The building was designed by architects Foster and Partners with structural engineer AKT II, and constructed by Sir Robert McAlpine at a cost of £1bn.

Inside, the floors are linked by custom glass lifts and a 210m helical bronze "ramp", which dominates the interior of the building.

Express lifts take visitors from the lobby, a self-supporting "vortex" of three curved timber shells, to the double-height pantry on the sixth floor, with view of St Paul's Cathedral.

The design and building process of the building has been criticised as wasteful:[6] it required developing specialised solutions not applicable anywhere else, and the construction required 600 tonnes of Japanese bronze[7] and 10,000 tonnes[6] of imported Indian granite,[7] rather than using locally sourced or recycled materials.

[6] As part of the construction of the building, a new entrance to London Underground's Bank and Monument station complex was built.

The artwork was originally completed in 1962 on Bucklersbury House, the post war office building previously located on the site.