Advances in Architectural Engineering
In addition to the modeling technique being state of the art, the finished design also actually moved architectural engineering forward. The Gherkin was built on the former site of the Baltic Exchange, which was structurally damaged on 10 April 1992, by a Provisional IRA bomb. The site is small. The tapered designed allows the building to appear sleeker than a conventional rectangular skyscraper. The slim base and top also reduce reflections and improve transparency, and the floor-to-ceiling windows improve daylight penetration over a conventional building.