Tonight, the London skyline will be illuminated by Skanska, one of the world’s largest construction companies, with a festival of light to mark the 'topping out' of the iconic building at 30 St Mary Axe. A 'topping out ' is the celebration of the finalising of the building's structure and is traditionally marked with a party by the builder. At 6:00pm, a final steel beam will be raised ceremonially through smoke to the top of the building followed by a dazzling fifteen-minute light and laser show to illuminate the building's innovative dimensions. This dramatic display will be visible across London’s skyline.
The building is being constructed by Skanska for Swiss Re, a leading reinsurance company. Skanska’s UK company had originally engaged the world famous architectural practice of Foster and Partners to develop the design for the site. However, the exciting and innovative landmark now taking shape in the City evolved when Swiss Re joined the team as developer/tenant.
Since then, Skanska has been working to ensure that the project is being delivered on-time, on-budget and with a high standard of safety for its workforce, due to its successful management process.
Keith Clarke, Executive Vice President at Skanska, said: “We are immensely proud of our involvement in this magnificent building and this topping out ceremony is a celebration of nearly two years of hard work. We believe this spectacular design, which has evolved from the collaboration between Skanska, Swiss Re and Foster and Partners will provide the most innovative and progressive working environment in London.
“We are confident that 30 St Mary Axe will be an example of how visionary, ambitious and confident design can position London as one of the world’s most creative centres of architecture.
“While building an original and iconic building is important to us, we are also proud of our safety record for this building which is a testament to our risk management and pre-planning. This included the appointment of a full time safety manager to work closely with the design teams, construction teams and the Health & Safety Executive to identify and manage the risk. Safety was made a priority right from the start”.