SOM's twisting tower wins design competition for Sweden's tallest skyscraper

The winner of Serneke's competition to design Sweden's tallest skyscraper has been announced. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill beat out four other finalists, including Zaha Hadid.

The skyscraper, which will reach 230 meters and is named Polstjärnan, or "The Pole Star," is to be built in Gothenburg, Sweden.

With a 32,000-sm master plan, it will be wholly residential. At its apex, the tower will have four connected prisms, which twist 90 degrees, Arch Daily reports.

When discussing why the design won, the jury cited the plan's harmony with the larger city, calling SOM's design “an identity-building proposal that takes a smart holistic approach to both the skyscraper and the urban environment."

In addition, the jury stated the the project simply made sense economically, while providing comfortable living spaces: "The repetitive structure makes the building easy to produce cost-effectively. The homes are well-composed, with good views and good outdoor spaces in all directions. Overall, the proposal is successful in its endeavor to create an attractive urban setting and a visually striking superstructure." You can read the jury's full statement here.

The high-rise building is expected to be completed by 2019 and is the centerpiece of a new, 200,000-sm mixed-use city due to be fully completed in 2012, to celebrate Gothenburg's 400th anniversary.

All renderings courtesy SOM.

The jury consisted of:

Björn Siesjö, architect SAR/MSA City Architect Stadsbyggnadskontoret Göteborg
Anders Svensson, architect SAR/MSA, the Älvstad Project Stadsbyggnadskontoret Göteborg
Olle Lindkvist, Älvstranden Utvecklings AB
Erica Bengtsson, Environmental Strategist, Älvstranden Utvecklings AB
Ola Serneke, VD Serneke AB
Alban Herlitz, Project Development Manager Serneke AB
Louise Masreliez, architect SAR/MSA appointed by Sveriges Arkitekter
Christer Malmström, architect SAR/MSA appointed by Sveriges Arkitekter

Founded in 2009 with an initial endowment of $1.9 million, HMC’s nonprofit Designing Futures Foundation (DFF) has donated about $230,000 in its three years of existence, including $105,000 in scholarships to California students. The grants help promising high schoolers with an interest in architecture, design, engineering, education, or healthcare pay for expenses like test preparation services, computers, and college entrance exam fees and tuition. The scholarships can be extended for up to five years of college.

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