30 ST.MARY AXE

BY

G.RAJANIVETHA

IdentificationDeveloped by Swiss Re and designed by architects

Foster and Partners.Completed in December 2003.Officially opened in April 28th 2004 as Swiss Re’s

headquarters.21st century contemporary iconic design.The Baltic Exchange in London.Purchased by IVG and Randall in 2007.Nick named as ‘The Gherkin’.Named after the church ‘30 St. Mary’.

External bliss40-storey office building.Situated in the heart of the City of London.30 St Mary Axe is situated on a site of 1.4 acres and

stands at 180 meters9th largest building in London.Circumference is 178 meters.

Design and progressThe skin of the building is double-glazed.Ventilated spacings.Temperature control and reducing energy use. Uses only half the energy of similar sized office towers.Most of the panes of glass are completely flat - the only curved

glass is the 'lens' at the very top. The spiralling pattern results from the floor layout within. Each floor has been rotated 5degrees relative to the floor below.The top of the tower has been kept as an open space to give an

uninterrupted, all-round view.The shafts pull warm air out of the building during the summer

and warm the building in the winter using passive solar heating.

External view

Internal blissThe building has 76,400 square metres of floorspace.It contains offices, a restaurant, bars, launges, a shopping

arcade and a surrounding plaza at street level. There are two high-speed, high-capacity passenger lifts.‘Radial plan’ based; Continuously placed triangular

glass planes, column free floor space.Spiralling light wells allow the maximum amount of

sunlight.Each floor rotates 5 degrees from the one below.35km of steel was used.There is only one piece of curved glass.

Internal view

Facts Three times the height of Niagara Falls.Its 24,000 square metres of glass covers five football

pitches.Below level 35, the windows are cleaned by men.Above

that, a hydraulic cherry picker is used.On curved stone benches either side of 30 St Mary

Axe are inscribed the 20 lines of Scottish poet Ian Hamilton Finlay's 'Arcadian Dream Garden’.

The building is closed to the public. Except for the Open House London.

Equals 8 tennis courts.

Sustainable credentialsPanoramic view of LondonPlaza with an Arcadian garden that is open to the public.Maximising natural daylight and ventilation.Minimising heating and cooling through a ventilated double-skin

facade.Maximized daylight penetration reduces artificial lighting.Light and movement sensors reduces power consumption.Wind pressure differentials promote natural ventilation demotes

conventional air conditioning.Aerodynamic building design results less energy consumption

and co2 emission.Theoretical design of 4,000 occupiers.Possibility of vertical transportation of 378 people at 6m per sec.

Students’ gain30 St Mary Axe allows students to investigate how a

city develops and changes over time. It is a great example of contemporary architecture

surrounded by listed buildings on a medieval city plan.

The context of the site allows for lively discussion and an investigation of the lifecycle of cities and how and why places change.

Investigation of the structure is suitable for cross-curricular work, taking in its mathematical shape, design, geographical position, the history of its surroundings and the science of its energy efficiency.

Awards Sterling price- RIBA 2004Special steel award-2004Best central London office development-IAS/OAS 2004The London region award-RIBA 2004Honorable mention-The international highrise award

2004Future projects award 2003Skyscraper award-EMPORIS 2003Best British innovation-WALLPOLE award for British

excellence 2003European steel structures award- ECCS-CECM 2003Outstanding development of the year-2003