The Rotating Towers

A tower in which all floors can rotate 360 degrees around a concrete core, otherwise known as a rotating tower. It sounds almost like science fiction. But Iv and its partner Bosch Rexroth have created a structural design for it. The concept of the rotating tower was to provide a place to live, work and enjoy recreation. A rotating building constantly changes shape, so the silhouette of the tower is always different. Each rotating floor of the building contains one or more apartments, hotel rooms or office space. All the amenities of a luxury building are available on each floor.

The rotating tower is an extraordinary structure. All floors must be able to move freely without becoming separate entities. The rotation is controlled for each individual floor. The building consists of a round, vertical concrete core to which prefabricated modules are attached at each level. These modules together form a rotating floor. The core contains lifts, stairwells and technical rooms. The attachment, bearing and drive mechanisms of the rotating floors to the central core were the main challenge for Iv. The floors must rotate without exceeding the human perception threshold for movements; in other words, one should not notice that they are in motion. Iv also designed the transition from the stationary core to the rotating floor. Challenges included the risk of entrapment, clean water supply, dirty water drainage, and energy and communication connections. Smart solutions were incorporated into the design for these aspects.

The structure of the tower is innovative for a project of this size. Although the concept was not realised in practice, the original intention was to build the tower in different sections and join them on location. This approach would ensure a higher quality product and significantly reduce construction time.