30 St Mary Axe
Also known as the Gherkin, Swiss Re Building, 30 Saint Mary Axe
skyscraper in London, England
Key facts
- Alternative names
- 30 St Mary Axe / the Swiss Re Building
- Status
- Completed
- Type
- Office
- Architectural style
- Neo-futuristic / hi-tech / post-modern
- Location
- 30 St Mary Axe , London , EC3
- Opened
- 28 April 2004 ( 2004-04-28 )
- Cost
- £138 million (plus land cost of £90.6 million) , adjusted for inflation: £259 million (plus land cost of £176 million)
- Owner
- Safra Group
- Roof
- 180 metres (591 ft)
- Floor area
- 64,470 square metres (693,900 sq ft)
- Architect
- Foster + Partners
- Structural engineer
- Arup
Article
30 St Mary Axe, previously known as the Swiss Re Building, is a commercial skyscraper in London's primary financial district, the City of London. It is nicknamed The Gherkin after the vegetable of the same name due to its shape. It was completed in December 2003 and opened in April 2004. With 41 floors, it is 180 metres (591 ft) tall 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.
After plans to build the 92-storey Millennium Tower were dropped, 30 St Mary Axe was designed by Foster + Partners and the Arup Group. It was built by Skanska; construction started in 2001.
Gallery (4)
On the map
Connections
Categories
2003 establishments in England2003 in LondonCommons link from WikidataFoster and Partners buildingsHigh-tech architectureLattice shell structuresNeo-futurist architectureOffice buildings completed in 2003Ove Arup buildings and structuresSkyscraper office buildings in LondonSkyscrapers in the City of London