Down the lane of the noughties (Edifices) [2/10]

2. 30 St Mary Axe/ The Gherkin (2003-2004)

30 St Mary Axe/ Gherkin

Better known as the "gherkin" since it is reminiscent of "a small prickly cucumber" (though it reminds me something else) this 600-ft office tower is one of the tallest buildings in London. Due to its phallic shape, it it has also been caled the 'erotic gherkin.' Noted for being environmentally sustainable, the Times called the building ian "eco-building pioneer." Designed by Norman Foster. Norman Foster’s Gherkin was admired and scorned. Most were awed by his office tower, although some thought it symbolised the cocksure ambition of the City. Its pleasures are chiefly for those who work here: the skygardens are impressive, and the restaurant is one of the world’s most breathtaking new rooms.

The Gherkin - From the inside

FACTS:

• The building was constructed by Skanska, completed in December 2003 and opened on 28 April 2004.
• The primary occupant of the building is Swiss Re, a global reinsurance company, who had the building commissioned as the head office for their UK operation. The tower is sometimes known as "Swiss Re Tower".
• With 40 floors, the tower is 190 metres (623 ft) tall and stands in  the London's main financial district City Of London.
• On the building's top level (the 40th floor), there is a bar for tenants and their guests featuring a 360° view of London.
• The building is visible over long distances some 32 kilometres (20 mi) away from the north for instance.

CONSTRUCTIONAL SINGULARITIES:

During Construction

• The building uses energy-saving methods which allow it to use half the power a similar tower would typically consume.
• Gaps in each floor create six shafts that serve as a natural ventilation system for the entire building even though required firebreaks on every sixth floor interrupt the "chimney."
• The shafts create a giant double glazing effect; air is sandwiched between two layers of glazing and insulates the office space inside.
• The shafts pull warm air out of the building during the summer and warm the building in the winter using passive solar heating. The shafts also allow sunlight to pass through the building, making the work environment more pleasing, and keeping the lighting costs down.
• It uses active mass dampers to reduce the sway caused by the winds.
• its fully triangulated perimeter structure makes the building sufficiently stiff without any extra reinforcements. Despite its overall curved glass shape, there is only one piece of curved glass on the building — the lens-shaped cap at the very top.
• On 21 February 2007, IVG Immobilien AG and UK investment firm Evans Randall completed their joint purchase of the building for GB£ 630 million, making it Britain's most expensive office building.

Thus it might called a Green Building, an energy saver, inevitably required during these times of energy crisis!!

The Gherkin at night

[The next marvel of CIVIL engg following soon]....