Sweden’s Turning Torso skyscraper is formed from nine stacked segments.
Turning Torso is a residential skyscraper in Malmö, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. Its form is based on a human body twisting around its spine, and the building’s nine segments rotate progressively as they rise. Each segment contains five floors, producing a total of 45 floors.
The tower was completed in 2005 and became a defining landmark of Malmö’s Western Harbour district. Its structural core contains the main vertical circulation and services, while the surrounding floor plates turn around that central spine. The changing orientation gives the façade its dramatic, sculptural appearance.
The segment count is sometimes confused with the number of floors or with the tower’s apparent major turns. Nine is the architectural unit count used to describe the stacked construction. Turning Torso reaches 190 metres and was the tallest building in Scandinavia when completed.