HIGHRISE STRUCTURES

30 St Mary Axe,
London
BUILDING CONSTRUCTION

SAGAR D. KHOT
R.N.- 11 SEM-VII
VIVA SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE
 Architects- Norman Area-64,469m²
Foster and Partners
Capacity- 4,500
Association
Client- Swiss Re
Headquarters

Exterior view
Location-30 St Mary Axe,
London EC3A 8EP, UK
Total Height of the Structure- 180m

Height to highest occupied floor level: 167.1

m
Number of floors above ground: 40
Number of basement levels: single
basement across whole site
Largest floor external diameter (lvl
17): 56.15 m
Site area: 0.57 hectares (1.4
acres)
Net accommodations areas: External facade
Office 46,450 m2
Retail 1,400 m2

Facade Design
•Openable glass screen.
•Perforated aluminium louvers
(internal sun-screen).
•A column casing of aluminium.
•Façade frame of extruded Constructional Details
aluminium.

Structural Design
Perimeter column maximum design load:
Structural Design 15,460 kN
Total weight of steel (from Arup Xsteel model): Core column maximum design load:
8,358 tonnes of which: 33,266 kN
•29% is in the diagrid Foundations 750mm diameter
•24% core columns straight-shafted piles into London
•47% beams Clay
Number of piles: 333
•Total number of primary steel pieces: 8 348 Total length of piles: 9 km
•Total length: 54.56 km Total design capacity: 117,000 Tonnes
Diagrid column sizes:
•Ground – level2: 508mm f, 40mm thick Introduction SAGAR D. KHOT
•Level 36–38: 273mm f, 12.5mm thick R.N.- 11 SEM-VII
•Hoop design tension at level 2: 7 116 kN 1 VIVA SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE
Floor heights
Diagrid system interlocking

Legend
1. Entry Club area
2. Lobby Swiss insuarance company till 16th floor
3. Retail Ground and First floor Public space
4. Core
5. Office Modules
6. Light Well
7. Private Dining
8. Elevator / Stair

40TH FLOOR PLAN 21ST FLOOR PLAN

G.F. PLAN 6TH FLOOR PLAN

Arch. Drawings SAGAR D. KHOT

R.N.- 11 SEM-VII
2 VIVA SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE
Wind Path

Climate of London

The shape of the tower is influenced by the physical environment

of the city.
The smooth flow of wind around the building was one of the
main considerations.
A net office floor area within the building of around 500,000 ft2
(46,450 m2).
The enhancement of the public environment at street level,
opening up new views across the site to the frontages of the
adjacent buildings and allowing good access to and around
the new development.
Minimum impact on the local wind environment.
Maximum use of public transport for the occupants of the
building.
Flexibly serviced, high specification ‘user-friendly’ column
free office spaces with maximum primary space adjacent to
natural light.
Good physical and visual interconnectivity between floors.
Reduced energy consumption by use of natural ventilation
whenever suitable, low façade heat gain and smart building
control systems.

regular building The Gherkin

Strategies SAGAR D. KHOT

R.N.- 11 SEM-VII
3 VIVA SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE
Lifts
•There are 18 passenger lifts in the building.
•378 people can be vertically transported through the building at
speeds upto 6m per second at any time.
•In addition, there are goods and firefighter elevators, as well as a
car park elevator to the reception from the basement.
•Two special shuttle elevators serve the top floors of the building.
•KONE Alta™ fulfilled the architects’ requirements for customized
elevator cars and signalization.

The Lift system

3 different levels:
•Low rise lift go from lobby to level 12.
•Medium rise lifts go from lobby to 22 stopping from level 11.
•High rise lifts go from lobby to 34 stopping from level 22.
•Shuttle lift goes from level 34 to level 39.

Fire fighting
•Swiss Re falls within the guidance of inner London Section 20 requirements for fire safety.
•Every sixth floor , the atria feature gardens which control and purify air movements as well as
dividing the building into fire compartments.
•The unusual light well arrangement leads to a fire escape strategy based on a variation of phased
evacuation.
•In this case all six floors linked by a set of light wells are evacuated in the case of a fire on any one
of them.
•Where only two floors are linked then those two constitute the first phase. So the light wells are
designed following the guidance for simultaneous evacuation, which allows them to be open to the
accommodation.
•Because the lightwell base floors are protected by sprinklers on the overhanging soffits above, they
can be used as office space too.
•A system of smoke curtains form smoke reservoirs in the light wells, and others delay the transport
of smoke from accommodation into the light wells.
•Natural ventilation is used for smoke clearance for the light wells and the accommodation.
•The building is sprinkle red, including arrays of window sprinklers on part of the façade of levels 2
and 3, to protect a glazed opening in the compartment floor of level 4, directly above.
•However sprinklers have not been fitted in the 12m high domed space that forms the very top of the
building.
•The Tower has two firefighting shafts with dedicated lifts.
•The use of dedicated smoke detectors in each lobby which cause the vent to open in that lobby, as
well as at the top of the smoke shaft and the top of the stair.
•During a fire temperatures can be such that the window glazing may break and thus allow cool air
to enter and hot gas to escape.
•Alternatively, temperatures may be such that the fire has not engulfed a large area and is not
severe enough to actually break the glass.
•In both cases the temperature reached in the compartment and the duration of a fire is dependent
on the amount of ventilation, and it is assumed that sprinkler activation has not prevented the fire
from growing.

Services SAGAR D. KHOT

R.N.- 11 SEM-VII
4 VIVA SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE
http://www.archinomy.com/case-studies/669/30-st-mary-axe-the-gherkin-london

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References SAGAR D. KHOT

R.N.- 11 SEM-VII
5 VIVA SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE