Case Study 3: 30 St Mary Axe, London

30 St Mary Axe, London, EC3A 8EP

30 St Mary Axe, London

"London's first ecological tall building and an instantly recognisable addition to the city's skyline, it is rooted in a radical approach - technically, architecturally, socially and spatially" (Powell, 2011, p.295).

Context

This building is 180m high and has forty-one storeys, which includes thirty-four floors of office space, retail areas on the ground floor and a reception hall at the top.

The office areas are designed around the atrium to form vertical 'villages'. Stairs, lifts and other services are located in the central area, leaving the fully glazed perimeter free of intrusions (Powell, 2011, p.295).

Arguments

Positive:

[Shape] - The shape reduced the effects of downdraft commonly encountered at the base of orthogonal high-rise structure (Frampton, 2007, p.368).

[Surrounding] - At street level, the painstaking aerodynamic modeling of the tower is designed to avoid downdraught, which keeps benign conditions in the new piazza that surrounds the building (Powell, 2011, p.295)

[Ecology] - This project also broken the argument, that high-rise buildings are environmentally irresponsible, dependent on huge amounts of energy. The building's windows are natural ventilation and backed by spiraling light wells and air conditioning is used only in a supplementary role, which will help to cut energy consumption by half (Powell, 2011, p.295).

Negative:

[Visual] - "It has some typical arguments that are scorned by the British public: radical shape, industrial materials and its abruptly imposing itself on a City skyline" (Spring, 2008, Available from: http://www.building.co.uk/30-st-mary-axe-a-gherkin-to-suit-all-tastes/3111783.article# [Accessed: 6th January 2016]).

[Function] - This is not a very spatially efficient building. Only 63% of total construction area is actually useful space (Spring, 2008, Available from: http://www.building.co.uk/30-st-mary-axe-a-gherkin-to-suit-all-tastes/3111783.article# [Accessed: 6th January 2016]).

Questionnaire:

(I asked 20 people of different age groups, including both visitors and staffs to get an insight into their perception of the space and the content. Below are representative answers. Basically, most of answers of these questions are positive)

Do you think ‘30 St Mary Axe’ is a great addition to London skyline?

Yes, the shape makes it different.
Yes, it is a landmark in London.

Are you satisfied with the function that provided by ‘30 St Mary Axe’? Do you think it has a good cooperation with its surrounding?

Yes, there are a lot of restaurants, bus stops and tube stations nearby. It provides a lot of convenience for my life.

Do you think ‘30 St Mary Axe’ provide a good working experience? (Staff)

Yes, the offices are arranged like a circle inside the building, so you can have a good view of London in each office.
Yes, I feel safe and quiet, because there is a strict access control system in reception.

Fig.3 30 St Mary Axe Section