The Gherkin, 30 St Mary Axe, London
The Gherkin, 30 St Mary Axe (widely known informally as The Gherkin and previously as the Swiss Re Building) is a commercial skyscraper in London's primary financial district, the City of London. It was completed in December 2003 and opened in April 2004. With 41 storeys, it is 180 metres (591 ft) tall and stands on the former site of the Baltic Exchange, which was extensively damaged in 1992 by the explosion of a bomb placed by the Provisional IRA in St Mary Axe, the street from which the tower takes its name. After plans to build the 92-storey Millennium Tower were dropped, 30 St Mary Axe was designed by Norman Foster and Arup Group and it was erected by Skanska, with construction commencing in 2001. The building has become an iconic symbol of London and is one of the city's most widely recognised examples of contemporary architecture.
Size: 4826px × 7231px
Location: The Gherkin, 30 St Mary Axe London
Photo credit: © Rik Hamilton / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: 30, 2003, 2004, april, axe, city, commercial, completed, december, district, financial, gherkin, london, london., mary, opened, primary, skyscraper, st
