Sara Fox

Can a financial giant shrink its footprint by building a sustainable skyscraper? John Elkington and Francesca Müller asked Sara Fox, responsible for the construction of Swiss Re’s new London headquarters.

Let’s begin at the end. As we walked back through the building site that still surrounded 30 St Mary Axe, Francesca and I agreed there was something of the Wild West, of the Tombstone saloon, about Sara Fox. Later, we tried to work out why this image came so readily to mind: there seemed to be a surprising number of answers.

Number one, Ms Fox is a larger-than-life American. Second, she operates at the frontier of modern architecture, as New Building Director for Swiss Re — the leading reinsurer, with over 70 offices in more than 30 countries. Third, there was a faded childhood photo in her office showing her aiming what she told us was a real gun at the photographer.

But even that wasn’t the end of it. Like the forceful women who once held sway over cowpokes and gunslingers in saloons from Dodge City to Santa Fé, Sara clearly knows how to keep on top of things. Overseeing some 500 builders and contractors swarming over the skyscraper popularly known as the ‘Erotic Gherkin’, Sara projects a natural authority. But the real whiff of the West comes when she speaks: her language, to put it mildly, would need a parental-guidance rating if quoted straight.

‘Totally in Your Face!’ Asked to describe the essence of her job, she explained: ‘It’s about maintaining momentum when many people are saying this is such a stupid idea. Opening windows in a 40-storey skyscraper? A circular floor-plan? Are you nuts?’ As a result, getting some of the sustainability features into the building sometimes seemed to take ‘for f***ing ever!’ (We warned you.) Walking around the new building, it’s hard not to fall in love. Rising to 590 feet (180 metres) at its apex, the Gherkin will provide spectacular 360-degree panoramas of London. But is there such a thing as a sustainable skyscraper? Well, it’s a matter of degree, Sara replied. ‘Norman Foster [the Gherkin’s architect] describes this as a radical building — spatially, socially and environmentally. It’s designed to reflect Swiss Re’s commitment to sustainability and environmental issues.’

Most skyscrapers, as she put it, ‘are brutal, stupid. They seem to say: You’re not welcome here!’ And the original design, pre-Swiss Re, proposed for the site where the Gherkin now stands was more of the same. This was the ‘Millennium Tower’, meant to loom 1,000 feet over the City. It was ‘pure statement,’ she recalled, ‘totally in your face!’

When Foster and Partners came up with the latest, more feminine, design they started off with ‘something that looked a bit like a squashed egg. But gradually it got slimmer, taller and more elegant.’ Today, the Gherkin flirts with the passer-by, drawing you in. Sara, whom I first met at Swiss Re’s 2003 Sustainability Day conference in London, also draws you in: her passion for the project is contagious.

Selling Space
Unusually, she wears two separate hats. First, she represents the landlord-developer, Swiss Re. And, second, she represents the largest tenant, again Swiss Re, slated to take about 40% of the office space when the building is finished. And, while playing these different roles may be a challenge, finding tenants to fill the rest of the building is the next big hurdle.

So will the Gherkin’s green credentials help? ‘Unlikely,’ she replied. ‘Prospective tenants have shown little interest in the environmental and social aspects, but I think it is a reflection of the property market as a whole.’ Many existing London HQ buildings, she pointed out, were clearly built by developers who ‘couldn’t give a rat’s ass’ about their future tenants, let alone the environment. By contrast, she added, the Gherkin offers ‘a seriously improved working environment, with natural ventilation, wonderful light, huge work stations, and so on.

Shape
The Gherkin widens as it rises from the ground, then tapers towards its apex. As a result, the building appears less bulky than a conventional rectangular block; we found the Gherkin intimate, inviting.

Aerodynamics
The Gherkin’s shape cuts down on the unpleasant wind-tunnel effects created by so many tall buildings. Inside, wind pressure differentials generated by the building’s form boost natural ventilation, cutting the need for conventional air conditioning.

Skin
The Gherkin’s ventilated double skin façade cuts both heating and cooling requirements.

Natural Lighting and Ventilation
Each of the six ‘fingers’ of accommodation on each floor is offset by five degrees. This boosts daylight penetration and cuts back on the need for artificial lighting.

Energy
The main fuel is gas. Low energy light fittings have been specified wherever possible. Decentralised plant permits the mechanical ventilation to be controlled floor by floor. The Building Research Establishment’s relevant annual energy consumption guideline for low-energy offices is 175 kWh/sq m, which the Gherkin should beat by up to 25 kWh/sq m.

Transportation
Because of its location, the Gherkin links well to public transport. The provision of cycle spaces in the basement is three times the required minimum, with shower and changing facilities provided. But, most striking of all, the building has no private car parking spaces.

Father Knows Best
Unfortunately, time was pressing, so we fired off our final barrage of questions. First, was there a strong financial case for greening the Gherkin? No, Sara replied. ‘There is almost no financial case to speak of if you’re looking at anything that pays back over more than ten years, as many of these features will.’ But surely, we protested, it can’t be that bad? ‘Well,’ she said, ‘there certainly is a business case, but it’s not just about the building. Fundamentally it’s more to do with corporate philosophy, with values and intangibles.’

Central to both the long-term financial and wider business cases are fossil fuels and climate change. Swiss Re estimates that every employee emits an average of 5 to 6 metric tonnes (Mt) of CO2 per year, with total corporate emissions from approximately 8,500 employees adding up to approximately 47,000 tonnes of CO2 per annum. To become greenhouse neutral, Swiss Re plans to reduce its emissions by 15% over the next ten years. The remainder will be offset by investing in the World Bank Community Development Carbon Fund (CDCF), which supports projects to improve the environment and livelihoods of local communities.

Nor is this simply a matter of corporate citizenship. Climate change can potentially hit insurers in their business model. ‘Any use of fossil fuels generates carbon dioxide,’ Sara noted, ‘and that, in the end, will mean higher costs for Swiss Re as a reinsurer. In the end, businesses like ours are going to pay for climate change.’

Fine, but were there things she wanted to do but couldn’t? Of course, Sara replied. ‘Recycled water systems work well in a “groundscraper”, but not in a tall building. You have to use a lot of energy for all that extra pumping, install additional risers. You literally can’t justify it.’ Ah, and what about the possibility of a solar Gherkin? ‘You would have to cover two-thirds of the building to meet just 10% of its energy needs,’ she shot back, ‘and tenants don’t want to look at the backsides of photovoltaic arrays.’

So, we wonder: what has been her proudest moment on the project? ‘The single best thing,’ she said, after a moment’s thought, ‘was a social issue. We found a really elegant way of using the light wells so that everyone could share in the wonderfulness.

‘Instead of allowing the cascade of balconies overlooking the light wells to turn into executive office ghettoes, we ensured that the balcony edges are populated with common spaces: photocopying points, libraries, coffee shops.’ And her biggest concern? ‘How the Hell,’ she asks, ‘do I match this project next time around?’

The Gherkin’s own website www.30stmaryaxe.com
The architect’s perspective www.fosterandpartners.com