The Best Gherkin of Decade
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) has announced its first 10 Year Award recipient: 30 St. Mary Axe, London, United Kingdom, popularly known as “The Gherkin.”
The 10 Year Award has been created from this year to focus the industry on performance against design intent. It recognizes proven value and performance, across one or more of a wide range of criteria, over a period of at least 10 years. This new award gives an opportunity to reflect back on buildings that have been completed and operational for at least a decade, and acknowledges those projects that have performed successfully long after the ribbon-cutting ceremonies have passed.
The uniquely-shaped Gherkin, completed in 2003, cleared the way for a new generation of tall buildings in London and beyond. Ten years on, its tapering form and diagonal bracing structure afford numerous benefits: programmatic flexibility, naturally ventilated internal social spaces that provide user comfort while reducing energy demand, and ample, protected public space at the ground level.
“The Gherkin changed the landscape with respect to what’s possible,” said juror Antony Wood, CTBUH Executive Director. “It turned the tide in an environment that was anti-tallbuilding.”
The 10 Year Award winner will be featured in the annual CTBUH Awards Book, which is published in conjunction with a major global publisher and distributed internationally each year. All 2013 CTBUH awards will be conferred at the 12th Annual Awards Ceremony and Dinner at Mies van der Rohe’s Crown Hall, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, November 7, 2013.
CTBUH