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The Gherkin

This article is about the London skyscraper. For the pickled cucumber, see Gherkin.

The Gherkin
Seen from Leadenhall Street
Map
Alternative names30 St Mary Axe / the Swiss Re Building
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeOffice
Architectural styleNeo-futuristic / hi-tech / post-modern
Location30 St Mary Axe,
London, EC3[1][2]
Coordinates51°30′52″N 00°04′49″W / 51.51444°N 0.08028°W / 51.51444; -0.08028
Construction started2001
Completed2003 [3]
Opened28 April 2004 (2004-04-28)[4][5]
Cost£138 million (plus land cost of £90.6 million)[8]
adjusted for inflation: £288 million (plus land cost of £201 million)[8][9]
OwnerSafra Group[6]
Height
Roof180 metres (591 ft)
Technical details
Floor count41
Floor area64,470 square metres (693,900 sq ft)
Design and construction
Architect(s)Foster + Partners
Structural engineerArup
Main contractorSkanska
Website
thegherkin.com
References
[7]

The Gherkin, formally 30 St Mary Axe and previously known as the Swiss Re Building, is a commercial skyscraper in London's primary financial district, the City of London. It was completed in December 2003 and opened in April 2004.[10] With 41 floors, it is 180 metres (591 ft) tall[3] and stands on the sites of the former Baltic Exchange and Chamber of Shipping, which were extensively damaged in 1992 in the Baltic Exchange bombing by a device placed by the Provisional IRA in St Mary Axe, a narrow street leading north from Leadenhall Street.[4][11]

After plans to build the 92-storey Millennium Tower were dropped, 30 St Mary Axe was designed by Foster + Partners and the Arup Group.[12] It was built by Skanska; construction started in 2001.[3]

The building has become a recognisable landmark of London, and it is one of the city's most widely recognised examples of contemporary architecture. It won the 2003 Emporis Skyscraper Award.

  1. ^ "Gherkin London".
  2. ^ "The Gherkin".
  3. ^ a b c "30 St Mary Axe, London". Skanska. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2010.
  4. ^ a b "30 St Mary Axe". Emporis. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2010.
  5. ^ Worsley, Giles (28 April 2004). "Glory of the Gherkin". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Safra was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "30 St Mary Axe". Emporis. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016.
  8. ^ a b "30 St Marys Axe, London – Building #58". Skyscrapernews.com. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
  9. ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  10. ^ "30 St Mary Axe". Emporis. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2010.
  11. ^ "1993: IRA bomb devastates City of London". BBC News. 24 April 1993. Archived from the original on 27 April 2009. Retrieved 2 February 2010.
  12. ^ "30 St Mary Axe (The Gherkin)". Arup. Archived from the original on 18 February 2010. Retrieved 4 February 2010.
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