30 St Mary Axe

Related people

Foster Associates (was created by)
Norman Robert Foster (was created by)
Foster and Partners (architect)

Date

2001-2004 (creation)

Location

Europe->United Kingdom->England->London

Description

The building was designed by Lord Foster, his then business partner Ken Shuttleworth, and Arup engineers, and was constructed by Skanska of Sweden in 2001-2004. The Swiss Re Headquarters at 30 St Mary Axe,popularly known as the Gherkin, won the Stirling Prize for 2004. 30 St Mary Axe is London's first environmental skyscraper, located in the heart of the City of London. A comprehensive range of sustainable measures mean that the building will use 50% less energy than a traditional prestige office building. Fresh air is drawn up through the spiraling light-wells to naturally ventilate the office interiors and minimize reliance on artificial cooling and heating. The light-wells and the shape of the building maximize natural daylight, moderate the use of artificial lighting and allow views out from deep within the building. The exterior cladding consists of 5,500 flat triangular and diamond shaped glass panels, which vary at each level. The glazing to the office areas consists of a double-glazed outer layer and a single-glazed inner screen that sandwich a central ventilated cavity which contains solar-control blinds. The building is currently the 6th tallest in London. "London's first ecological tall building and an instantly recognizable addition to the city's skyline, 30 St Mary Axe is rooted in a radical approach - technically, architecturally, socially and spatially. Commissioned by Swiss Re, one of the world's leading reinsurance companies, it rises forty-one stories and provides 76,400 square meters of accommodation, including offices and a shopping arcade accessed from a newly created public plaza. At the very top of the building is London's highest occupied floor - a club room that offers a spectacular 360-degree panorama across the capital." Keywords: London, England, views, high-rise, office building, commercial structures, public plaza, green architecture, multistory buildings, energy conservation systems, site reuse, environmental planning, 30 Saint Mary Axe

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