30 St Mary Axe (The Gherkin), 2001-4

MAP | EAST LONDON, CITY OF LONDON
Architects: Norman Foster, Ken Shuttleworth

Designed by Foster + Partners as London’s first ecological tall building, it remains an exemplar of sustainability, wellbeing and innovation. Its nickname, The Gherkin, is due to its resemblance to the vegetable, though the French call it ‘The Suppository’. With 41 floors, it is 180 meters (591 ft) tall and stands on the sites of the former Baltic Exchange and Chamber of Shipping, which were extensively damaged in 1992 in the Baltic Exchange bombing by a device placed by the Provisional IRA in St Mary Axe, a narrow street leading north from Leadenhall Street. The building has become a recognizable landmark of London. It won the 2003 Emporis Skyscraper Award.

The Shard, 2009-2012

MAP | SOUTHWARK
Architect: Renzo Piano

The Shard, also referred to as the Shard London Bridge and formerly London Bridge Tower, is a 72-story mixed-use development supertall pyramid-shaped skyscraper, designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano, in Southwark, London, that forms part of The Shard Quarter development. Standing 309.6 meters (1,016 feet) high, The Shard is the tallest building in the United Kingdom, the seventh-tallest building in Europe. The glass-clad pyramidal tower has 72 habitable floors, with a viewing gallery and open-air observation deck on the 72nd floor, at a height of 244 meters (801 ft).

Restaurants & Bars: Aqua Shard, Bar 31, GŎNG, Hutong, Oblix, Sky Lounge, TĪNG; Hotels: Shangri-La Hotel

20 Fenchurch Street, ‘The Walkie Talkie’, 2010-2014

MAP | EAST LONDON, CITY OF LONDON
Architect: Rafael Viñoly

Rising majestically from its base in the City of London, 20 Fenchurch Street is a unique office block that hosts the Sky Garden restaurants and bars over its top floors. Opened in 2014, the 34-floor building was designed by Uruguayan architect Rafael Viñoly and cost more than £200 million to build. This unique building at 20 Fenchurch Street is more commonly known by its nickname “The Walkie Talkie” due to its unique shape, which resembles a walkie-talkie. You can visit Sky Garden, which is located across the top three floors of 20 Fenchurch Street. Here, you’ll find a stunning public garden complete with tropical plants, as well as observation decks, an open-air terrace, plus restaurants and bars. Sky Garden has three restaurants, namely Fenchurch Restaurant, Fenchurch Terrace and Darwin Brasserie. The more relaxed Sky Pod Bar and City Garden Bar offer drinks and lighter meals and are available for walk-ins at selected times.

The Cheese Grater, 2011-14

MAP | EAST LONDON, CITY OF LONDON
Architects: Richard Rogers, Graham Stirk

122 Leadenhall Street, also known as the Cheesegrater, is a 225-meter-tall skyscraper in central London. It opened in July 2014 and was designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners. The informal name references its wedge shape similar to the kitchen utensil. The building adjoins the Lloyd’s Building, also designed by Richard Rogers and features a tapered glass façade on one side which reveals steel bracings, along with a ladder frame to emphasize the vertical appearance of the building. Unlike other tall buildings, which typically use a concrete core to provide stability, the steel “Megaframe”, engineered by Arup, provides stability to the entire structure and is the world’s tallest of its kind. The base features a 30m high atrium which is open to the public and extends the adjacent plaza. The flat side of the building is also encased in glass, and houses the mechanical services – in particular the elevator shafts. These have been turned into an architectural feature, similar to the neighboring Lloyd’s Building – they deliberately display the elevator machinery, with bright orange counterweights and elevator motors. It is hoped that the slanting wedge-shaped design will have less impact on the protected sightline of St Paul’s Cathedral when viewed from Fleet Street and the west.

the Design Museum, 2016

MAP | WEST LONDON, HOLLAND PARK
Architect: John Pawson

The Design Museum exhibits product, industrial, graphic, fashion, and architectural design. In 2018, the museum won the European Museum of the Year Award. The museum operates as a registered charity, and all funds generated by ticket sales aid the museum in curating new exhibitions. Founded in 1989 by Sir Terence Conran, the museum is the place in the UK where the design industry, education and the public come together to change the way people think about themselves and the future through the lens of design.

Open: 10am-5pm M-Thurs, 10am-6pm Fri-Sun