The Gherkin is the popular nickname for this office block which was completed in 2003. It stands on the former site of the Baltic Exchange building, which was severely damaged in April 1992 by the explosion of an IRA bomb.
Owned by Swiss Re, the Gherkin is 591ft tall, has 40 floors, 23 elevators, and its restuarant at 541ft high is officially London's highest. Despite its curved shape most of the 24,000 square metres of panes of glass are completely flat - the only curved glass is the lens-shaped cap at the very top. The building is visible over long distances up to 20 miles away.