FX.co ★ 8 most stunning twisted buildings

Turning Torso, Sweden

Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava was a pioneer in creating spiral-shaped buildings. In 2005, in the Swedish city of Malmö, he designed the 190-meter “twisted” tower Turning Torso. The shape of the skyscraper was based on the form of a twisting human torso. The tower consists of 9 blocks of pentagon-shaped prisms that twist relative to each other as it rises. Turning Torso is one of the few buildings which has both exterior and interior steel supporting frame in it.

Shanghai Tower, China

The Shanghai Tower is the world's tallest twisted building - 632 m high. The building is a part of a composition consisting of three cutting-edge skyscrapers. The tower’s design is unique and harmonic. It takes the form of nine cylindrical buildings stacked atop each other, all enclosed by the inner layer of the glass facade. Each of the nine zones has its own atrium, featuring gardens, cafés, restaurants, and shopping areas with panoramic views of the city. Architects managed to create a skyscraper that meets international environmental standards.

Cayan Tower, Dubai

The Cayan Tower is a residential skyscraper built in 2017 in Dubai. Its unusual design is achieved through twisting the tower walls from the foundation to the top exactly by 90 degrees, with each floor rotated by 1.2 degrees around a cylindrical elevator. The interior of the building is protected from direct sunlight by movable screen panels. All communications are located in the central " service core" of the tower. Its observation deck provides a breathtaking view of the city. The skyscraper is 307 m tall.

F&F Tower, Panama

This amazing tower became the first spiral-shaped building in Latin America. It was built in the downtown of Panama City in 2011. The skyscraper design is rather complex and is based on rotating geometry and a prism. With the help of the talented local architects, this audacious project was brought to life. As a result, the 243-meter steel-concrete skyscraper, lined with sparkling mirror tiles, giving the building a futuristic look, has become the main attraction of the city.

AL Tijaria Tower, Kuwait

AL Tijaria Tower, built in 2009, is 218 m tall. It has a spiral structure that is built around a circular-shaped core. The tower is constructed from slab edges which are shifted against each other in a clockwise manner from floor to floor. This is how the skyscraper twists by 80 degrees as it climbs from the ground level to the top floor. The tower features vertically organized six-storey sections, each with a private atrium garden.

United Tower, Bahrain

A unique 50-storey skyscraper United Tower, built in 2017, is located on an artificial island in the bay of Bahrain. The tower looks like a huge drill. The spiral starts its twist on the octagonal foundation rotating counterclockwise and providing a magnificent view of the bay. A luxury five-star hotel occupies the first 14 floors of the skyscraper, while the rest of the building is dedicated to offices, shops, and apartments. The tower’s height is 200 m.

Mode Gakuen Spiral Tower, Japan

The 170-meter Mode Gakuen Spiral Tower was built in Nagoya, Japan, in 2008. The spiral building houses three vocational schools: a fashion college, a school of information technology and design, and a medical school. The supporting structure of the building consists of a central core made of steel columns filled with concrete. This central core supports the three cone-shaped wings of the tower. Mode Gakuen Spiral is equipped with one of the most advanced seismic isolation systems in Japan which makes it resistant against strong earthquakes.

Generali Tower, Italy

Generali Tower was designed by a brilliant architect Zaha Hadid in 2018. It reaches a height of 170 m. The skyscraper has become the heart of the large-scale CityLife project. The building is totally “green” as it is equipped with the most advanced alternative energy systems. The tower features sunshades, natural ventilation, and a daylight system. The supporting structures provide energy-efficient heating and cooling.