Turning Torso
Ideal: Ideal for modern architecture, urban design, and photography.
At 190 metres and 54 floors, Santiago Calatrava designed the building from his own sculpture Twisting Torso; it rotates a full 90 degrees from base to top. When completed in 2005 it was Scandinavia's tallest structure. Its location is symbolic: this was once the Kockums shipyard, and the giant crane that defined the skyline was sold to South Korea for one dollar in 2002. Malmö's shift from shipbuilding to design and technology is told precisely through these two structures changing places.
Quick facts
- Built
- 2006
- Opened
- 27 August 2005
- Architect
- Santiago Calatrava
- Architectural style
- postmodern architecture
- Height
- 190 m
Facts from Wikidata, photos from Wikimedia Commons.
Did you know?
Why is the building twisted?
It derives from Santiago Calatrava's marble sculpture Twisting Torso. Nine cubic segments stack up so that the top is rotated exactly 90 degrees from the base.
How tall is the building?
190 m — the tallest in Scandinavia when it opened in 2005. Its district, Västra Hamnen, is a former shipyard area that runs entirely on renewable energy.
How do you get from Malmö to Copenhagen?
Across the Øresund Bridge in about 35 minutes. Midway it becomes a tunnel via an artificial island, so as not to obstruct the flight path of the nearby airport.
Why go?
- To see one of Sweden's most iconic modern buildings
- To explore Malmö's contemporary waterfront district
- To add a different city texture to a Copenhagen–Malmö route
Travel tip
The building is usually viewed from outside; plan it together with the nearby waterfront walk and Västra Hamnen district.
