The Gherkin

This article is about the London skyscraper. For the pickled cucumber, see Gherkin. For other uses, see Gherkin (disambiguation).

The Gherkin
The Gherkin in 2007
Alternative names30 St Mary Axe / the Swiss Re Building
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeOffice
Architectural styleNeo-futuristic / hi-tech / post-modern
Location30 St Mary Axe,
London, EC3[1][2]
Coordinates51°30′52″N 00°04′49″W / 51.51444°N 0.08028°W / 51.51444; -0.08028
Construction started2001
Completed2003[3]
Opened28 April 2004 (2004-04-28)[4][5]
Cost£138 million (plus land cost of £90.6 million)[8]
adjusted for inflation: £288 million (plus land cost of £201 million)[8][9]
OwnerSafra Group[6]
Height
Roof180 metres (591 ft)
Technical details
Floor count41
Floor area64,470 square metres (693,900 sq ft)
Design and construction
Architect(s)Foster + Partners
Structural engineerArup
Main contractorSkanska
Website
thegherkin.com
References
[7]

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. Its nickname, The Gherkin, is due to its resemblance to the vegetable.[10] It was completed in December 2003 and opened in April 2004.[11] With 41 floors, it is 180 metres (591 ft) tall[3] 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.[4][12]

After plans to build the 92-storey Millennium Tower were dropped, 30 St Mary Axe was designed by Foster + Partners and the Arup Group.[13] It was built by Skanska; construction started in 2001.[3]

The building has become a recognisable landmark of London, and it is one of the city's most widely recognised examples of contemporary architecture. It won the 2003 Emporis Skyscraper Award.

  1. ^ "Gherkin London".
  2. ^ "The Gherkin".
  3. ^ a b c "30 St Mary Axe, London". Skanska. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2010.
  4. ^ a b "30 St Mary Axe". Emporis. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2010.
  5. ^ Worsley, Giles (28 April 2004). "Glory of the Gherkin". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Safra was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "30 St Mary Axe". Emporis. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016.
  8. ^ a b "30 St Marys Axe, London – Building #58". Skyscrapernews.com. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
  9. ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  10. ^ "The Gherkin". Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  11. ^ "30 St Mary Axe". Emporis. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2010.
  12. ^ "1993: IRA bomb devastates City of London". BBC News. 24 April 1993. Archived from the original on 27 April 2009. Retrieved 2 February 2010.
  13. ^ "30 St Mary Axe (The Gherkin)". Arup. Archived from the original on 18 February 2010. Retrieved 4 February 2010.
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