Johnny Örbäck
Encyclopedia
Johnny Örbäck is a former head of the Malmö
, Sweden
division of the company HSB
, who was the driving force behind the construction of Scandinavia's tallest structure "Turning Torso
" designed by Santiago Calatrava
.
The immense structure was beset by construction defects since it was the first attempt to build such an unusually shaped building. Due to massive cost overrun
s, Örbäck was forced out as head of the company. Many people criticized his attempt to build high-priced luxurious housing in Malmö, since it went against HSB's socialist roots. He defended it by comparing it to a Formula-1 car, which is expensive and unique but creates innovations which eventually are passed on to mass-produced cars. Likewise, he hoped Turning Torso would become the new standard in the future for middle class homes. According to a film aired recently on the LINK channel, Örbäck was eventually forced out of the project, which experienced massive cost overruns.
In 2007, Johnny Örbäck was together with another former HSB executive and a former real estate agent from Helsingborg
taken to trial on charges of fraud against HSB. On 12 December 2007, all three were sentenced to 18 months in prison, having caused HSB losses of 38 million Swedish crowns.
However, when the case in 2008 was reviewed in the appellate court
of Sweden, Johnny Örbäck and other parties were acquitted from all charges.
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
division of the company HSB
HSB (Sweden)
HSB is a cooperative association for housing in Sweden. Members of the association are HSB's customers, i.e. individuals or groups that have bought properties from HSB. Any entity that buys any property from HSB will automatically become a member....
, who was the driving force behind the construction of Scandinavia's tallest structure "Turning Torso
Turning Torso
HSB Turning Torso is the tallest skyscraper in Sweden and the Nordic countries, situated in Malmö, Sweden, located on the Swedish side of the Öresund strait. Upon completion, it was the tallest building in Scandinavia, the tallest residential building in the EU and the second tallest residential...
" designed by Santiago Calatrava
Santiago Calatrava
Santiago Calatrava Valls is a Spanish architect, sculptor and structural engineer whose principal office is in Zürich, Switzerland. Classed now among the elite designers of the world, he has offices in Zürich, Paris, Valencia, and New York City....
.
The immense structure was beset by construction defects since it was the first attempt to build such an unusually shaped building. Due to massive cost overrun
Cost overrun
A cost overrun, also known as a cost increase or budget overrun, is an unexpected cost incurred in excess of a budgeted amount due to an under-estimation of the actual cost during budgeting...
s, Örbäck was forced out as head of the company. Many people criticized his attempt to build high-priced luxurious housing in Malmö, since it went against HSB's socialist roots. He defended it by comparing it to a Formula-1 car, which is expensive and unique but creates innovations which eventually are passed on to mass-produced cars. Likewise, he hoped Turning Torso would become the new standard in the future for middle class homes. According to a film aired recently on the LINK channel, Örbäck was eventually forced out of the project, which experienced massive cost overruns.
In 2007, Johnny Örbäck was together with another former HSB executive and a former real estate agent from Helsingborg
Helsingborg
Helsingborg is a city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 97,122 inhabitants in 2010. Helsingborg is the centre of an area in the Øresund region of about 320,000 inhabitants in north-west Scania, and is Sweden's closest point to Denmark, with the Danish city...
taken to trial on charges of fraud against HSB. On 12 December 2007, all three were sentenced to 18 months in prison, having caused HSB losses of 38 million Swedish crowns.
However, when the case in 2008 was reviewed in the appellate court
Appellate court
An appellate court, commonly called an appeals court or court of appeals or appeal court , is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal...
of Sweden, Johnny Örbäck and other parties were acquitted from all charges.