From any point of view the renowned "Gherkin", originally the new headquarters for Swiss Re's UK operations at 30 St Mary Axe in the City of London is a remarkable building.
Rising to 180m the 40-storey building, thrusting skywards, strikes a dramatic pose in the heart of the City and reflects the vibrancy of one of the world's great commercial centres. Revolutionary in shape and function, the "Gherkin" incorporates many advanced methods of planning, design and construction. One unique design feature is the six light wells on every floor spiralling at 5-degree angles from the floor above down the building. Created by offset, triangular cut out areas at the outer perimeter of the floors, the light wells are intersected by transverse, major structural floor plates in series of between two and six storeys throughout the height of the building.
