30 St Mary Axe

From Archiplanet

	30 St Mary Axe
Designer	Norman Foster
Location	London, Greater London, England, United Kingdom
Date	2000 to 2004
Building Type	commercial office tower, skyscraper
Climate	temperate
Context	urban
Architectural Style	High Tech Modern
Street Address
Notes	The Swiss Re tower, nicknamed the Gherkin for its tall, rounded, pickle-like shape.
At Great Buildings	http://www.GreatBuildings.com/buildings/30_St_Mary_Axe.html

Contents 1 Images 2 Discussion 3 Maps 4 References 5 External Links

Images

Discussion

Building Details
Client	Swiss Re
Area	693,686 sq. ft. (64,469 sq. m.)
Stories	41
Height	590 ft. (180 m.)
Program	* Winner of the 2004 Stirling Prize.

Said to be London's first environmentally sustainable skyscraper.

"Windows in the lightwells open automatically to augment the air conditioning system with natural ventilation, an occurrence anticipated to save energy for up to 40% of the year.

"The floorplans are shaped like flowers, with a circular perimeter indented by 6 triangular light courts. The indentations remain a constant size at each level, while the space between them diminishes.

"The floor plan is rotated for each successive floor, creating a series of spiraling 5-storey atria that stretch the full height of the building."

— Emporis, Inc.

Details

Winner of the 2004 RIBA Stirling Prize for Architecture.

41 floors. Height 180 m (590 ft)

Architect	Foster and Partners
Structural Engineering	Ove Arup & Partners
MEP Engineering	Hilson Moran Partnership Ltd.
Interior Designer	Benett Interior Design
Lighting Consultant	Speirs and Major Associates
Acoustics Consultant	Sandy Brown Associates LLP
Elevator Consultant	Van Deusen & Associates
Facade Consultant	Emmer Pfenninger Partner AG
Security System Consultant	Videf Security Management Ltd.
Wind Surveyor	Rowan Williams Davies & Irwin Inc.
Developer	Swiss Re
General Contractor	Skanska UK
Project Management	RWG Associates
Real-estate Agent	DTZ Debenham Tie Leung
Elevator Supplier	KONE United Kingdom
Facade Maintenance System Suppliers	Lalesse Gevelliften BV, B. Teupen Maschinenbau GmbH
Facade Supplier	Schmidlin (UK) Ltd.
Steel Suppliers	Hollandia BV, Victor Buyck Steel Construction NV

Maps

References

"Swiss Re Tower by Foster and Partners", by Don Barker, ArchitectureWeek No. 238, 2005.0504, pD1.1.

"Modeling the Swiss Re Tower", by Foster and Partners, ArchitectureWeek No. 238, 2005.0504, pT1.1.

Kenneth Powell. New London Architecture. london, UK: Merrell/St. Martin's Press. cover photo.— Available at Amazon.com

Phaidon Press Inc. The Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture. New York, NY: Phaidon Press Inc., 2004. ISBN 0-7148-43121. p282.

External Links

• From Outer Space - Guardian Unlimited, 2007.1013
• 30 St Mary Axe — the official building web site
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:30StMaryAxe_Base_HiRes.JPG
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:DSC02546_30StMaryAxe.JPG
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:TheGherkin_behindStAndrewUndershaft.jpg