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The Swiss Re Tower: Analysis of a Seminal Case

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Design Added Value
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Abstract

The Swiss Re Tower, designed as the headquarters of the Swiss Reinsurance Company, is situated at the historic core and financial district of the City of London. Designed by the architect Foster and Partners, it is one of the most distinguished and controversial office skyscrapers in London. Officially named “30 St Mary Axe,” and popularly called the gherkin, the Swiss Re Tower adds a distinctive identity to the skyline of the city due to its form. In addition, this award-winning building reflects Foster’s ideals about quality of work space and Swiss Reinsurance Company’s core values of sustainability. In this chapter, you will find the design value added analysis of Swiss Re Tower, demonstrated using the techniques described in this book.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Fosterandpartners.com, “Awards by Project,” 2010, last accessed October 2010. http://www.fosterandpartners.com/Data/Awards/S.aspx

  2. 2.

    “Design Quality Indicator,” 2010, http://dqi.org.uk, last accessed April 2021.

  3. 3.

    “Architecture Steel Stahl Acier, Swiss Re London,” 2010, European Convention for Constructional Steelwork, http://www.steelconstruct.com

  4. 4.

    Find a London Office, http://www.findalondonoffice.co.uk/toolbox/rental-guide, last accessed April 2021

  5. 5.

    Williamson, S. H., “Seven Ways to Compute the Relative Value of a U.S. Dollar Amount, 1774 to present,” Measuring Worth, 2009, last accessed April 2021. http://www.measuringworth.com/calculators/inflation/result.php

  6. 6.

    Reinhardt, J., “Computer-Aided Construction Management,” guest speaker at Course 12–611, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, November 30, 2010.

  7. 7.

    Williamson, S. H., “Seven Ways to Compute the Relative Value of a U.S. Dollar Amount, 1774 to present,” Measuring Worth, 2009, last accessed April 2021. http://www.measuringworth.com/calculators/inflation/result.php

  8. 8.

    “Table 1—Importance of Maintenance and Operational Costs (Based on 2002–3 Typical Cost Figures by BMI),” Whole Life Costing, Consulting Excellence, 2004, http://www.constructingexcellence.org.uk, last accessed April 2021.

Bibliography

  • Powell K (2006) 30 St Mary axe: a tower for London. Merrell Publishers, London/New York

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Exercise 9

Exercise 9

Are there any gaps in the DAV analysis of the Swiss Re Tower presented above? If your answer is affirmative, investigate these gaps and provide new data not included here and discuss their potential impact on the conclusions drawn.

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Akın, Ö. (2022). The Swiss Re Tower: Analysis of a Seminal Case. In: Design Added Value. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28860-0_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28860-0_10

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-28859-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-28860-0

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