'30 St Mary Axe' (Gherkin) designed by Foster + Partners (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
'30 St Mary Axe' 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, the "30 St Mary Axe" skyscraper 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.
The skyscraper has no corners, which prevents the wind flow down the drain.
