Taiwanese "technological tree"

The skyline of Taichung, the third largest city in Taiwan, will never be the same after the winner of the Taiwan Tower Conceptual International Competition was recently announced. The 390 meter (1,280 foot) tower looks like a docking station for airships with a number of large inflated elements on its sides. Designed by Romanian architect Dorin Stefan, the prizewinning scheme is slated to begin construction in 2012. Dorin explained the design represented a "technological tree," with elevator observatories shaped like the island of Taiwan, which is leaf-shaped.

The tower, standing over 300 meters high, will include an information center, museum, office tower, conference venue, fixed and floating observation decks, restaurants, and an urban park.

The floating elevator observatories can take up to 80 people and are built from lightweight materials developed by the space industries, and covered by a new generation membrane of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). Their design was influenced by science fiction computer games. They move up and down on a vertical track positioned within a strong electromagnetic field and are “self-sustained” by helium balloons. The observatories provide the key exhibit of the museum for the visitors — the city itself — and when nested they are themselves exhibits.

The design’s “green” features include a small footprint, natural ventilation through the “chimney” effect, turbines and solar cells to generate power for the building, a fiber optics dome to light basement areas and museum spaces, and rainwater collection and purification. There is also a geothermal power plant in the basement for heating in winter and for heating water.

The Taiwan Tower will be the tallest building in Taichung, but is much shorter than the tallest building in Taiwan, the Taipei 101 skyscraper. The design was chosen from 237 entrants from 25 countries and gives Dorin a prize of around $130,000 as well as the chance to have the tower built to his design. Building of the tower on the one hectare site within sight of the Taiwan Strait is expected to begin in 2012 and take two years to complete.

Turning Torso

Turning Torso¹ is the tallest skyscraper in Sweden and the Nordic countries, situated in Malmö, Sweden, located on the Swedish side of the Öresund strait. Upon completion, it was the tallest building in Scandinavia, the tallest residential building in the EU and the second tallest residential building in Europe, after the 264‑metre (866 ft) Triumph Palace in Moscow.

It was designed by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and officially opened on 27 August 2005. The tower reaches a height of 190 metres (623 feet) with 54 stories.

Conceived to enhance and enlarge a public area, defined by the intersection of two main roads, the “Turning Torso” building is meant to be seen as a free-standing sculptural element posed within the cityscape.

In the original sculpture of Turning Torso, seven cubes are set around a steel support to produce a spiral structure, which resembles a twisting human spine.

In the Turning Torso building, the spiralling tower is composed of nine box units, each of five floors. The equivalent in the tower of the sculpture's steel support is the nucleus of internal elevators and stairs, through which the box units communicate.

All the apartments have unique layouts depending on their position in the building. The living rooms are large and open, often with views in two directions. The impression of light and space is reinforced by the elevated ceiling in the living rooms. The large, slightly tilted windows give the apartments a generous flow of natural light and fantastic views of Malmö, and Copenhagen across the Öresund Strait.

The 53rd and 54th floor, with magnificent 360-degree views, will have conference facilities driven by HSB Malmö under the name of “Torso Meeting.” The interior, including the artwork, is also designed by Santiago Calatrava.

The framework consists of the core, shaped like a concrete pipe. Inside the core a concrete construction houses lift shafts and staircases. The structural slabs, shaped like slices of a pie that are fitted together to form an entire floor, are anchored in the core. Each floor is rotated to create the characteristic twist of the building. The facade is curved aluminum panels, with windows leaning either inwards or outwards, in order to follow the twist of the building. An exoskeleton around the building’s front face is made of tapered white steel tubes. Following the concrete perimeter column, the exoskeleton’s single upright is fixed to the tower between each module with horizontal and inclined tubes. These tubes reach back to steel anchors embedded in shear walls at the building’s back corners. While the spine column takes perimeter vertical loads, the exoskeleton around it provides wind resistance and dampens the building’s vibrations.

Since 2009, it is possible for general public to visit the top of the building. This is only allowed during a few summer weeks, and with pre-booking only, limited number of tickets. As Turning Torso is a private residential building, public access is otherwise avoided.