The Gherkin, 30 St Mary Axe, Steel and glass skyscraper in City of London, United Kingdom.
The building at 30 St Mary Axe is a steel and glass skyscraper in the City of London, often called The Gherkin due to its cylindrical shape. The curved facade is made of diamond-shaped glass panels that extend over 41 floors, reaching approximately 180 meters (590 feet) in height.
An IRA bombing in 1992 destroyed the Baltic Exchange at this location and killed three people. Architects Norman Foster and Ken Shuttleworth designed a new tower with natural ventilation between 2001 and 2003.
City office workers book tables at the restaurant on the 39th floor for business lunches overlooking the rooftops. Visitors often arrive specifically to photograph the facade, which reflects and breaks light differently depending on the time of day.
The building is a private office tower and cannot be visited freely, except during special events or with a prior reservation at the restaurant. The surrounding streets offer unobstructed views of the exterior and are within walking distance from Bank, Liverpool Street, and Aldgate stations.
Six spiral ventilation shafts around the central core create a natural airflow that rises through every floor. This system saves roughly half the energy normally needed to cool a building of this size.
Location: City of London
Inception: 2004
Architects: Norman Foster, Foster and Partners, Ken Shuttleworth
Official opening: 2004
Architectural style: Art Nouveau architecture
Floors above the ground: 41
Elevators: 26
Height: 250 m
Made from material: steel, glass, concrete
Address: 30 St Mary Axe
Website: http://thegherkinlondon.com
GPS coordinates: 51.51444,-0.08028
Latest update: December 3, 2025 08:51
20th and 21st-century architecture has transformed city centers with structures that push engineering boundaries. Observation towers like the Seattle Space Needle and experimental residential complexes like Habitat 67 in Montreal demonstrate the evolution of construction techniques. Architects have explored new forms using materials such as steel, glass, and concrete, creating structures that meet the growing demands of metropolitan areas. This collection includes buildings that marked their time with innovative design. In Barcelona, Antoni Gaudí's Casa Milà features a wavy facade that breaks traditional norms, while in London, 30 St Mary Axe incorporates energy-saving technologies into its 180-meter structure. From Bilbao's Guggenheim Museum clad in titanium to artificial islands shaped in the Persian Gulf in Dubai, these projects illustrate the diversity of architectural approaches worldwide. Each building reflects its urban context while offering solutions to technical and functional challenges of its era.
This collection brings together skyscrapers that showcase advances in modern engineering and architecture worldwide. These structures rise above metropolises and reshape city horizons, from the sail-shaped Burj Al Arab in Dubai to the CCTV headquarters in Beijing with its two linked towers. Each building reflects a unique architectural approach and technical innovations tailored to its environment. The selection spans all continents and features buildings with various functions. The Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, 452 meters high and connected by a sky bridge, stand alongside New York’s One World Trade Center, which reaches 541 meters. The Lakhta Center in Saint Petersburg is notable for its twisted glass facade, while the Torre Costanera in Santiago offers panoramic views of the Andes. Whether residential buildings like the Eureka Tower in Melbourne or commercial structures such as the Kingdom Centre in Riyadh, these constructions demonstrate how contemporary architecture shapes 21st-century cities.
Postmodern architecture emerged in the 1970s as a response to the rigid principles of modernism, reintroducing color, ornament, and historical references into contemporary building design. The movement evolved over decades, producing structures that challenge conventional forms and experiment with different materials and surfaces. These buildings demonstrate varied approaches to design, from playful facades to complex geometric constructions, showing how architects employ new technologies while engaging with historical stylistic elements. The collection includes cultural institutions such as the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and Casa da Música in Porto, public buildings like Seattle Central Library and Almere City Hall, and religious structures such as the Jubilee Church in Rome. Other examples include the SIS Building in London, Dancing House in Prague, and Niterói Contemporary Art Museum in Rio de Janeiro. The Louvre Pyramid in Paris and the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus show different interpretations of postmodern principles. The Piazza d'Italia in New Orleans with its colored colonnades and the Portland Building with its decorated facade represent early postmodern works in the United States.
Norman Foster has shaped contemporary architecture through technical innovation and design clarity. His buildings feature extensive glass facades, exposed steel structures and energy systems. The Reichstag dome in Berlin with its spiral ramp and the circular Apple Park in Cupertino demonstrate his approach to combining function with geometric form. In London, Foster created several landmarks that define the city's modern skyline. The tower at 30 St Mary Axe, known as the "Gherkin" for its distinctive shape, rises above the financial district. The Millennium Bridge connects the Tate Modern to St Paul's Cathedral as a slender pedestrian crossing. His portfolio includes airport terminals, office towers and cultural buildings across multiple countries, documenting his influence on international construction.
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