South Tower (Swedish: "
Söder Torn") is a high-rise building located on Fatburstrappan 18, next to
Fatbursparken on
Södermalm
Södermalm, often shortened to just Söder, is a district and island in central Stockholm.
Overview
The district covers the large island of the same name (formerly called ''Åsön''). Although Södermalm usually is considered an island, wat ...
in Stockholm. The building has a height of about above the ground including the "crown" and consists of 25 floors.
The Söder Torn complex contains three additional buildings, including one that abuts
Medborgarplatsen
Medborgarplatsen (literally ''Citizen Square'') is a large city square located near the center of the island of Södermalm in Stockholm, Sweden. The square is often colloquially referred to as "''Medis''".
Description
The development of the citi ...
.
Collectively, the buildings contain 172 condominium apartments and 5 businesses.
The South Tower itself has 85 apartments and one business.
A garage contains parking for both cars and motorcycles.
Site History and Building Description
The Tower's site was previously a lake called Fatburen, which had formed due to
isostatic uplift after the last glaciation.
By the 1700s, the lake had become polluted due to urban expansion, and by 1860 the lake had been filled in order to create a rail yard and train station.
The rail yard was closed in 1980 and the neighborhood re-developed into a residential district during the period 1985-1995 which features a large number of buildings in the
post-modern
Postmodernism is an intellectual stance or mode of discourseNuyen, A.T., 1992. The Role of Rhetorical Devices in Postmodernist Discourse. Philosophy & Rhetoric, pp.183–194. characterized by skepticism toward the " grand narratives" of moderni ...
style.
A
new train station was built underground in close proximity (300 meters) to the South Tower.
The Tower was originally designed by Danish architect
Henning Larsen
Henning Larsen, Hon. FAIA (20 August 1925 – 22 June 2013) was a Danish architect. He is internationally known for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Riyadh and the Copenhagen Opera House.
Larsen studied at the Royal Danish Academy ...
to have 40 floors. However, Larsen left the project in protest after Stockholm's city planning office forced the removal 16 floors from the building plan.
The floor plan is octagonal with five apartments on each level. The tower tapers with increasing height. The facades are clad with red granite slabs. In the centrally located stairwell there are two elevators and a spiral staircase. The 23rd and 24th floors have three multi-story apartments, and the top floor is a common party room with glass walls and a panoramic view of the city. Built by construction company
JM and finance company
SBC, it opened in 1997.
Gallery
File:Söder torn dec 2014a.jpg, The top room and the "crown"
File:Söder torn dec 2014b.jpg, Facade study
File:Söder torn dec 2014c.jpg, Windows study
File:Sodertornet at night.jpg, The South Tower at night
File:Nana fontaine (Niki de Saint Phalle).JPG, ''La Fontaine aux quatre Nanas''
Residential Qualities
The top floor of the building is a glass-enclosed party room and terrace with panoramic views of Stockholm.
There is an indoor swimming pool and sauna on a lower level.
A fountain sculpture at the Tower's base, ''La Fontaine aux quatre Nanas'' by French-American artist
Niki de Saint Phalle
Niki de Saint Phalle (; born Catherine Marie-Agnès Fal de Saint Phalle; 29 October 193021 May 2002) was a French-American sculptor, painter, filmmaker, and author of colorful hand-illustrated books. Widely noted as one of the few female monume ...
, attracts many viewers due to its styling and location adjacent to a heavily used path between
Stockholm South Station
Stockholm South, ''Stockholms södra'', Stockholm S, locally known as ''Södra Station'' (Southern Station) is a railway station in Södermalm, Stockholm, Sweden.
The Stockholm South railway station was originally opened in the year 1860, and w ...
and the plaza
Medborgarplatsen
Medborgarplatsen (literally ''Citizen Square'') is a large city square located near the center of the island of Södermalm in Stockholm, Sweden. The square is often colloquially referred to as "''Medis''".
Description
The development of the citi ...
.
Criticism
The development at Fatburen district was poorly received by some architectural critics, with one review specifically highlighting the South Tower as "a monument to post-modernism as a playhouse for urban development."
See also
*
Bofills båge
Bofills Båge (Swedish: "Bofill's Crescent") is a residential building on Södermalm, Stockholm, Sweden, at . The building was designed by the Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill and constructed between 1991 and 1992.
The building complex is formed ...
*
Medborgarplatsen
Medborgarplatsen (literally ''Citizen Square'') is a large city square located near the center of the island of Södermalm in Stockholm, Sweden. The square is often colloquially referred to as "''Medis''".
Description
The development of the citi ...
*
Södermalm
Södermalm, often shortened to just Söder, is a district and island in central Stockholm.
Overview
The district covers the large island of the same name (formerly called ''Åsön''). Although Södermalm usually is considered an island, wat ...
*
Stockholm South Station
Stockholm South, ''Stockholms södra'', Stockholm S, locally known as ''Södra Station'' (Southern Station) is a railway station in Södermalm, Stockholm, Sweden.
The Stockholm South railway station was originally opened in the year 1860, and w ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Soder Torn
Skyscrapers in Stockholm
Residential skyscrapers
Residential buildings in Sweden
Postmodern architecture