It is the most widely liked new building in Britain for decades, is attracting international attention, and incredibly it is an office tower. Office blocks are usually boringly formulaic, while towers (in Britain) have in the past been controversial at best, hated at worst. But this is not just any old speculative stack of floorspace. This is the curvaceous new landmark for London universally known as the Gherkin, designed by architect Lord Foster. The first new tower in the historic financial district for 25 years, and the harbinger of several more to come, it was officially launched to the world's media on April 27. The evening before, Foster had discovered to his astonishment that a remarkably similar structure had been proposed by none other than architect Sir Christopher Wren more than 300 years previously.