Financial heart of London, City of London, South East England, Uk at dusk

30 St Mary Axe (informally known as the Gherkin and previously as the Swiss Re Building) is a commercial skyscraper in London's primary financial district, the City of London. It was completed in December 2003 and opened in April 2004.[10] With 41 stories, it is 180 metres (591 ft) tall[3] and stands on the former sites of the Baltic Exchange and Chamber of Shipping, which were 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.[4][11] After plans to build the 92-storey Millennium Tower were dropped, 30 St Mary Axe was designed by Norman Foster and Arup Group.[12] It was erected by Skanska, with construction commencing in 2001.[3] The building has become a recognisable feature of London, and it is one of the city's most widely recognised examples of contemporary architecture.