Santiago Calatrava is a highly acclaimed architect, sculptor, and engineer whose most celebrated work includes bridges, railway stations, communications towers, and air-traffic control towers, all inspired by natural movements of humans and animals. Calatrava's most recent realization is Turning Torso, referencing the motion of a human body in a twisting motion. Turning Torso is an efficient multi-purpose living/working tower located in the culturally diverse city of Malmo in the Oresund region of Sweden. The 54-story, 190 meter-high tower twists at a complete 90 degrees from bottom to top. The first two levels accommodate office and commercial spaces, while the rest of the building consists of high-end apartments as well as residential leisure and service facilities.

Turning Torso utilizes ecologically minded construction methods and materials, energy sources, and lifestyle options. The tower is supplied with 100% locally produced renewable energy through an innovative energy concept provided by Sydkraft. Electricity is available via wind-power parks and heating is supplied by solar cells and underground water reservoirs. The non-hazardous building materials, especially windows and exterior walls, maximize the building's efficiency. All kitchens are equipped with a waste disposal unit for grinding organic waste. The waste is transported to a collection tank for decomposition plants that produce biogas, an alternative to cooking gas and vehicle fuel. Recycling is also made convenient for all occupants, as it was also strictly implemented during the construction process where sorting of building materials is oftentimes neglected. Turning Torso was developed in conjunction with housing development organization HSB.

More info: www.turningtorso.com

Date Posted: September 06, 2005
Views: 35328