Justinne P. Nazareno Architectural Structures

BS Architecture 5-1 Engr. Larry Rocela

Turning Torso

Turning Torso is a high-rise building in

Malm, consisting of nine cubes twisting

towards the waterfront. Turning Torso

houses top-quality apartments, offices and

conference rooms and, at the time of

completion (27 August 2005), is the

second tallest residential tower in Europe

after the 264m-high Triumph-Palace in

Moscow andthe tallest building in

Scandinavia.

Designed by Santiago Calatrava, Turning

Torso received plenty of critical acclaim,

winning the award for Best Internationa l

Residential Development at the 2005

Mipim real estate forum, fighting off

competition from No 1 West India Quay in

London and Miami's Espirito Santo Plaza.

Like those developments, Torso is situated

near water, in this case the New Western

Harbour in Malm in south west Sweden.

It is also within walking distance of both

Ribersborg beach and the city centre, notably the university and business districts.

As Malm evolves from its industrial past, local authorities envisage that Western Harbour will

provide homes for employees from new sectors that have come to the city: small and medium-

sized businesses, services, trading companies and a burgeoning IT sector. The project is an

important part of the redevelopment of Malm's Western Harbour near the resund Bridge, which

connects Sweden and Denmark.

Justinne P. Nazareno Architectural Structures

BS Architecture 5-1 Engr. Larry Rocela

FACTS:

Building: Mixed Use

Height: 190m (623ft)

Floor Count: 54

Construction Started: Feb. 14, 2001

Completed: August 27, 2005

1st and 2nd Cubes: Commercial Space

3rd-9th cubes: Residential Space

Cost: 235 Million US $

Structure:

9 cubes of 5 floors each

Total Number of Floors: 57

Basement: 2

Height: 190.4 m

-Each cube: 10 degrees

-Each floor: 1.6 degrees

Materials:

Concrete core shear walls

Concrete Slabs

Steel Spine

Justinne P. Nazareno Architectural Structures

BS Architecture 5-1 Engr. Larry Rocela

ARCHITECTURAL CONCEPT

Designed to look like a turning human body

Nine Vertically stacked cubes twisted 90 degrees

from bottom to top

The steel spine twists along with the structure similar

to spine and the ribs of the human body.

STRUCTURAL CONCEPT

1. Concrete floor slab. One foot thick. Cantilevered from the core

2. Concrete tube core. Radium: 10.6m

3. Concrete perimeter column

4. Steel spine pin connected

Justinne P. Nazareno Architectural Structures

BS Architecture 5-1 Engr. Larry Rocela

Justinne P. Nazareno Architectural Structures

BS Architecture 5-1 Engr. Larry Rocela

Torso Tower design

The Torso was selected by the City of Malm Government as a landmark for the new development,

though it also meets the requirement for dense habitation. Local authorities organised an exhibit ion

to choose a high-rise building for this purpose and invited the local housing cooperative, HSB, to

participate.

"The project is an important part of the redevelopment of Malm's Western Harbour."

"Only well-known architects were supposed to participate in the exhibition," explains HSB project

director Ingvar Nohlin, "and that's why Santiago Calatrava was approached. He had participated

in the Oresund Link competition but was not selected."

In fact, this 190m (623ft) tower is based on a sculpture by the Zurich-based architect. Sharing the

name of its much larger brother, Turning Torso depicts a human body contorting around its spine

in an upward movement.

Calatrava included a photograph of the work as part of his Oresund submission, where it was

spotted by HSB's former managing director, Johnny Orback, who convinced Calatrava to design

a building based on this concept.

Twisting spine

The work consists of nine cubes of white marble tied together by a spine that twists 90 from top

to bottom. Likewise, the 54-storey building is made up of nine cubes that twist towards the city's

waterfront. As walls swirl and cut back to the building's core, the building seems to rest on its

vertical supports.

However, all is not as it seems; each floor consists of a square section around the core and a

triangular part supported by an external steel structure. The central core is supported by a

foundation slab, while at the corner of each floor is a concrete column supported by a pile

foundation. Torsos central core is 10.6m across its inside, with walls 2.5m thick on the ground

floor but only 0.4m at the highest level.

This core is stiffened by the Torso's exoskeleton, which is effectively a steel truss erected on the

outside of the building with the same clockwise rotation as the tower itself. The truss consists of a

spine column at the corner of each floor plus horizontal and diagonal elements that reach to each

side of the glazed spine. Stabilisers also connect the floor slabs with the framework.

Wind loads

While the building's core can carry wind loads without the exoskeleton, the truss is active in some

wind directions, thus reducing displacement of the tower itself. Having made wind tunnel tests at

the University of Western Ontario, Canada, designers predict that in a storm with a wind force of

44m/s the building would move only 30cm at its summit in a slow movement.

"This slight movement is unlikely to be noticeable," says Nohlin. Yet, despite its tricky geometry,

wind at the coastal site has been the contractors' biggest gripe. Gusts have caused delays of 150

Justinne P. Nazareno Architectural Structures

BS Architecture 5-1 Engr. Larry Rocela

days in both concrete work and erection of the steel exoskeleton. "Malm is an extremely windy

place, especially during winter time," he adds.

For the horizontal structure, there are nine conical slabs, one for each cube, in which half of the

circumference of each slab cantilevers from the core. The remaining triangular section is supported

by the apex column and central core. In each cube, five higher slabs are supported by eleven steel

columns at their edges that transfer loads into the conical slab below.

The building is lit externally using Golden Dragon LEDs from Osram and a custom-made fixture

from the Danish lighting manufacturer Louis Poulsen Lighting. Internally ligthing is again

provided by Osram LED lighitng and is controlled using motion sensors. LEDs offer a more

environmentally fiendly approach by using less power and not requiring to be replaced like normal

light bulbs or fluorescent tubes.

Office and residential space

Torso's 26,000m ground plan includes 4,200m of office space on floors 212, the first two cubes.

The commercial area has its own pair of lifts, as well as separate heating, cooling and IT systems.

The development's top two floors have been reserved for meeting rooms, which can be rented by

any organisation via HSB (these were officially ready for hire at the end of March 2006). A

separate parking block for residents and business tenants can be accessed via a private tunnel.

Above the office space are 147 rental apartments on floors 1452 ranging from one-bedroom,

45m units to 190m residences. Very few are of equal dimensions because the floor space changes

due to the size of the core walls, so the ground floor has 370m of usable space, while the top floor

has 430m.

Three high-speed lifts in the core of the building service these apartments. They travel at 5m per

second, so it only takes 38 seconds to get from ground level to the 54th floor. In addition, there is

a staircase from ground level to the top floor.

Apartment interiors

Torsos apartments are furnished to a high specification. Entrance halls feature polished limestone

floors, using materials from the Jamtland region of north Sweden. The same stone is also used on

window sills. Other rooms boast oak floors. Tiled bathrooms are fitted with granite surfaces and

underfloor heating.

Kitchen units are specially designed from light-stained oak or a glossy white laminate to

accompany appliances from Gaggenau and Bosch washing machines. Apartment doors and

wardrobes are made of white-stained oak.

Residents of the 13,500m complex also enjoy the benefits of a manned reception, full access to

the wine cellar, rooms with panoramic views on the 49th floor, well-appointed guest rooms and a

gym with two saunas on the 43rd floor, and a function suite on the 7th floor.

The 1st floor also contains eight office modules that can be rented by residents. An intranet

supplies them with information about the building, available services, community activities and

Justinne P. Nazareno Architectural Structures

BS Architecture 5-1 Engr. Larry Rocela

the surrounding area. Furniture and interior desing on the top two floors was the responsibility of

White Architects.

Construction

To maintain a fast building rate, HSB relied on the Automatic Climbing Structure (ACS), which

uses jacks to elevate the building platform to the next level. Devised by German formwork and

scaffolding manufacturer Peri, ACS handled heights of up to 4m, so all the floors were constructed

without any need for adjustment.

"For heating, Torso connects to power utility Sydkraft's system."

Anchored on 12 fixing points, ACS weighs 110t, with a concrete boom installed on its own

climbing scaffold that uses four fixing points in the core. This allowed workers to concrete the ring

wall on one level while retightening internal core walls one level below.

A Putzmeister device on the ground floor pumps concrete to the ever-rising construction site at

1t/s.

Other companies involved in the construction of the tower included HSB Malm Ek Fr, NCC

AB, Promecon, Sweco AB, Nicholas Green & Anthony Hunt, Samark Arkitektur & Design AB,

Dr. Vollenweider AG, Mtcenter AB, LGG Inneklimat AB, YIT Building Systems AS, Aarsleff

Bygg & Anlggning AB, Grupo Folcr Edificacin S.A., Peab AB, Intergrund AB, AB

Rrlggaren, resund Safety Advisers AB, Mobergs Mekaniska AB, KONE AB, AESA

Eurogondolas, S.L., PERIform SVERIGE AB, and Emesa-Trefileria, S.A.

Environment and safety

Sweden has perhaps the most far-reaching environmental legislation in Europe, along with a

comprehensive welfare system, so it is no surprise that central services are a high priority. Indeed,

Western Harbour is being promoted as a global leader in urban sustainability. For heating, Torso

connects to power utility Sydkraft's system, which uses 100% locally renewable energy. This is

obtained from a variety of sources, including solar power, wind, bedrock and water.

Torso plays its part, with organic waste from the building ground down in kitchen waste disposal

units, then transported though separate pipes for decomposition and biogas production at Malm's

waste incinerator and heat plant. In addition, Torso residents will be given training in such systems

via a local TV system.

As for safety, all security systems have independent reserve power supplies, including lifts,

sprinklers and emergency lighting. There is also a double water supply system, again with its own

power supply