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Sir Norman Foster's London Gherkin (30 St Mary's Axe, officially and on the poster) is an impressive, innovative and considerably beautiful building. When it won the RIBA Sterling Building of the Year Prize, the judges commented:
“This 40 storey tapering building is already a popular icon on the city skyline, so the jury tended to concentrate upon the degree to which this iconic object did in fact provide a pay-off in terms of facility, ambience and interpretation of the basic mathematics of the project.
“The architects describe it as ‘the capital’s first environmentally progressive tall building.’ And indeed it takes many of the ideas about naturally ventilated tall structures – drawing fresh air through the light wells which spiral up the building - from the same practice’s Commerzbank in Frankfurt. The winding-round of these spaces is played against two other moves: first, the tapering of the tower (the obvious factor in its being dubbed the gherkin), and the decision to offer lessees the option of the ‘six-pack’ or ‘two-pack’ options: in other words, the division of the total envelope into entities of six floors or two floors respectively. Thus, the peripheral slot (sometimes referred to as an atrium or potential garden) becomes a resort available, and readable, in six or two floor runs. The typical office floor is then divided into six rectangular pads, interspersed by triangular service areas. This system is modified at the upper floors where the building’s geometry starts to squeeze in.
“The relatively small footprint of a round building allows more ground space for landscaping. Low walls, the historic boundaries of the site, define a public plaza giving safe access to the double-height shops at ground floor level. The aerodynamic form also means that down draughts are less than with a rectilinear building, further increasing public comfort.
“The entrance is suitably elegant and impressive in scale. Similarly, the bar area at the top promises to respond to the challenge and opportunity of elevation, situation and view: it will be one of the very best rooms in 21st century London.
“The way in which the building lands onto the ground seems entirely consequent on what is above it and the level of discrimination, careful detailing and, at the same time, power of the structure combine to sustain the initial impression that this is a memorable building of international standing."
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