The Gherkin
30 St Mary Axe is a skyscraper in London's financial district, the City of London. It was formerly named the Swiss Re Building, after Swiss Reinsurance Company. The tower is also known as "The Gherkin". The building was finished in December 2003. It was opened at the end of May 2004.[2] Swiss Re Tower has 41 floors. The tower is 180 metres (591 ft) tall.[1] It is on the site of the former Baltic Exchange, which was badly damaged in 1992 by the explosion of a bomb by the Provisional IRA.[2][3]
| 30 St Mary Axe | |
|---|---|
 30 St Mary Axe, with St Andrew Undershaft in the foreground, pictured from Leadenhall Street | |
| General information | |
| Type | Office |
| Location | St. Mary Axe London, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 51°30′52″N 00°04′49″W / 51.51444°N 0.08028°WCoordinates: 51°30′52″N 00°04′49″W / 51.51444°N 0.08028°W |
| Construction started | 2001 |
| Completed | 2003[1] |
| Height | |
| Roof | 180 metres (591 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 41 |
| Floor area | 47,950 square metres (516,100 sq ft) |
| Design and construction | |
| Main contractor | Skanska |
| Architect | Foster and Partners |
| Structural engineer | Arup |
| References | |
| 30 St Mary Axe at Emproris | |
30 St Mary Axe was designed by Norman Foster and Arup engineers.[4] It was built by Skanska in 2001–2003.[1]
The building has become an iconic symbol of London. It is one of the city's most well known examples of modern architecture.[5]
The Gherkin Media
Aerial view showing complete structure
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "30 St Mary Axe, London". Skanska. Archived from the original on 2010-02-04. Retrieved 2010-02-04.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "30 St Mary Axe". Emporis. Retrieved 2010-02-04.
- ↑ 1993: IRA bomb devastates City of London. BBC News. 24 April 1993. Archived from the original on 27 April 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090427102926/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/24/newsid_2523000/2523345.stm. Retrieved 2010-02-02.
- ↑ "30 St Mary Axe (The Gherkin)". Arup. Archived from the original on 18 February 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-04.
- ↑ "30 St. Mary Axe | modern architecture london". Archived from the original on 2012-11-16. Retrieved 2012-11-03.