[originaltext]Though officially known as the Swiss Re Tower, Londoners universa

Though officially known as the Swiss Re Tower, Londoners universally refer to the new 41-storey buildings, as "the Gherkin", meaning a little cucumber, though it actually looks more like a pine cone. As a typical example of green architecture, what is most remarkable about the building is its energy-efficiency. Thanks to its artful design and some fancy technology, it is expected to consume up to 50% less energy than a comparable conventional office building. Green architecture is changing the way buildings are designed, built and run.
Proponents of green architecture argue that the approach has many benefits. In the case of a large office, for example, the combination of green design techniques and clever technology can not only reduce energy consumption and environmental impact, but also reduce running costs, create a more pleasant working environment, improve employee’s health and productivity, reduce legal liability and boost property values and rental returns.
Green architecture, a term which only came into use in the 1990s, has its origin in the energy crisis of the 1970s, when architects began to question the wisdom of building enclosed glass-and-steel boxes that required massive heating and cooling systems. Early proponents of more energy-efficient architecture included William McDonough, Bruce Fowle and Robert Fox in America, Thomas Herzog in Germany, and Norman Forster and Richard Rogers in Britain.