An amazing trend emerged when a remarkable skyscraper was completed in Malmö in Sweden in the year 2005.
The top floor of this peculiar building referred to as the “Turning Torso” twists at a 90-degree angle compared to the first floor.
Needless to say that this fascinating design produces an equally fascinating appearance of the building.
That’s why this design has been copied all over the world, and in this post, we’ll take a closer look at one of those so you can discover some interesting facts about the Evolution Tower.
1. The tower is located at the MIBC in Moscow
The Evolution Tower is a fascinating skyscraper in Moscow, Russia, located at the city’s MIBC. This is an abbreviation of the “Moscow International Business District,” one of the main commercial development areas in the city.
This district is located on the north bank of the Moskva River, a river flowing through the western part of Moscow. It occupies an area of about 60 hectares and is situated 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) directly to the west of the Red Square, the most iconic square in the city which features the Kremlin and St. Basil’s Cathedral.
2. It’s not the tallest skyscraper in the world
As you surely noticed from the image above, the Evolution Tower is far from being the tallest skyscraper in the world. It is, however, one of the most iconic because of its remarkable twisting design. In that sense, it’s comparable to the Gherkin in London.
The tower features 51 floors and has an architectural height of 246 meters (807 feet). The top floor is located 220 meters (722 feet) above ground level.
It also has 17 elevators and a total floor area of 82,000 square meters (882,641 square feet).
3. The tower was designed by a renowned British architect
The tower was designed by British architect Tony Kettle, a man who is famously known for his design of the “Falkirk Wheel,” one of the most fascinating boat lifts in the UK which can raise boats 24 meters (79 feet).
Further, he has been involved in the construction of the Scottish Parliament Building, as well as the “Lakhta Center” in Saint Petersburg, the tallest building in Europe at 462 meters (1,516 feet).
4. It twists a lot more than the Turning Torso in Sweden
The top floor of the Turning Torso in Malmö twists at a 90-degree angle, which was quite revolutionary upon completion in the year 2005. Obviously, as the trend of twisting towers expanded across the globe, the boundaries were gradually pushed just a little further.
Each floor of the tower in Moscow twists 3 degrees compared to the one below, which means that with 51 floors, the top floor is twisted at a 150-degree angle.
One of the most interesting Evolution Tower facts is that the central core and 8 supporting columns are completely vertical all the way to the top of the tower, which is in sheer contrast to the elements they support.
5. It took just over 3 years to complete the building
The construction of this fantastic building started in the year 2011 and was completed on October 6, 2014. This means that it took just over 3 years to complete this amazing skyscraper.
The main contractor who made this happen was a Turkish Company called Rönesans Holding, a company originally founded in Saint Petersburg in 1993.
6. The tower originally had some different names
Even though the tower was built as an office building, this wasn’t the original plan. This plan involved a multi-purpose project called the “City Palace” and even the “Wedding palace.”
Because of the Great Recession in the late 2000s, these plans were shelved and the main developer, Snegiri Development, decided to build an office tower instead. This has resulted in one of the most amazing office towers in the world.
7. The tower stands on a remarkable architectural feature
Did you know that the tower stands on a feature once used to support Ancient temples? This architectural feature is referred to as a “Stylobate” and originally supported the columns of temples in Ancient Greece.
Today in Moscow, this feature is used to both support the tower and create the “Evolution Gallery,” a 3-level terrace covering an area of 28,000 square meters (300,000 square feet) which features multiple additional commercial facilities.
Going up and down the tower’s base can be done by several staircases on all sides.
8. It was a very expensive building to construct
Little is known about the financials to construct the tower apart from the fact that the developers received a loan from Gazprombank in August 2011 worth USD 345 million.
Experts, on the other hand, estimated that the total cost of the tower was anywhere between $446 million to USD 520 million, a staggering figure!
9. It was sold to a transport company for USD 1 billion
If these numbers are correct then it means that the developers got an amazing deal, regardless of the perceived high cost to build the tower. That’s because the tower was sold for about double the estimated construction cost less than 2 years after the tower was completed!
In the Spring of 2016, a deal was made in which Transneft, a state-controlled pipeline transport company, bought the tower for a whopping USD 1 billion! This company now uses the tower as its headquarters.
10. The top of the tower features two amazing arches
The top of the tower features two architectural design elements in the form of 2 asymmetrical arches. These arches were integrated to create the effect as if the two opposite façades of the tower are connected.
Another one of those remarkable Evolution Tower facts is that these arches, which span across about 42 meters (137 feet), were manufactured in Piedmont, Italy, and delivered in pieces by trucks to Russia.
11. The glass of the tower’s façade creates an optical illusion
The arches on top of the tower aren’t the only features that were manufactured by a foreign company. The glass façade, which consists of cold-mirror SunGuard High-Performance glass and covers the curved façade over a total area of 60,000 square meters (650,000 square feet), was produced by a U.S.-based company.
This company is Guardian Industries, an industrial manufacturer of glass-based in Auburn Hills, Michigan.
Because of the twisted design of the tower, the glass façade also creates an optical illusion as it reflects the Moscow skyline upside down at a 90-degree angle!
12. The tower is a fantastic addition to Moscow’s skyline
Even though this skyscraper is only the 11th tallest skyscraper in Moscow, the 12th tallest in Russia, and the 22nd tallest in Europe (at the time of writing in February 2021), it can still be considered as one of the most fascinating additions to the Moscow skyline.
The twisting design isn’t unique anymore, but there aren’t a huge number of structures like this in the world, so it gives the city’s skyline an extra edge as it’s definitely one of the most iconic skyscrapers in the world!
