The twisted skyscraper
Malmö’s Turning Torso, designed by Santiago Calatrava, is the world’s first twisting skyscraper and Scandinavia’s tallest tower at 190 metres. It celebrated its 10th birthday on August 27, 2015, and won the CTBUH’s (Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat) ‘10 Year Award’ the same year.
The moveable church
Gustav Wickman’s Kiruna kyrka from 1912 has been voted Sweden’s most beloved building of all time. Due to extensive mining, it will be taken apart, moved and reconstructed in a new location along with the rest of the northern city of Kiruna in the forthcoming years
The microscope
Europe’s most precise electron microscope – an instrument so sensitive to vibrations, sounds and electromagnetic fields that it needs a building of its own – is covered with titanium plates. It boldly stands out among offices and classrooms on the campus of Linköping University.
The micronation
Nimis, meaning ‘too much’ in Latin, is a controversial site-specific art installation started by Lars Vilks in 1980. Measuring 100 metres wide and with towers as high as 25 metres, it’s an impressive architectural playground. Viewers can climb into and enter the buildings made of driftwood, as well as admire them from the beach, the sea and the heights of the nature reserve of Kullaberg
The sauna
A new neighbourhood is being developed in Frihamnen in Gothenburg, and a sauna – Svettekörka – became the first step. This spectacular yet unpretentious small-scale landmark was built using locally recycled material and locally sourced volunteers. Free of charge and available to the public, the sauna is built in a basin that is part of the river Göta älv. Architects: Jan Liesegang and Francesco Apuzzo from Berlin-based office Raumlabor.
The small-town civic hall
Sweden’s most extravagant civic hall is located in the small, southern town of Eslöv. It was completed in 1957 by Hans Asplund as the young architect’s first major building. The materials for the deluxe civic hall were carefully chosen – without regard for either price or technique. Criticised at first, Medborgarhuset’s material and aesthetic quality is nowadays considered a high watermark of detailed, expressive and spatially rich civic architecture.
The hotel among the trees
The Mirrorcube is one of the half-dozen havens of contemporary architecture that is Treehotel (2010), way up in Harads in the north of Sweden. Renowned Swedish architects – Tham & Videgård, Cyrén & Cyrén, Inredningsgruppen and Sandell Sandberg – have worked on the buildings.
The bridge
Öresundsbron – with a structure encompassing a tunnel and an artificial island – connects Sweden with Denmark and was designed by COWI. Besides being our planet’s longest cable-tied road and rail bridge, it was finished in August 1999, three months ahead of schedule, and won the IABSE Outstanding Structure Award in 2002.
