Skip to Content

Top 10 Famous Twisted Skyscrapers

When it comes to skyscraper architecture, a lot has happened over the past couple of decades.

Compared to the days of the early skyscrapers, several buildings have emerged that incorporate the most significant form of decoration into their overall design.

Some of the most notable examples are twisted buildings that have been constructed all around the world since the early 21st century.

In this article, you’ll discover some of the most famous twisted skyscrapers in the world, buildings that progressively rotate as they spiral upwards.

1. Turning Torso – Malmö, Sweden

The Turning Torso is the name of a revolutionary skyscraper in Malmö, Sweden. It was the first twisted building in the world that reached a complete 90-degree rotation and was therefore a pioneer in this particular type of design.

The Neo-Futurist building was defined by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and was completed in 2005. It stands 191 meters (627 feet) tall and is by far the most impressive feature of the Malmö skyline and won the 2005 Gold Emporis Skyscraper Award in the year it opened.

Turning Torso in Malmo
Turning Torso in Malmö / Wiki Commons

2. Evolution Tower – Moscow, Russia

The Evolution tower is a very robust twisted building and one of the most striking landmarks in Moscow. It’s far from being the tallest building at the Moscow International Business Center with a height of 246 meters (807 feet), but definitely the most prominent one.

The building was constructed between 2011 and 201 to serve as the headquarters of the Gazprombank. It was, however, sold for $1 billion by Transneft and serves as this pipeline company today. The structure was designed by a renowned British architect named Tony Kettle

Evolution Tower moscow
Evolution Tower in Moscow / Ninaras / Wiki Commons

3. Cayan Tower – Dubai, United Arab Emirates

The Cayan Tower is one of the multiple supertall buildings in Dubai that are located in a particular area of the Dubai Marina. This section of the city is known as the “Tallest Block in the World,” and that’s because it features multiple buildings that exceed 300 meters in height.


Art-Facts Youtube Channel

The twisted building features 75 floors and stands 306 meters tall (1,004 feet). It was constructed between 2006 and 2013 and would have been completed several years earlier if it was not for a disaster that occurred during construction. A protective wall was breached and the construction site was flooded.

Cayan Tower facts
Cayan Tower (right) / Wiki Commons

4. F&F Tower – Panama City, Panama

The F&F Tower is a stunning building in Panama City, the capital city of Panama in Central America. It was originally known as the Revolution Tower but was renamed to its current name in reference to the company that developed it, F&F Properties.

The tower stands 242.9 meters (796 feet) tall and features an incredible twist of 315 degrees. This makes it no wonder that it’s nicknamed “The Corkscrew.” The tower was completed between 2008 and 2011 and is used as an office tower.

Famous twisted skyscrapers FF Tower in Panama City
F&F Tower in Panama City / Mariordo / Wiki Commons

5. Absolute World – Mississauga, Canada

Absolute World is the name of a fantastic residential complex in Mississauga, a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. The entire complex features 5 buildings but the most striking one of them is definitely the tallest, a magnificent twisted skyscraper.

This building stands 179.5 meters (589 feet) and twists a total of 209 degrees from the floor to the top. Another remarkable feature about this amazing landmark is that not every floor twists at the same angle, something that sets it apart from other twisted buildings in this list.

Absolute World in Mississauga at night
Absolute World in Mississauga at night / Paul Bica / Wiki Commons

6. Generali Tower – Milan, Italy

The Generali Tower is a building in Milan, the capital city of the Lombardy region in northern Italy and the second-largest city in the country after Rome. It was designed by Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid (1950-2016) and completed between 2014 and 2017.

The building stands 191.5 meters (628 feet) tall and is commonly referred to as “Lo Storto” or “The Twisted One.” Because Hadid was such an influential architect who designed fascinating buildings all around the world, it’s also sometimes called “Torre Hadid” or the “Hadid Tower.”

Generali Tower in Milan
Generali Tower in Milan / Plflcn / Wiki Commons

7. Crown Sydney – Sydney, Australia

Crown Sydney is an incredible landmark in Sydney, New South Wales, and is located in the Barangaroo district in the heart of the city. It’s the tallest building in Sydney with a height of 271.3 meters (890 feet) and one of the tallest buildings in Australia as well.

The distinctive building was designed by London-based architectural firm WilkinsonEyre, a company best known for designing the Gateshead Millennium Bridge. Constructed between 2016 and 2020, the tower features both condominiums and the Crown Sydney Hotel.

Crown Sydney landmarks
Crown Sydney / MDRX / Wiki Commons

8. Avaz Twist Tower – Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Avaz Twist Tower is by far the most distinctive building in Sarajevo, the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Southeastern Europe. It’s one of the most prominent new additions to the city’s skyline as it was completed between 2006 and 2008.

The tower stands 172 meters (564 feet) and although the twist from the ground to the top is only 90 degrees, the glass surface of the tower makes it very visible. The building was commissioned by “Dnevni Avaz,” the most popular newspaper company in the country, and serves as its headquarters.

Avaz Twist Tower in Sarajevo
Avaz Twist Tower in Sarajevo / Fred Romero / Wiki Commons

9. Lakhta Center – Saint Petersburg, Russia

The Lakhta Center is the name of an incredibly tall skyscraper in the Lakhta district in the northern part of Saint Petersburg, Russia. The building stands 462 meters (1,516 feet) tall, a number that makes it by far the tallest skyscraper in Europe and one of the top 20 tallest skyscrapers in the world.

It’s not the tallest building in Russia, though, because this honor is reserved for the Ostankino Tower, a famous tower that stands 540.1 meters (1,772 feet) tall. What’s remarkable about this building is that its isolated location makes it stands out in the flat landscape that surrounds it.

Lakhta Center in Saint Petersburg
Lakhta Center in Saint Petersburg / Anton Galakhov / Wiki Commons

10. Shanghai Tower – Shanghai, China

The Shanghai Tower is the tallest twisted skyscraper in the world and significantly taller than the second-tallest, the Lakhta Center. This megatall skyscraper in Shanghai stands 632 meters tall (2,073 feet), a height that also makes it the third-tallest building in the world.

Constructed between 2008 and 2015, this tower stands right next to the Jin Mao Tower and the Shanghai World Financial Center, two other supertall buildings in the Pudong District of Shanghai. Together, these form the world’s only triple-supertall block on the planet.

Famous twisted buildings Shanghai Tower
The Shanghai ToweWikiWIki Commons