Danish architecture studio BIG has unveiled the 222-metre-high Telus Sky Tower in Calgary, Alberta, which has a pixelated facade that twists diagonally from its base and "stands like a lady in a cluster of cowboys".
The studio revealed photos of the skyscraper, which was completed in 2020, showing its twisted design that was created to signify the shift between the office and residential programs of the building.
Danish architecture studio BIG designed a twisting skyscraper for Alberta
Its curving form is meant to diversify the skyline, which is otherwise characterised by corporate office towers and car-oriented avenues.
"The car is an essential part of everyday life moving people in and out of the city, with the programmatic uniformity of the downtown leaving the area empty at night as people return home," said BIG.  The tower has office and residential programs
"By stacking the homes on an office tower, Telus Sky generates a programmatically diversified building with activity throughout the day," the studio added.
The 60-storey skyscraper's twisting facade and pixelated exterior enabled the studio to create balconies for the inhabitants of the residential upper stories.
The twisting facade allows the residential units to be set back from one another
As the tower rises, the floorplates become smaller and are stepped back from the footprint of the base.
BIG founder Bjarke Ingels said that this movement gives the tower a sense of femininity in...