What is 30 St Mary Axe called?
30 St Mary Axe (previously known as the Swiss Re Building and informally known as the Gherkin) 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. It won the 2003 Emporis Skyscraper Award.
What is the 30 St Mary Axe used for?
30 St Mary Axe is business/office building in which you can also find a restaurant, lounge and a viewing platform.
Who built the 30 St Mary Axe?
Norman Foster
Ken Shuttleworth
30 St Mary Axe (The Gherkin)/Architects
Since its completion in December 2003, it has become one of the UK’s most distinctive buildings and a symbol of 21st century London. The building was designed by the architect Norman Foster and Arup Group and was constructed by Skanska.
What building did the Gherkin replace?
30 St Mary Axe is a skyscraper in London’s financial district, the City of London. It was formerly named the Swiss Re Building, after Swiss Reinsurance Company. The tower is also known as “The Gherkin”. The building was finished in December 2003.
Why is 30 St Mary AXE called the Gherkin?
OVERVIEW. One of the most recognizable parts of London’s skyline, The Gherkin captured world attention when it opened in the early 2000s. Officially named 30 St. Mary Axe, the building has become known by its more popular moniker, “The Gherkin” because of its supposed resemblance to that particular food.
How do you pronounce St Mary AXE?
In the song “My Name Is John Wellington Wells”, the lyric renders his address as “Number Seventy, Simmery Axe”; this reflects the fact that some Londoners pronounce the street’s name as “S’M’ry Axe” rather than enunciating it fully.
Can you go inside the gherkin?
Can you go inside The Gherkin? The Gherkin isn’t normally open to the public but you can visit Helix restaurant and Iris bar, which are located on the top floors and have amazing panoramic views across the City of London. You can also can step inside the iconic building during special events such as Open House London.
Why is it called a gherkin?
Its form is so unique, that it has been given the nickname “the Gherkin.” The building was designed by famed architect Norman Foster of the Foster and Partners architectural firm. These open shafts also allow available sunlight to penetrate deep into the building to cut down on light costs. It has been said that 30 St.
What is the difference between a cucumber and a gherkin?
A gherkin isn’t simply a cucumber you’d buy in the supermarket that’s been pickled. It’s a specific variety of small cucumber that is purposely used for pickling aka turning into a gherkin. You can pickle a regular cucumber, but it won’t turn out exactly like a gherkin.
Where in London is St Mary AXE?
St Mary Axe is a City of London street running from Houndsditch in the north to Leadenhall Street in the south, named after the former 12th-century church of St Mary Axe, which closed in 1560.
What means gherkin?
1a : a small prickly fruit used for pickling also : a pickle made from this fruit. b : the slender annual vine (Cucumis anguria) of the gourd family that bears gherkins. 2 : the immature fruit of the cucumber especially when used for pickling.
Why is it called St Mary AXE?
Its common name (also St Mary [or Marie] at the Axe) derives from the sign of an axe over the east end of the church. The church’s patrons were the Skinners’ Company. According to John Stow in A Survey of London (1603), the name derived from “the signe of an Axe, over against the East end thereof”.
What kind of building is 30 St Mary Axe?
The Square Mile in the City of London is dominated by dry repetitions of the conventional office block—vertically extruded, horizontally striated—mingled with the weighty presence of its historical institutions. The “Gherkin,” as 30 St Mary Axe 2 is popularly known, has a distinctive shape and circular plan…
How does the St Mary Axe Tower help the environment?
Environmentally, its profile reduces wind deflections compared with a rectilinear tower of similar size, helping to maintain a comfortable environment at ground level, and creates external pressure differentials that are exploited to drive a unique system of natural ventilation.
Where did the idea of St Mary Axe come from?
The reaction to the project did not come from royalty, nor did it come from the political field or from the English urban authorities. It was the religious institutions that cried in the sky for this atypical form that interrupted the visit of the Anglican Cathedral of Saint Paul, designed by Sir Christopher Wren 300 years ago.