The building not only looks -- let's say "appealing" :)) -- but also has some pretty smart features like an advanced air circulation system allowing for natural air flow half of the year saving a lot of electricity which otherwise would have been necessary to run the air conditioning. Unfortunately, as a tourist, unless you know somebody who works inside, one can only admire the building from outside. This seems to follow a recent trend of keeping the public out of skyscrapers. While it might have something to do with security concerns after 9/11, I believe this to be quite wrong. If you occupy so much prominent space in a city, you do have a responsibility to give something back to the people who -- through government -- allowed you to go ahead with your monster project. At least, the gherkin, together with its less sightly highrise neighbours, does provide some welcome shade on a hot summer's day :)


