Professional Documents
Culture Documents
BS – ARCHITECTURE 1-1
AY 2018-2019
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………………………..3
OBJECTIVE………………………………………………………………………………….………..5
BODY OF UNIT…………………………………………………………………………………….…6
ELEMENTS OF ARCHITECTURE…………………………………………………………6
PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN…………………………………………………………............7
REFERENCES………………………………………………………………………………………10
INTRODUCTION
The basic idea of architecture lies with the purpose of service—to solve problems
something good or satiable for human occupation requires three essential principles as
fabrication of complexity, which is not always easy to cope with; there is a huge number of
buildings, as attractive as obscure in construction techniques. The form that’s behind these
The chosen model for analysis is an infamous residential building located in the
Scandinavian region known as the “Turning Torso”. The building itself is an example of the
direct translation of art fused with science and mathematics to create sustainable living
spaces suited for humans. Designed by the Spanish architect, structural engineer, sculptor
and painter, Santiago Calatrava, the structure is based on the sculpture “Twisting Torso”
which explored the human body in motion, twisting as far as it can naturally be pushed while
staying directly upright. It is with this concept that carved out the spontaneously engineered
The idea to create this incredible structure came at a time when Malmö was
undergoing a renaissance, with local politicians eager to redevelop the former industrial
stronghold of the city’s west, with a vision towards making the decaying area a hallmark of
urban renewal, featuring homes, businesses, culture, and entertainment. They wanted
something that had power and would make an impact not just in the region but around the
world.
Upon completion of the Twisting Torso that is owned by Swedish cooperative
association HSB, it is dubbed and regarded as the first twisted skyscraper in the world. The
190 meters high edifice is the second highest residential building in Europe and was planned
to be exhibited in European housing Expo 2001. The building is situated in the western
Copenhagen along with the connection bridge between Sweden and Denmark. It resides in
a coastal area where a widespread urban development has started, and is still evolving. This
area has been populated in recent years with a series of high quality buildings, which lay
Its form boasts of 9 individual cubes that each contains five-storeys. The main load-
bearing structure is a circular reinforced concrete core, whose center corresponds exactly to
the rotation center of the floors. The foundation of the Turning Torso is a cylindrical box with
a diameter of 30 m (98.5 ft) and a depth of 15 m (49.2 ft). The foundation slab rests on the
limestone bedrock and has a depth of 7 m (23 ft). The Turning Torso is a successful
encounters a great challenge of standing upright at a windy coastline and could effectively
sustain a 44 meters per second wind by displacing only 30 centimeters. With this, the
The extreme engineering and aesthetic quality earned huge appreciation from critics
and a number of awards, not to mention. It was announced that the building was the winner
of the 10 Year Award from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH). The
design also won several others, namely: the 2005 Gold Emporis Skyscraper Award, 2006
Award for Outstanding Concrete Structures, MIPIM Award for the Turning Torso Tower, and
Architecture and Principles of Design incorporated in the general design of the chosen
A brief inquiry into the application of essential Elements of Architecture that make up
And a critical examination of the utilization of the Principles of Design in the structural
ELEMENTS OF ARCHITECTURE
of horizontal and vertical lines in proportion to the interweaving with each segment is what
creates the great illusion of twists. Although presented vertically, horizontal lines are still
used to make the skyscraper appear more twisted as well as stable looking. In that sense,
vertical lines represent dignity and formality which is thus fitting for the overall use of the
building. To counteract the intimidating façade of the structure, the consistent horizontals
balance it all out and add feelings of relaxation. For additional support, diagonal lines were
also used alongside a consistent ratio. This adds a more diverse movement for the building
It makes use of a neutral palette, consisting mostly of white and similar tonal values
like black and grey with the occasional golden casting in the middle of each segment caused
mostly by the reflected light on its surface. Subliminal color tones often denote a high-end
and expensive taste to a certain object. The neutral colors of the building make it look very
formal and almost futuristic as emphasized by its form and shape which is cylindrical in
nature.
proportion of 90 degrees starting from top to bottom. This then gives it radical balance which
is quite fascinating since the Turning Torso was inspired by the sculpture of a twisting
human anatomy.
PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN
The aesthetical arrangement of the parts of the building follows a very structured
assembly and so is equipped with a radial balance. The central core is supported by a
foundation slab that acts as the base for the winding pattern of its cocoon. The inner
diameter of the core is 10.6 meters; concrete thickness starts from 2.5 meters at the bottom
and gradually reduces to 0.4 meters from tapering. This core is the structural nucleus that is
encircled by the floor slabs which then creates the radial pattern and consistency that keeps
the tower upright. The reinforced concrete core also accommodates stairs, lifts, and other
services.
The twisted form can be very effective, alleviating the effects of vortex-shedding
induced by lateral wind loads and minimizing the wind loads from prevailing direction. When
analyzing the structure under wind loads, Calatrava found that the Turning Torso could move
up to 3ft. at the top during the most severe storm. Giant pins attached to the ground were
then implemented, decreasing the movement to less than a foot during the most severe
Although monumental in size, its purpose and function befits and suits the necessity of
With regard to space, its surroundings are clear of other skyscrapers—thus drawing
the eyes of many towards this piece of scientific art. Encircling the building are smaller
residential houses which are all beside the harbor. The ground floor covers 370 square
meters while the top most has an area of 430 square meters.
The variety of materials used is a contrast of mostly smooth material and a rough
foundation—concrete, steel, glass, limestone, granite and recyclable aluminum are some of
the mentionable materials used for the tower. The slabs, square at the core and conical at
the edge, are made of cast in-situ reinforced concrete. Five slabs of each unit are supported
by 11 steel columns. Aside from reinforced concrete, the core is strengthened using a steel
trussed exoskeleton which clasps each unit with diagonal and horizontal struts. This creates
aluminum panels. Note that these windows are tilted, even within the interior, to support the
The rhythm can be seen in the consistent use of glass for the skyscraper as well as
the neatly arranged windows that almost looks akin to the holes of a thimble. In order to
follow the twist of the building, the windows are leaning between 0 and 7 degrees either
inwards on the western façade or outwards on the eastern façade. The obvious use of
rhythm in the structure lies in the constant swirl and twist of the tower from where its name
originates.
The biggest factor that accentuates and emphasizes the building is its façade—the
shape itself. The interesting and engineered aesthetic of it commands the attention of its
viewer especially since its surroundings A unique feature of the skyscraper as well is the
smaller cylinder atop the building and it almost has no difference with a menacing button on
As for its character, it is very personal to the architect who likened his image of a
skyscraper to the human form—complex yet natural, winding yet balanced. The starting
point is the organic idea behind the skyscraper, created by the dynamic movement of a
human torso. This inspiration guides not only the image given by the building, but also the
structure lying inside. The parallel between the human and the building resides in the cubes,
of which the tower is formed of. For comparison’s sake, it is much like the vertebrae: the
Images Publishing. et al. (2001). Museum and Art Spaces of the World: A Pictorial Review of
https://www.arch2o.com/turning-torso-santiago-calatrava/.
https://www.scribd.com/document/61614381/The-Shape-From-Behind-to-Beyond
Turning Torso twists new life into cubism, Elias, Helen -The Architects' Journal;
Kjell Tryggestad & Susse Georg (2011): How objects shape logics in construction,
Spirito, Gianpaola, and Antonino Terranova (2008). New Urban Giants: the Ultimate
"Santiago Calatrava: Turning Torso Tower." Architecture and Urbanism 420 (2009):
26-33. Print.
Lomholt (2018, June 9). Turning Torso Tower, Malmo Skyscraper – Calatrava. Retrieved
from https://www.e-architect.co.uk/sweden/turning-torso-malmo
Lembke, Judi (2017, 19 April). The Story Behind Malmo’s Turning Torso, the World’s First
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turning_Torso