While Charles Jencks may state that big is boring in his theory that measures design tedium against floor areas (AR August 2002), it cannot be denied that Foster and Partners' 30 St Mary Axe is an impressive sight. Regardless of whether or not you agree with Jencks' proposition (which states that for every additional ten floors added to a skyscraper, the design becomes twice as tedious), as the first truly sky-scraping tower built in the City since 1979, this building cannot be accused of being a monotonous skin-deep icon. Clearly visible from far afield, most impressively perhaps from the MII as you approach London from Cambridge, the more people you speak to, the more you realize that this is becoming one of London's more popular landmarks. While acquiring many nicknames, being likened to a fat banker in fish nets to the slightly more fitting city attire analogy, namely an Argyle sock, Foster and Swiss Re's environmental aspirations have been delightfully interwoven with its form (regardless of whether or not you believe the pursuit of these priorities preceded the form's rationalization).
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