Buildings with Twisted Massive Structures Can be Twisted and Economical


Over the past century, skyscrapers have not only grown taller but also changed shape, at times even twisting as they stretch toward the clouds. The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat—an international organization focused on the planning, design, and construction of skyscrapers—recently released a report on the world’s best designed twisting towers. According to the study, a spiraling building is one that progressively rotates its floor plates or its façade as it gains height. Sure, the results can be, and often are, spectacular. Yet the twisting designs aren’t just for the looks; they can save developers a lot of money as well. The Shanghai Tower, for example, soars 2,073 feet high and has a twist that reduces wind load by 24 percent, ultimately saving $58 million in structural material over the course of its construction. Here, AD surveys the top ten ranked twisting structures from the council’s report.

10. Completed in 2009, the 716-foot-tall Al Tijaria Tower in Kuwait was designed by Al Jazera Consultants.

9. The Al Majdoul Tower in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, will be completed this year. Standing 761 feet tall, the skyscraper was created by Zeidler Partnership Architects. 





8. Panama’s F&F Tower spirals 764 feet high. Completed in 2011, the structure was designed by Pinzón Lozano & Asociados. 





 
7. The Supernova Spira in Noida, India, was designed by the international firm Benoy. When the building is completed in 2017, it will stand 984 feet high, making it the country’s tallest building. 





6. Built in 2015 by RMJM, Moscow’s Evolution Tower rises 807 feet in the air. 





5. Dubai’s Cayan Tower by architects George J. Efstathiou and Ross Wimer rises 1,008 feet and was completed in 2013.




  

4. The Ocean Heights tower in Dubai, which is slighter taller than 1,000 feet, was designed by architect Andrew Bromberg and finished in 2010.






3. Created by the firm Buruoj, Saudi Arabia’s Diamond Tower will be 1,417 feet tall upon completion in 2019.








2. The Lakhta Center in St. Petersburg is slated to be finished in 2018. Designed by Tony Kettle, the skyscraper will rise some 1,516 feet when completed. 




1. Completed in 2015 by Gensler, the Shanghai Tower in China rises 2,073 feet in the air.