“I wish that one day, I will be able to design a building in this avenue that will go like: “Hey, Norman! Your building suck!”
As architect, that was my secret reaction when I saw the “Gherkin” standing in 30 St Mary Axe street, as majestic as it could ever be. As if once is not enough, I saw this bullet-shaped tower twice, the second time being in the reflection of the neighboring building’s blue glass facade. I took these pictures in a glimpse, using the small mobile phone that I carried in my pocket, as if I was trying to freeze those moments in frames, even for a little time. The feeling was weird, but absolutely beautiful! Like a tiny worm fixed on the ground, I was looking up at those skyscrapers that almost seemed to touch the sky. “The sky is the limit”, they say. I was stuck in my own realm of impossibilities… possibilities perhaps… My eyes gazed around, almost 360 degrees… The battle of the towers was real!
From Norman Foster’s “Gherkin” to Richard Rogers’ “Lloyds” and “Cheesegrater” to Kohn Pederson Fox’s “Scalpel” to Rafael Viñoly’s “Walkie-talkie”, not to forget to mention Renzo Piano’s “Shard”, those skyscrapers reminded me of how much architecture has underwent, and how much it still has to go. I left the place with one thought in my mind. I was sure that in the future, the contemporary of today will become the traditional of tomorrow. 
Gioia Sawaya is an architect and photographer based in Lebanon. She holds a B. Arch from NDU, Lebanon and is currently pursuing her master degree studies in IE, Madrid. Her research interests look into the intersections between design, technology, and sociology that are transforming the way people live today. Links: Facebook – LinkedIn – Instagram
