Building the Gherkin
Can a single building impact the career of an architect, the image of a global company and even the skyline of a big city?
Genres
Overview
Can a single building impact the career of an architect, the image of a global company and even the skyline of a big city? Just a month and a day after the disastrous attack on the World Trade Center in New York, the first steel beam of a new tower is erected in London. One question is on everybody’s mind: is it the right decision to build a new iconic tower in the midst of London’s financial district, on a site that has already been bombed before? The 40-storey steel and glass tower sparks further controversy. Norman Foster, one of Britain’s most visionary architects, calls his design for the new Swiss Re London headquarters ‘radial – socially, technically, architecturally and spatially’. In fact, its size and shape are so radical that it is almost immediately nicknamed ‘the erotic gherkin’. Will the Gherkin become the landmark they all dream of?
Details
Budget
$1331148
Revenue
$0
Runtime
89 min
Release Date
2005-05-10
Status
Released
Original Language
English
Vote Count
6
Vote Average
8.4
Norman Foster
Self
John Coomber
Self
Rees Peter Wynne
Himself
Fox Sara
Herself
Picardi Carla
Herself
Forrester John
Himself
Walter Kielholz
Himself
Ken Livingstone
Himself
Scott Paul
Himself
Partington Robin
Himself
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