Millennium Tower (London)
Encyclopedia
London Millennium Tower was one of several ideas for the site of the former Baltic Exchange
at 30 St Mary Axe, City of London that had been destroyed beyond repair by a Provisional IRA bomb blast.
Designed by Foster & Partners, for then owner Trafalgar House
, the plan was for the building to be the tallest in Europe and the sixth tallest in the world at that time behind the Petronas Towers in Malaysia, the Sears Tower (now called the Willis Tower) in Chicago, and the World Trade Center
in New York. Its height was planned at 386 metres (1,265 ft), with 92 floors, which means it would have been thirteenth in the world today, and would be overtaken in Europe by the Federation Tower
. A public viewing platform was planned for 1000 ft above ground level.
The scheme featured a highly unorthodox floor layout, essentially two asymmetrical ellipses joined at one end. When the plans were first unveiled in 1996, the Guardian newspaper coined the term "erotic gherkin", a name that was quickly taken up by other media and which stuck even after the plan was superseded, eventually becoming The Gherkin
, the popular name for the Swiss Re
building which stands on the site today.
English Heritage
had been one of the largest backers of the project until they withdrew their support, due to Heathrow Airport objecting to the disruption that such a tall building would have on their flight paths. The project was eventually cancelled and the site sold to Swiss Re which created its headquarters
, also designed by Foster & Partners.
Baltic Exchange
The Baltic Exchange is the world's only independent source of maritime market information for the trading and settlement of physical and derivative contracts...
at 30 St Mary Axe, City of London that had been destroyed beyond repair by a Provisional IRA bomb blast.
Designed by Foster & Partners, for then owner Trafalgar House
Trafalgar House (company)
Trafalgar House Public Limited Company was a British conglomerate with interests in property investment, property development, engineering, construction, shipping, hotels, energy and publishing...
, the plan was for the building to be the tallest in Europe and the sixth tallest in the world at that time behind the Petronas Towers in Malaysia, the Sears Tower (now called the Willis Tower) in Chicago, and the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
in New York. Its height was planned at 386 metres (1,265 ft), with 92 floors, which means it would have been thirteenth in the world today, and would be overtaken in Europe by the Federation Tower
Federation Tower
The Federation Tower is a skyscraper currently under construction as part of the Moscow International Business Center in Moscow, Russia. Construction of the towers began in 2003. When completed it will be the tallest building in Europe. However, the construction stopped for a long while...
. A public viewing platform was planned for 1000 ft above ground level.
The scheme featured a highly unorthodox floor layout, essentially two asymmetrical ellipses joined at one end. When the plans were first unveiled in 1996, the Guardian newspaper coined the term "erotic gherkin", a name that was quickly taken up by other media and which stuck even after the plan was superseded, eventually becoming The Gherkin
30 St Mary Axe
30 St Mary Axe, the Swiss Re Building , is a skyscraper in London's main financial district, the City of London, completed in December 2003 and opened at the end of May 2004...
, the popular name for the Swiss Re
Swiss Re
Swiss Reinsurance Company Ltd , generally known as Swiss Re, is a Swiss reinsurance company. It is the world’s second-largest reinsurer, after having acquired GE Insurance Solutions. The company has its headquarters in Zurich...
building which stands on the site today.
English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
had been one of the largest backers of the project until they withdrew their support, due to Heathrow Airport objecting to the disruption that such a tall building would have on their flight paths. The project was eventually cancelled and the site sold to Swiss Re which created its headquarters
30 St Mary Axe
30 St Mary Axe, the Swiss Re Building , is a skyscraper in London's main financial district, the City of London, completed in December 2003 and opened at the end of May 2004...
, also designed by Foster & Partners.