Building the Gherkin

Just a month and a day after the disastrous attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, the first steel beam of a new tower is erected in London. While the first A-frame of the 40 storey tall steel and glass structure is lifted into position, one question is on everybody’s mind: Is it the right decision to build a new iconic tower in the midst of London’s financial district, destined to hold all employees of one of the world’s largest re-insurance companies, on a site that has already been bombed twice before? The tower sparks further controversy. Norman Foster, one of Britain’s most visionary architects, calls his design for the new Swiss Re London headquarter radical – socially, technically, architecturally and spatially. In fact, its size, and shape are so radical that it is almost immediately nicknamed the erotic gherkin. Swiss Re wants to ensure that their new London headquarters will reflect their role as a leading global financial services company and raise their profile. Foster, some of whose recent projects have attracted some negative publicity, is intent on recapturing architectural leadership in his homeland, and the City of London is intent on proving that it is still Europe’s foremost financial and business centre. Will the Gherkin become the landmark they all dream of? (DOK.fest München)