Tuesday is your last chance to see “Architecture with a Twist,” a pairing of short films at the Gene Siskel Film Center. The first, “The Socialist, the Architect, and the Twisted Tower,” concerns ze architect Santiago Calatrava — whose latest design for the Chicago Spire has just been unveiled — and his Turning Torso tower in Malmö, Sweden. In “Building the Gherkin,” a Dutch filmmaker positions the story of the construction of London’s 30 St Mary Axe (widely referred to as “The Gherkin”) parallel to the public debate over the positive or negative impact the building will have on the City of London skyline. The Gherkin (pictured), designed by famed (and multiply titled) British architect Sir Norman Foster, has proven a most polarizing architectural statement in London — what are some Chicago buildings that have had the same effect?
You can get your fill of the Gherkin and the Torso at 8:00 p.m. tomorrow at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N State St. Tickets are $9.