850 tons of reinforcing iron, they now calculate with using 4400 tons of reinforcing iron. This means a huge cost increase (in the hundreds of millions SEK), and an increased construction time (one year extra).
The outside steel frame has also had its cost increase: It has become 30 million SEK more expensive, due to the need to build a stronger and more complicated frame than anticipated.
The ongoing strike among the electricians makes the construction of Turning Torso 10 million SEK more expensive every week.

Santiago Calatrava will receive a maximum of 51 million SEK for the work with Turning Torso.

Turning Torso: First or not?

From Dagens Industri Weekend 2004-05-14

According to HSB Malmö, Turning Torso is the first building in Sweden that is divided using the new 3D legislation. The daily economical newspaper Dagens Industi does not agree. According to them, Turning Torso is one of the first. Before Turning Torso, Dagens Industri mentions the following buildings:

A care center in Staffanstorp.
A split between commercial and residential areas in the old city of Helsingborg.
An underground area at the airport of Borlänge.

Soon, Turning Torso will have a concièrge

From Malmö Magasinet 2004-05-13

This June, we will find out who will be the concièrge of Turning Torso. The recruitment is on going, and several people have announced their interest. They are searching for a person with much experience from working with service in different forms. The beautifully decorated entré, together with the concièrge, should be a big welcome home for the inhabitants.

Common areas in the best locations

From Malmö Magasinet 2004-05-13

Usually, common areas for all residents are put in places where it is not possible to create an apartment. In Turning Torso, the common areas are placed in the best locations in the house.

On floor 43, there are many common areas:

One room with a view for spontaneous visits
One room with a view for booked social events
A department for relaxation: Gym, sauna, jacuzzi
Extra bedrooms for guests

Large capacity in the wine cellar

From Malmö Magasinet 2004-05-13

The wine cellar in Turning Torso is situated on level -1. Each apartment has a lockable space there, that can store 40-50 bottles. There are also wine coolers, that can cool up to 80 bottles at the same time, if you are going to throw a party.

Strike delays Turning Torso

From Sydsvenskan 2004-05-12

The interior work in Turning Torso should have begun May 17th. Because of the strike among the electricians, this date is moved forward one week. This delay will increase the cost of Turning Torso with approximately 10 million SEK.

Project management still hopes that Turning Torso's concrete core will have reached its full height September 1st.
The move in date has been moved one week, and is now set to March 22, 2005.

Who thought of Turning Torso first?

From Sydsvenskan 2004-05-09

Who was first with the idea of Turning Torso?

According to HSB's home page about Turning Torso, it was Johnny Örbäck, the former CEO of HSB Malmö. Johnny saw the sculpture Twisting Torso in a brochure that presented Santiago Calatrava in the competition among architects about the Öresund bridge.
According to Klas Tham, the main architect for Bo01, it was Tommy Hedlund, the former CEO of Bo01, that came up with the idea of Turning Torso. The board of Bo01 were introduced to Santiago Calatrava by another architect. They went down to Zürich and saw the sculpture Twisting Torso. Two weeks later, there was a paper model in Malmö. The tower was initially placed in the south end of the Bo01 area, but it was rather quickly moved to its current place, because the original place did not fit well with a 140 meter high building with seven cubes. (Later, the height was increased to 190 meters and nine cubes, to get a total of 90 degrees turning, without too much turning on each floor.)

Three days behind schedule, potential strike

From Sydsvenskan around 2004-05-02

The electrician union has announced a strike, that will hit Turning Torso. If the strike is not cancelled, Turning Torso will be hit May 10.

Currently, four electricians are working on Turning Torso.
From May 17, when the interior job starts, four more electricians should start working on Turning Torso.
50-60 workers will not be able to do interior job, if the electricians are striking.

Up until now, the construction of Turning Torso is almost on schedule, despite the electrician union threatened with a strike last year too. The construction of Turning Torso is today three days behind schedule.

47% wants to live in Turning Torso

From Sydsvenskan 2004-04-29

Local newspaper Sydsvenskan asked its reader: Do you want to live in Turning Torso? 47% said yes, and 53% said no. There were 1185 answers.

Turning Torso will remain Malmö's tallest skyscraper

From Sydsvenskan 2004-04-29

Turning Torso will have no competition from Scandinavian Tower in Hyllie outside Malmö city about the title "Malmö's tallest skyscraper". Scandinavian Tower has faced a major reduction and will be moved closer to the new arena. Instead of 325 meters tall with 750 hotel rooms, the building will be tre stories high, with around 300 rooms. Turning Torso will be 190 meters tall.

Turning Torso apartments for rent?

From Sydsvenskan 2004-04-27

Greg Dingizian, CEO of HSB Malmö, is not happy with only ten sold Turning Torso apartments at this point in time. He is thinking of renting out a large amount, or all apartments in Turning Torso. He wants to have many residents moving in when the construction of Turning Torso is finished.

The rent for a Turning Torso apartment may end up at 12 500 SEK per month for 100 square meters. (Depending on the position in the house: Between 1270 and 2000 SEK per square meter and year.)

Turning Torso postponed annual meeting

From Sydsvenskan around 2004-04-25

HSB Malmö was going to have its annual meeting, but it had to be postponed until May 9, because there was not enough information available at the annual meeting about the construction of Turning Torso.

Last autumn, the board of HSB Malmö did not know how to finance the construction of Turning Torso, estimated to cost 1,3 billion SEK. According to the new CEO Greg Dingizian, there is no problem with the financing. He is more worried that only ten out of 152 apartments in Turning Torso have been sold.

Why giant white pins are needed

Torpedos? No, but the storing place for the giant white pins that is used on Turning Torso in Västra Hamnen. Foto: Lars Tufvesson.

From a speech at Stadsbyggnadsforum 2004-04-19.

Turning Torso architect Santiago Calatrava did not include the giant white pins around the edge of Turning Torso from the beginning. When they examined how well Turning Torso can cope with storm winds, they found out that Turning Torso will move 0,9 meters at the top during the most severe storm. That is too much, because that can be felt by those living in Turning Torso.

That is when Calatrava proposed the giant pins. Calatrava was inspired by how consturction site lifts work, and came up with the giant pins. With the giant pins firmly attached in the ground, Turning Torso will only move 0,3 meters during the most severe storm. Since this movement is small enough to go unnoticed by those living in Turning Torso, it was decided to add the giant white pins to Turning Torso.

Turning Torso: Sweden's second tallest building

From Metro around 2004-04-16:

The top four list of Sweden's tallest buildings will look like this when Turning Torso has reached its full height:

Öresund bridge, Malmö, 203,6 meters
Turning Torso, Malmö, 190,0 meters
Höga kusten bridge, 178,8 meter
Kaknäs tower, Stockholm, 155,0 meter

Turning Torso: Ten apartments sold

From Sydsvenskan around 2004-04-16:

HSB Malmö has now sold ten Turning Torso apartments, for a total of 38 million SEK. That is three more sold apartments than in the beginning of March.

Turning Torso: Drop stops as giveaways

From a letter in the box 2004-04-12

HSB Malmö tries to attract more buyers to Turning Torso apartments by sending out physical mail. One folder informs prospective buyers that the waste disposal cars in Västra Hamnen will be driven by gas produced by organic waste from the area, from 2005. In the mail, there is also a drop-stopper to use in wine bottles, to prevent waste of wine.

Turning Torso: Photo competition

From www.turningtorso.com 2004-04-15

Take a photo of Turning Torso and win a trip to architect Sanitago Calatrava's birth town Valencia in Spain. In addition to the first price, there is a possibility to win five other prices, in the form of 1000 SEK worth of photo equipment.

The competition is arranged by the Turning Torso group/HSB Malmö. Up to three pictures per contestant is allowed. The competition starts April 19th, and ends May 7th. The theme is Turning Torso-the Öresund region's new landmark.

The best pictures will be shown at exhibitions in Malmö and Copenhagen. In Malmö, the exhibition will be held between May 29th and June 5th at the Hansakompaniet.

Worth noting is that the Turning Torso group/HSB Malmö may use the pictures from the competition in future publications and on the Net.

Wind and road may delay Turning Torso

From Sydsvenskan 2004-04-07

Hard wind has recently delayed the construction of Turning Torso with a couple of days. HSB may suffer from additional delays, due to a needed road redirection.

The work environment council demands that the road crossing closest to Turning Torso is shut down, for safety reasons, durning the construction. To be able to close the crossing, there need to be an alternative route, going from the helicopter airport to the north end of Västra Varvsgatan. HSB is currently discussing with the city about who should pay for the construction of this road.

Turning Torso closes road crossing

From an information meeting 2004-03-31

The city of Malmö wants a safety distance of 50 meters around Turning Torso while it is constructed. This means that the road crossing at Turning Torso will be closed.

Buses will drive south instead of north of the Malmömässan.
Cars heading for the north part of the exhibition area has to take an even longer alternative route: They have to take Östra Varvsgatan up to the helicopter port, and drive along the sea, inside the fence, until they reach the north end of the Västra Varvsgatan.

Turning Torso: Split in two pieces

From www.turningtorso.com 2004-04-01

Turning Torso will be the first construction in Sweden that will use the new legislation that makes it possible to partition one building into several economical pieces, even if the parts are placed on top of each other. The two lower cubes (10 floors, 4000 square meters) with office space will be bought by HSB Sundsfastigheter AB in Malmö. All the other cubes will be treated as one unit for those living in Turning Torso. In this way, those living in Turning Torso do not have to take the risk of owning unused office space.

Turning Torso attracts tourists to Malmö

From Sydsvenskan 2004-03-27

Position Skåne has created a poster with a picture of a traditional "spättkaka" to attract tourists to Skåne. Over the "spättkaka" you will find the picture text: Turning Torso. (A "spättkaka" has a shape that is similar to Turning Torso.)

Malmö Turism is betting hard on Turning Torso this year. According to Katarina Olsson from Malmö Turism: A lot of groups call and book guided tours. And many visitors at the tourist information in Malmö ask how they can get to Turning Torso in Västra Hamnen.

A vacation in Turning Torso

From Sydsvenskan 2004-03-27

Brf Eriksfält in Kulladal with 300 members is thinking about buying two apartments in Turning Torso. The members should then be able to live for one month each in Turning Torso. They see it as an investment, until they need the money for the next big renovation of their own apartments. Other groups have also asked if it is possible for groups to buy apartments in Turning Torso. They view it as an alternative to buying apartments for their members up north, near the ski lifts. The CEO of HSB Malmö do not want too many groups as owners of apartments in Turning Torso. "Turning Torso is meant for more permanent inhabitants."

Turning Torso and the environment

From Sydsvenskan 2004-03-15

There was an article in Sydsvenskan the 6:th of March, that wanted to make Turning Torso more environmental-friendly. Today, the CEO of HSB Malmö answered, by talking about the already green aspects of Turning Torso:

There will be waste mills in every apartment.
Other kinds of waste can be sorted close to Turning Torso.
Waste from the construction site is sorted already today.
Consumed electricity and heat will be measured individually for each apartment.
During the construction, they try to use environmental-friendly materials. For instance, they avoid copper for tap water pipes.
Turning Torso makes it easy to live an environmental-friendly lifestyle: Those living in Turning Torso can easily take one of the frequent buses to the central part of the city, and areas for recreation are within walking distance.
All inhabitants will be offered an environmental education especially designed for Turning Torso.

Playground closed

From a walking tour around Turning Torso 2004-03-15

The city of Malmö has temporarily closed the playground called "Den Lekfulla Platsen" that is situated very close to Turning Torso. The reason is that the city wants to minimize the risk for an accident while Turning Torso is being built.

The city of Malmö will within short make additional adjustments to public areas close to Turning Torso, to keep the number of people near Turning Torso to a minimum during the construction.

Nice Turning Torso pictures

From a mail 2004-03-09

You will find nice Turning Torso pictuers at Photoshopen's Turning Torso-page.

Rental flats causes tax problem

From Sydsvenskan 2004-03-09

If HSB buys many apartments in Turning Torso, it may cause increased taxes för those who have bought an apartment in Turning Torso. When HSB realized this, they halted their plans on renting out apartments.

HSB is thinking of ways to rent out apartments, without causing tax problems:

If the residential section of Turning Torso is divided into two parts, and HSB only buys apartments in one part, then the other part will not be affected by HSB renting out apartments.
If HSB waits with buying apartments until the construction is ready, the tax problems will not occur.

HSB Malmö takes a loss for Turning Torso

From Sydsvenskan 2004-03-07

HSB Malmö held a meeting this Saturday, where they informed that the result for 2003 for HSB Malmö will be negative, mainly due to a large loss taken for the Turning Torso construction on 350 million SEK.

For rent: Turning Torso apartments

From Sydsvenskan 2004-03-07

HSB Malmö has a goal of all apartments in Turning Torso being sold at the end of 2005. To reach this goal, HSB Malmö plans to buy 50-75 apartments in Turning Torso, that they will rent out until they can sell them. This possibility to rent an apartment in Turning Torso is expected to attract more foreign buyers to Malmö and Turning Torso.

New York gets skyscraper inspiration from Västra Hamnen

From New York Times 2004-03-03 and Sydsvenskan 2004-03-05

Calatrava has a new residential tower in line after Turning Torso. This time in New York, with a height of 301 meters. If it is built, it will become one of New Yorks highest residential towers. The developer gave Calatrava the assignment after having seen Calatrava's sculptures and Turning Torso. You can see a picture of the new residential tower in New York Times article Thinking Outside Box, Architect Comes Up With Cubes.

Calatrava wants to see sun, clouds and shadows play over Turning Torso's facade. Calatrava's first word when he saw Turning Torso wednesday evening was "aah". He fell in love with his building.

Turning Torso will be shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York this summer, in an exhibition of skyscrapers from all over the world.

Calatrava greets everyone living in Malmö: "Thank you for your city, your enthusiasm and your residential exhibition."

Calatrava: The reality always goes beyond...

From Rapport (TV news) 2004-03-04

The architect behind Turning Torso, Santiago Calatrava, visited Västra Hamnen in Malmö today. He was really satisfied with what he saw. 10 contracts have now been signed for apartments in Turning Torso. Calatrava would like to live in Turning Torso himself, somewhere in the middle. Calatrava continues:

In this case, and in many other cases: Surprise, even the architect is surprised. To see effectively what is the relation, to see the shape turning up. You can imagine them, make a rendering of them. and so on, but finally the reality always goes beyond. I am really satisfied and surprised.

The most difficult is to find a balance between functionality, security and cost.

I do not know somewhere else in the world a building like that has been built. So this is also another part of a satisfaction, a personal satisfaction.

Calatrava comes, because Discovery is here

From www.turningtorso.com 2004-03-03

The architect behind Turning Torso, Santiago Calatrava, is on his way to Västra Hamnen to be interviewed by Discovery Channel now when they are making a one hour special on Turning Torso. The special is a part of the Extreme Engineering series. The Turning Torso special will be broadcast in USA in July, and in the rest of the world in the autumn.

Calatrava has many important things in the air right now, besides Turning Torso:

He is refreshing the Olympia stadium in Athens for the 2004 Summer Olympics.
He is building a new subway station at Ground Zero in New York.

Turning Torso: Here's why its 190 meters high

From Sydsvenskan and some other sources 2004-03-03

The plan for the area where Turning Torso is built said that here should be a high building, with a maximum height of 75 meters. The city wanted a high building to balance the large volume of the nearby convention center Malmömässan.

Initially, HSB wanted to build a 77 meter high building, but when the form of the building with a turning of 90 degrees was decided, they realized that they needed to build as high as 130 meters to get seven cubes, as in the original sculpture. After that, the number of cubes was increased to nine, to not get too much rotation on each floor. And then, the height finally landed on 190 meters.

The CEO of HSB Malmö is nowadays so delighted over Turning Torso that he plans to buy a flat for himself in the building.

Turning Torso: Not the correct thing to build

From Sydsvenskan 2004-03-02

The local newspaper Sydsvenskan asked its readers (after two large articles about Turning Torso) if they thought HSB did the right thing when they decided to build Turning Torso. 40% said yes, and 60% said no. 871 people participated.

Aftonbladet had the complete list

From Aftonbladet 2004-03-01

The daily evening paper Aftonbladet assigned the centerfold pages to Turning Torso this Monday. Turning Torso is going to be the tallets skyscraper in Sweden. According to Aftonbladet, Turning Torso will also be Europe's tallest residential building. (But that depends on how you define a residential building. See Sweden's highest building.)

The attraction is naturally the breathtaking view over Malmö, Öresund and Copenhagen. "Most people that have booked, have done so in the top cube" says sales manager Pia Sandin.

According to Aftonbladet:

"While Empire State Building will move a couple of meters when it is blowing hard, Turning Torso will only move 0,3 meters when it is blowing really hard. The shape of the building means that it will not catch that much wind."

One reader of this site did not believe the numbers given for Empire State Building. He contacted the Empire State Building team, and got the following answer:

"The Empire State Building does not sway, it gives. With a wind of 110 miles an hour, the Building gives 1.48 inches. Movement off center is never greater than one quarter inch, thus measurable movement is only one half inch, one quarter inch on either side."

So much for swaying meters.

Aftonbladet also compares Turning Torso will other famous and tall buildings in Sweden. (This list is not complete. For instance, they forgot Kronprinsen in Malmö, see Turning Torso: A real skyscraper.)

Öresundsbrons pyloner 203,5 meter
Turning Torso 190 meter
Höga kusten-brons pyloner 178,8 meter
Kaknästornet 155 meter
Kista Science Tower 122 meter
Stadshuset i Stockholm 100 meter
Globen 85 meter
Lunds domkyrka 55 meter

Turning Torso: 1,2 billion SEK

From Sydsvenskan 2004-03-01

HSB Malmö takes a large economical risk by building Turning Torso. The Torso is estimated to cost 1,2 billion SEK. That is more than the city of Malmö invests in schools, parks, roads and other things during a year. So far, the construction has cost 480 million SEK. 340 million SEK has been borrowed from the bank.

HSB Malmö has insured itself for 200 million SEK in the guarantee fund that HSB Sweden has. This insurance will (if necessary) cover the cost for 50-60 unsold apartments for a period of seven years. Another way to ease the economic burden if the apartments are hard to sell, is to rent them out in the meantime.

The worst scenario that HSB Malmö has calculated on, is that they will not be able to sell half of the apartments.

Turning Torso: Office space cheaper than apartments

From Sydsvenskan 2004-03-01

HSB Sundsfastigheter has bought the two lowest cubes in Turning Torso for 150 million SEK. This means a price of 38 000 SEK per square meter, which is cheaper than the average square meter price for the apartments (53 000 SEK) for potential buyers. The office space will be rented out to companies.

Discovery Channel has started filming Turning Torso

From a tour in the area 2004-02-29

2004-02-29: The camera man from Discovery Channel filmed the sea through the alley in the Bo01 area before he aimed his lens towards Turning Torso.

Recently, a large sign was added in front of Turning Torso. The sign informs about the main actors in the project. The reason for the sign is that Discovery Channel will be filming Turning Torso during 14 days. To my knowledge, they started filming today.

Turning Torso: Most expensive in the Nordic area

From Sydsvenskan 2004-02-29

Seven contracts have been signed for apartments in Turning Torso. Those who apply now, can no longer decide the layout or size of an apartment. In May, the work with the interiors will start. 1100 persons are interested in living in Turning Torso. Those who applied first are hesitating, because the price has increased 30%. The price increase is due to:

The facade is more expensive than calculated
The quality of the kitchens has been raised
The mortgage is higher than expected

The price per square meter is the most expensive in the Nordic area. A few apartments in central Stockholm are sold at the same price level.

Economy professors do not believe that Turning Torso will be a good affair for HSB. They think HSB has to lower the prices to get all apartments sold. Their arguments are as follows:

Malmö is too small
It blows a lot in the area, and the surroundings look like a construction site
Large prestige monuments often means losses
Therea are nice apartments close by to a lower price
The Bo01 area has already drained the market on rich people in the Malmö area

Turning Torso: Preparing for the inside

From Sydsvenskan 2004-02-29

Right now, items for the inside of Turning Torso is bought up: Kitchens, floors..

The three lowest cubes will be decorated on the inside, starting in the middle of May when the facade is ready there. At that time, 200 persons will work at the same time on Turning Torso. To make this possible, small things like paint and ovens will be lifted into Turning Torso in the evenings.

The floor in Turning Torso is made of oak from USA, that is treated in Indonesia. The floors are then finished in USA before delivery to Turning Torso via Hannover in Germany.

The time table seems to hold. A risk in the time table is the wind. If it blows more than 20 meters a second, the construction is stopped. If the time table holds, it would be theoretically possible to move into the lowest cubes in August 2004.

The Newsec company has been assigned the task of finding companies that want to hire office space in the two lowest cubes.

Other construction companies' view on Turning Torso

From Sydsvenskan 2004-02-29

NCC has had trouble selling their apartments in the Bo01 area, close to Turning Torso. The most expensive apartments are now sold, with large discounts. NCC Bostad's regional manager Olle Berglind says that it was easier to sell apartments once the first apartment was sold. Thats why NCC sees a positive sign in that seven apartments have been sold in Turning Torso already.

Christian Dahlman is a project leader at JM. He thinks that Turning Torso will find its market outside Malmö. He also thinks that it is interesting that HSB is willing to take the risk of building Turning Torso.

Others in the construction sector reason in a similar manner: Turning Torso is an exciting construction and we are glad that HSB is going for it.

2004-02-28: A white and gigantic Turning Torso puzzle piece is delivered from the factory in Barcelona.

"The most fascinating residential construction work in Europe today"

From Sydsvenskan 2004-02-23

Turning Torso was commented by Sydsvenskan today.

In addition to the positive words in the heading above, they also have negative words to say: Sydsvenskan finds similarities between Turning Torso and the complete swedish construction sector's production in the last years: Both are too expensive, and too small. On the positive side, both Turning Torso and swedish construction in general are rising.

SimCity: Now with Turning Torso

From a tour on the Net 2004-02-13

Turning Torso has such a unique appearance that computer game enthusiasts creates add-on modules for their games, to be able to use the building in the game. First, Turning Torso turned up in Flight Simulator from Microsoft. Now, Turning Torso also appears in SimCity4, the game where you create a city of your own.

Exclusive shops near Turning Torso?

From Sydsvenskan 2004-02-12

HSB wants to build exclusive shops, restaurants and public spaces on the entrance floor of the not-yet-built garage north of Turning Torso. In the application to the city, HSB writes: "Turning Torso will attract visitors and create a demand for exclusive shops, restaurants, information centre and exhibition halls etc."

Turning Torso: Safety zone will increase

2004-02-11

The city of Malmo will increase the safety zone around Turning Torso, until the construction ends. Read more: Door fell down.

Turning Torso: First panels in place

From a walking tour around Turning Torso 2004-02-02

Seven panels have been mounted on Turning Torso. Four of them can be seen in the picture above. With a lot of imagination, you can begin to see how the white part of the outer wall on Turning Torso will look like, when it is ready.

If you look at Turning Torso from the opposite direction, you will find the sharp edge. The huge white framework for the first five-floor cube is almost in place. The edge will have an outer wall covered with glass, behind the framework.

Not a straight angle in sight. Exactly as it should be, according to architect Santiago Calatrava.

Turning Torso: Door fell down

From various sources 2004-01-26

Bus stop close to the building site.

It has happened that things have fallen down from Turning Torso. One day, a door fell down. The door was later found in the woods on the other side of the road. The question is if the safety is high enough during the construction. Shouldn't the bus stop and the walkway be moved further away from the construction site? Until something is done, my advice can only be: Look up and watch out.

Turning Torso will become an institution

From Malmö Magasinet 2004-01-22

Per T Ohlsson is the leading political editor at the Sydsvenskan newspaper. Here is what he thinks about Turning Torso:

-Dead cool! The price tags are astonishing, but I think the building will become an institution that people will travel to, to be able to see it.

Turning Torso may be split in two

From Sydsvenskan 2004-01-21

Those building Turning Torso want to examine if it is possible to split Turning Torso into two legal parts, according to the new real estate law that became reality in Sweden this year. In this way, the office part at the bottom can be sold separately from the apartement part at the top. In this way, the residents do not need to:

Buy the commercial areas.
Administer the commercial areas.
Take the risk of not-rented-out commercial areas.

On the other hand, the residents will not be able to get a better economy if it becomes popular to rent office space in Turning Torso.

Like they do on the Discovery Channel

A film-team from the Discovery Channel will visit Malmö in February, to make a one-hour TV program about Turning Torso. The program will be sent as a part of the Extreme Engineering series, and it will be broadcast this fall, first in USA, then in the rest of the world.

All the projects in the Extreme Engineerings series have one thing in common: They challenge the common definition of what is technically feasible, and that is true also for Turning Torso.

Turning Torso popular among photographers

From Sydsvenskan 2004-01-18

When the photographers working at the local newspaper Sydsvenskan chose their best pictures from 2003, two out of twelve pictures had Turning Torso in the picture. A construction site that wins a beauty contest. Impressing!

The picture below is not taken by a photographer from Sydsvenskan. It will probably not win a beauty contest either, but there is something interesting in it anyway.

Turning Torso viewed through a former flower exhibition place. Foto: Lars Tufvesson.

Special interest group for Turning Torso

From an ad in Sydsvenskan 2004-01-17

Gallery owner Per-Olov Börjesson has booked the top floor in Turning Torso. Now, he wants to get in touch with other potential buyers of apartments in Turning Torso, to be able to form a special interest group. Per-Olov can be reached on the following phone numbers: +46 40 711 00 or +46 40 15 02 01.

Turning Torso: Promecon mounts the steel facade

Från www.promecon.dk 2004-01-06

The steel elements in Turning Torso's steel facade weights 900 tons. Each steel element weights between 0,5 and 28 tons. The thought was that the manufacturer should mount the steel elements, but it did not work well. The danish firm Promecon has been assigned the task, with short notice.

The steel elements can not be put in place with normal cranes, because the building is turning. To solve the task, new and special tools are needed:

A lifting device mounted on the concrete floors.
A special welding platform, for weather protection.

At the moment, Promecon is planning for the task.

Turning Torso: Nice night pictures

From a tour on the net 2004-01-06

Uncle Grahn has four nice night pictures of Turning Torso on his site.

Copenhagen will get its own Turning Torso

From boligzonen.dk November 2003

Copenhagen, the large danish capital city close to Turning Torso and Malmö, will get a building with a similar international service concept as the one in Turning Torso. The house is called Europahuset, and it is situated in the city of Copenhagen, close to the new town library. Europahuset is an old office building that now is rebuilt with exclusive apartments. More information on: http://www.europahuset.dk/

The Turning Torso fever is spreading

From the net 2003-12-21

It's not only this site that is tracking Turning Torso:

You will find many Turning Torso pictures on World Travel Images - Malmö - Outskirts.
Skyscraper City has a discussion about Turning Torso on Official Turning Torso Picture Thread. They started the discussion by linking to pictures on this site. (Since I have moved the pictures for another reason, their old picture links does not work anymore.)

Build your own Turning Torso

From the Sydsvenskan newspaper 2003-12-17

Today, Sydsvenskan has an article about building your own Turning Torso gingerbread biscuit house. Things to think about:

Do not build more than about 20 floors, to avoid collapse.
Cylinder shaped pieces can be created by bending the piece around a circular object before the piece has hardened.

The safety around Turning Torso

From the master thesis "Säkerhet i höga byggnader" by Emma Lindsten 2001, Brandteknik, Lunds Tekniska Högskola (mixed with my own thoughts).

Turning Torso is probably a safe building:

Sprinklers in all rooms
Pressure increasing pumps
Rising pipes
Emergency elevator
Fire gas ventilation
Door shutters
Fire alarm
Smoke detectors
Emergency electricity
Emergency light
Every floor and apartment is its own fire cell

Some layman safety questions remain unanswered, though:

The swedish fire safety regulation for buildings is not adapted for high buildings. The minimum safety level is not defined for high buildings.

In cuntries with greater experience of high buildings, the regulators often require two escape routes. USA, Great Britain and Hong Kong (but not Australia) require two escape routes. For high buildings, this means two stair wells. Turning Torso only has one stair well. Is one stair well enough, from a safety perspective?

Another safety risk is that it is possible to open windows in Turning Torso. There are safety barriers making it impossible to open the window more than 0,1 meter. The problem here is that it is possible to throw out things, and even small things can become deadly projectiles if they are allowed to fall over hundred meters down. The question is, is it safe to be on the ground, close to Turning Torso?

The storm didn't stop the celebrations

From HSB's celebration of Turning Torso reaching half its final height 2003-12-07

Photo: Lars Tufvesson

It looked bad Saturday morning: The party tent blew away and ended up in the woods. Despite that, when it was time to celebrate on Sunday, there was a tent on the correct spot and no trace of the accident.

The outdoor exhibition close to Turning Torso reappeared, in time for the celebration. Photo: Lars Tufvesson.

During the celebration, the vice president of HSB made a speech. Among other things, he mentioned that:

The architect of Turning Torso, Santiago Calatrava, has many highly visible ongoing projects. He is creating a new station at Ground Zero in New York. He is also the architect behind the Olympia stadion in Athens.
The number of persons interested in an apartment in Turning Torso is now over 1000.
The elevators to the apartments in Turning Torso are express elevators. It will for instance take 18 seconds to reach the 27:th floor.
The total space in Turning Torso is 22 000 square meters. This is equal to nine soccer fields.
The concrete core of Turning Torso will be finished in August or September 2004.
The steel-carrying structure will be finished in September or October 2004.
The first piece of the aluminum facade from Barcelona will arrive by truck in January or February 2004. In total, there will be 132 truck loads arriving from Barcelona.
He finished by saying that those buying an apartment in Turning Torso is not buying an apartment in the normal sense. One customer explained it this way: We are not buying three rooms and a kitchen. We are buying living space and a kitchen.

December 6: The storm makes the water flow upwards the water fall.
Photo: Lars Tufvesson.

Is Malmö ready for Turning Torso?

From the Fastighetsvärlden magazine, number 4 2003

When the apartments from the Bo01 housing exhibition entered the market, the price of apartments in exclusive areas in Malmö rised, and Malmö as a whole got a more exclusive image.

Even though the interest for the apartments in the Bo01 area initially was limited, the interest for those apartments is now very large.

The question is if the attraction of Malmö as a place of living will reach an even higher level, when the apartments of Turning Torso are ready.

Malmö appears more and more as the Paris of the north, when it comes to the fascination for large projects. The city will get a new continental image with the Öresund bridge, Bo01, Turning Torso, the city tunnel and Scandinavian Tower. Turning Torso might very well turn out to be the leading star that the Öresund region needs to reach new levels of attraction and establish itself as a natural centre in the north of Europe for real.

The height of Turning Torso

From a walking tour 2003-11-29

Photo: Lars Tufvesson

Turning Torso has now reached half its final height. Turning Torso will be 190 meters high. By adding the mirror image from the canal, it is possible to get a feeling for the real height of the finished Turning Torso.

Facade construction started

From a walking tour 2003-11-29

The workers are not only working at the top of Turning Torso. A separate team has recently started mounting the holders for the facade at the lower floors.

The fog almost reaches Turning Torso's currently highest top. Photo: Lars Tufvesson.

The fog clears first at the top. Photo: Lars Tufvesson.

The international lifestyle

From a supplement to Sydsvenskan 2003-11-22

Sture will service people living in Turning Torso, to allow them to live the international lifestyle that they according to HSB has chosen to live. The concierge concept is common in towns such as London and New York.

Sture is a person representing the ultimate kindness and the greatest possible service. Sture is not hired yet, but the name is taken from a legendary receptionist at the Savoy Hotel in Malmö.

In the entrance for those living in Turning Torso, it is possible to chat a little before taking the elevator to the apartment. It is also possible to sit down and have a cup of coffee, and read a newspaper.

The service is there to give those living in Turning Torso a more pleasant life. A life with less stress and a greater possibility for a comfortable spare time. Sture has told the cab drivers how service at Turning Torso is done. Sture has a small organization helping him. Together, they stand for the service in the house, and they make the building come alive.

Turning Torso: Many common rooms

From a supplement to Sydsvenskan 2003-11-22

Those living in Turning Torso have access to many common rooms:

Friends can use one of the three overnight apartments.
There is a gym, sauna and jacuzzi at the 43:d floor.
Each apartment has its own space in the wine cellar. Close to the wine cellar, there is a cosy little room for tasting wine.
On the 7:th floor, there is a room for celebrations. The room can handle 50 guests for dinner.
On the 49:th floor, there is an extra living room with room for up to 20 people.

The interior decorator about Turning Torso

From a supplement to Sydsvenskan 2003-11-22

Stefan Bergkvist decorates the Turning Torso apartments: "Think about decorating apartments in the Statue of Liberty. It's the same kind of challenge to decorate apartments in a sculpture like Turning Torso."

We are striving for calm interiors, because all facade walls are leaning. We have tried to create a unique Turning Torso standard. The kitchens are specially designed for Turning Torso. Every detail has been chosen with care. The sum of all parts is sometimes greater than the whole.

When the project started, the architects thought it was mostly the large apartments that would be in demand. Now, we know that also smaller apartments are very popular.

Sweden's highest building

From a supplement to Sydsvenskan 2003-11-22

Morning clouds.
Photo: Lars Tufvesson

Turning Torso will be 190 meters high. That makes Turning Torso Sweden's highest building.

HSB also says that Turning Torso will be Europe's highest residential building. That is not completely true. Skyscraper experts usually categorize a skyscraper as for residential use if 90% of the surface in the house is for residential use. (See for instance skyscrapers.com .) Turning Torso has reserved two out of nine cubes for commercial use. This means that Turning Torso can not be classified as for residential use, according to this definition.

According to The European high-rise site, Turning Torso will be Europe's 19:th highest building. Higher buildings can in Europe only be found in Frankfurt, Birmingham, Moscow, London, Warsaw, Paris and Wienna.

Malmö's answer to the Sydney opera house

From a supplement to Sydsvenskan 2003-11-22

The construction of Turning Torso costs 250 - 300 000 SEK a day to run.

The local manager Bengt Mattson has never experienced a project with such an architecture. The use of folding rules is out of the question, because there are very few straight angles.

High buildings are usually done in steel, but the twisting shape of Turning Torso makes it easier to build in concrete. The complete project is technically advanced, and it is on the verge of what is feasible to do.

The deputy local manager Bengt Hedin compares Turning Torso with the Sydney opera house.

The time table for Turning Torso

From a supplement to Sydsvenskan 2003-11-22

The work tasks for the construction workers varies with time: Form placement, casting, de-forming and lifting of the form.

Turning Torso is in average growing with one new floor each 10:th or 11:th day. The bottom floor in each cube takes 16 days. The top floor in each cube takes twelve days, and the four floors in-between takes nine days each. At the moment, 65 persons is working with Turning Torso, in the two working teams.

For every floor that is built, "fire water" follows. The fire safety becomes especially important when the facade is going to be mounted.

The facade, currently under test in Barcelona, will begin to appear on the building in the beginning of 2004.

In May 2004, the frame completion will begin. This means painting and a lot of things that is going into the building: Kitchens, appliances, floors, doors...

During summer 2004, the number of people working with Turning Torso will reach its peak. Then, there will be up to 175 people working with the building every day.

The most daring project ever in Malmö

From a supplement to Sydsvenskan 2003-11-22

Iilmar Reepalu about Turning Torso: "This is probably the most daring project ever in Malmö. And sure, it is better to have Calatrava's daring high-rise than the world's largest crane as a target."

Ilmar continues: "It's visible, stands out, and is beautiful." The building in itself will be a great attraction. Not only as a world-unique residential building, but also as a destination and an outstanding artwork.

Turning Torso celebrates half the height

From Kvällsposten 2003-11-18

There will be a big celebration for everyone on December 7. The skeleton for the 27:th floor will be ready then, and it is time to celebrate that the building has come half-way to its final height of 54 floors.

There will be a competition, food and drink. Johnny Örbäck (HSB's managing director) will hold a speech, and personnel from Turning Torso will be available to answer questions.

Kvällsposten says that Turning Torso is Malmö's highest building. I would add that that depends on how you are counting:

It depends on what you count as buildings. The St Petri church in Malmö is 105 meters high, and the TV tower at Jägersro, also in Malmö, is 108 meters high. Turning Torso's 27:th floor is about 90 meters above the ground.
Turning Torso is not a finished building. If we count all non-finished but proposed buildings in Malmö, then Scandinavian Tower with its 274 meters is Malmö's largest building.
Turning Torso in its current form can more be seen as a constructional work of art than a building, and should be compared with other large man-made constructions in Malmö. Malmö's highest construction is the Öresund bridge, that has a highest height of 204 meters.

They are buying a lifestile

From Kvällsposten 18/11 2003-11-18 and a supplement to Sydsvenskan 2003-11-22

Two types of Turning Torso apartment buyers have emerged:

The older couple with no kids at home any longer. They have sold their house, they want full service, they do not fancy garden work, and they want to live close to the city with all the restaurants.
Then we have people born in the 60ies and 70ies. Over half of the applications come from this group

These groups are attracted by Turning Torso for many different reasons:

The view.
The quality of the interior.
The safety and the reception.
The architecture and form of the building.

82% of the applications are from men.

Flight simulator + Turning Torso = true

From FSDome.com 2003-11-15

I have an announcement to make, for people fond of both flight simulators and Västra Hamnen: It is possible to download an add-on to the Microsoft Flight Simulator, that makes it possible to fly around Turning Torso.

Cold work at the top

From Sydsvenskan 2003-11-13

The workers building Turning Torso are heading for a severe winter. The wind makes it colder than the thermometer shows. Not long ago, it was blowing so much up there that it was equal to a temperature of minus 20 degrees.

It's time to pay for Turning Torso

From Sydsvenskan 2003-11-13

HSB Sundsfastigheter have borrowed 100 million SEK to be able to pay for the ongoing construction of Turning Torso. They have been promised an additional loan on 340 million SEK. They have to find financing for an additional 500 to 600 million SEK, to be able to finish the construction of Turning Torso.

There are 900 applications for an apartment in Turning Torso. HSB wants everyone writing a contract to pay a 10% advance. To be able to do this, they are required to get a bank guarantee for 75,6 million SEK, to not risk any of the money paid in advance.

The process of writing contracts can start, as soon as the bank guarantee is in place. HSB thinks that with a number of contracts in place, it will be easy to find financing for the rest of the money needed to finish the construction of Turning Torso.

The managing director of "Sydsvenska Industri och Handelskammaren" Stephan Müchler thinks that there are enough companies attracted to the Öresund region to create a demand for the exclusive apartments in Turning Torso.

Bought the site for 26 million SEK

From Sydsvenskan 2003-11-05 and 2003-11-06

Expensive site. High building. Dense clouds. Photo: Lars Tufvesson.

HSB has earlier paid a rent for the site-leasehold right where Turning Torso is rising. Now, they have bought the site, that is 2 835 square meters large. They bought it for 26 million SEK. This means that they pay over 9 000 SEK per square meter.

Turning Torso: 46:th in the world

From skyscrapers.com 2003-10-30

If Turning Torso was ready today, and if Turning Torso could be counted as a residential building, then Turning Torso would have shared the 46:th place on the list of the world's highest residential buldings.

The world's largest residential building is situated in Dubai, and has a height of 269 meters. Residential buildings higher than Turning Torso can only be found in Dubai, Seoul, New York City, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Sydney, Manila, Chicago and Mexico City.

To be counted as a residential building, 90% of the total area must be assigned for residential use. That makes it impossible to really count Turning Torso as a residential building, with its 12 floors for commercial use at the bottom.

No longer any Turning Torso exhibition

From a walk in the area 2003-10-25

The outdoor exhibition about Turning Torso has been removed. They need the space for building Turning Torso.

The first piece of the facade in place

From a walking tour 2003-10-25

The first piece of the facade has been put in place. The white stick made of aluminum is not very large, but it will soon grow and surround Turning Torso.

Turning Torso: Higher than...

From skyscraperpage.com 2003-10-11

The height of Turning Torso will be 190 meters. There is no higher building in Sweden or Denmark.

Turning Torso stands out, also from an international perspective. But in such a perspective, it's mostly the unusual form that grabs the attention:

Diagram with high buildings in the world

Turning Torso: Admired by the connoisseurs

Från skyscraperpage.com 11/10 2003

When the skyscraper enthusiasts discuss Turning Torso, you get the impression that Malmö is going to get a world-class attraction. They are probably right.

Västra hamnen in Malmö is very well worth a visit. It is not only the Turning Torso that is worth watching, it is a lot of interesting projects going on out there because they are rebuilding the whole area. And it is a beautiful scenery, with the water so close and a beach not far away, and also the Öresund bridge in the background. Excellent scenery.
I just can't wait until this amazing tower is complete! It will truly be one of the most fantastic buildings in the world.
What an unusual building it is
This building is going to be awesome.
This turning torso will be europes finest skyscraper!
The Torso!!! wow looks great!!! those cranes with the building looks very nice... will become one of my favourites in the world.
i want something like that in Chicago
I saw this design many years ago in a tv show on engineering of skyscrapers. It was an engineering exercise - not a proposal. It was just a matter of time before an architect implemented the idea.
Awesome, It's a very bizzare building, but awesome nonetheless.
Wow, this project is simply amazing!!

Construction of facade started

From Sydsvenskan 2003-10-03

Photo: Lars Tufvesson

An international crusing missile? No, it's yet another piece in the big Turning Torso puzzle.

Any day now, the preparation for mounting the facade on Turning Torso begins. The first pieces has arrived from Spain, where they are manufactured.

Turning Torso: The new city target

From a tour with the bicycle 2003-09-14

Photo: Lars Tufvesson

Turning Torso is now getting high enough to be used as the new orientation target in the city. This must be celebrated with a Turning Torso picture special! (The texts are in swedish, but the pictures can be enjoyed anyway.)

Turning Torso: A bit slower & a bit more expensive

From Skånskan (mixed with my own reflections) 2003-09-11

The working pace at the moment is one new floor each 9:th day. The bottom floor in each cube takes longer time. When the construction started, they hoped each floor would take a week. This means that they are building approx. 35% slower than they hoped for.

The price for an apartment is higher on the top than on the bottom. On average, the price is 53 000 SEK per square meter. Earlier, they have been talking about prices around 44 000 SEK per square meter. That's an increase with 20%.

The average Turning Torso inhabitant

From Skånskan 2003-09-11

HSB has got 700 applications for the apartments in Turning Torso.

80% of the applications are coming from persons living in Sweden. The largest part of these are living in the western part of Skåne.
Among the applications from abroad, we find many persons from Copenhagen.
40% of the applications are from persons born in the 60ies.

So far, 30-40 people has signed up for a specific apartment. One person has signed a contract.

The work with hiring out the commercial space at the 12 bottom floors has not yet begun.

First Turning Torso apartment sold

From Sydsvenskan 2003-09-06

The first apartment in Turning Torso is now sold. It was a Swede living abroad that bought 64 square meters. Pia Sandin, HSB's sales manager for Turning Torso, is counting on selling additional apartments this fall. There are 700 applications and they are getting 2-3 new applications each day. HSB thinks that they will have sold all 152 apartments in Turning Torso in the beginning of 2005, when it is time to move in.

Danes are interested in Turning Torso

From Sydsvenskan 2003-08-15

700 applications have arrived for the 152 apartments in Turning Torso. It's mostly from Danes, but there are also applications from London, Argentina, Mexico and USA.

There is nothing like Turning Torso

From www.turningtorso.com 2003-06-24

Samark Arkitektur&Design AB have gotten the task to decorate the interiors of Turning Torso. They have chosen a tight and simple line. A scandinavian style that always feels modern.

The newly hired sales and marketing manager Pia Sandin previously worked at Berkeley Homes in London, where she worked with exclusive residential projects. "It's about selling a living where the quality of living and service is put in the centre."

The two lowest cubes will be for commercial use. Residents will occupy the other cubes, all the way up to the 54:th floor.

In the cellar, all inhabitants have access to their own space for storing wine.

The reception will be manned around the clock. The reception can help with things like booking tickets, laundry, cleaning, renting out the apartment, order food from a restaurant, let the handyman in, take the car to the annual check...

On the first floor, there are 8 office modules that the residents can hire.

On the 7:th floor, there will be a room for celebrations, that can handle 50 sitting guests. The room can be split into two conference rooms, if needed.

There are also two rooms with great views for the residents, at the 43:th and 49:th floor. The 43:th floor also has overnight apartments for guests, and a gym with a jacuzzi.

Turning Torso: Now more expensive

From Sydnytt and Rapport 2003-06-22

Earlier, the cost of Turning Torso has been calculated to 900 million SEK. Now, the price has increased to 1 050 million SEK. Half of the money is not yet financed. The managing director of HSB, Johnny Örbäck, is not worried.

A strike hits Turning Torso

From Sydsvenskan 2003-06-03 and 2003-06-19

The electricity union has given notice of a strike, that will hit Turning Torso from June 19:th. Since there are only two electricians working on Turning Torso today, the effects of the strike will not be very large.

At the moment, 35 persons are working at the same time on Turning Torso. Two of them are electricians, and they work normal working hours. There are 20 concrete workers and concrete reinforcers working in shift. The rest of the personnel works with installing ventilation in the cellar, with normal working hours.

The electricity union motivates the choice of Turning Torso as a target for the strike with: "Turning Torso is a large bragging construction site in Skåne." The electricians are striking against the pressured building schedules, that leads to bad health.

The 14:th floor will be created 2003-06-22. If the strike continues after that, then it will hit the construction of Turning Torso a bit harder.

Turning Torso: Seeking inhabitants abroad

From Metro 2003-05-21

There might not be enough wealthy persons in Skåne to fill Turning Torso. Turning Torso will therefore be advertised to Swedes living abroad in Monaco, and to larger companies from the Middle East that has a base here, says Pia Sandin, sales manager for Turning Torso.

Already today, we get five or six calls each day with questions about living in Turning Torso, despite no advertising. The writing of contracts for individual apartments starts in a couple of months. In spring 2005, it is time to move in.

The plan is that the concrete frame will reach the top at 190 meters in August 2004.

Turning Torso: A real skyscraper

From www.skyscrapers.com 2003-05-13

Turning Torso will reach a height of 190 meters. That is the height of Kronprinsen - doubled. The table of the currently highest buildings in Malmö looks like this according to skyscrapers.com:

Nr	Namn	Höjd	År
01.	Jägersrotornet	108 m
02.	St. Petri Church	105 m
03.	Hilton Malmö City	85 m	1989
04.	Kronprinsen	83 m	1964
05.	Slagthuset	63 m	1991
06.	Hyllie Vattentorn	62 m
07.	St. Johannes Kyrka	61 m	1907
08.	Sydsvenska Dagbladet	55 m
09.	Södervärnstornet	54 m	1916
10.	Borgmästaregården 1

Side note from Lars: The smoke stack on Heleneholmsverket in Malmö has a height of 130 meters. The Öresund bridge has a height of 204 meters.

Turning Torso: Ready spring 2005

From Sydsvenskan 2003-05-02

Between 40 and 50 persons have already announced their interest in one of the 152 apartments in Turning Torso. The construction workers have now reached the 12:th floor out of 54.

Turning Torso: Salaries ready

From Sydsvenskan 2003-04-12

NCC and the union has reached an agreement about the salaries for the construction workers at Turning Torso. At the moment, they are negotiating the security arrangements.

Turning Torso closes road?

From Sydsvenskan 25/3 2003-03-25

There are 50 people working on Turning Torso now. The pace is a little bit slower than expected. The goal is one floor each week. Initially, there were reports that one floor took nine days. Now, they talk about eleven days. The safety is important. At the moment, they are discussing if the road nearby should be closed during the construction, because there is a risk that things might fall down.

Turning Torso is getting into second gear

From a note at Studeum 2003-02-07

The construction of Turning Torso is now progressing faster, with two working teams. The work starts at 07:00, and ends at 19:00 every day except Saturdays, when the work end at 17:00 instead.

Turning Torso news 2003

Other Turning Torso Sites

The official Turning Torso site.

Feedback

Something missing?
Enhancement suggestions?
Questions?

Contact lars@bizzbook.com!

Turning Torso News - first half of 2004

The first piece of the facade in place

Other Turning Torso Sites

Feedback

Turning Torso News
- first half of 2004