After Completion
On 25 April 2005, the press reported that a glass panel two thirds up the 590 ft (180 m) tower had fallen to the plaza beneath on 18 April. The plaza was sealed off, but the building remained open. A temporary covered walkway, extending across the plaza to the building's reception, was erected to protect visitors. Engineers examined the other 744 glass panels on the building. The cost of repair was covered by main contractor Skanska and curtainwall supplier Schmidlin (now called Schmidlin-TSK AG).
Since its completion, the building has won a number of prestigious awards for architecture. In October 2004, the building was awarded the 2004 RIBA Stirling Prize. For the first time in the prize's history, the judges reached a unanimous decision. In December 2005, a survey of the world's largest firms of architects published in 2006 BD World Architecture 200 voted the tower as the most admired new building in the world. The building also featured in recent films such as Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, Sharon Stone's Basic Instinct 2 and Woody Allen's Match Point and, rechristened the Spirit of London, became the spaceship centrepiece of Keith Mansfield's 2008 novel Johnny Mackintosh and the Spirit of London.
Since February 2010, Sky News has broadcast its flagship business programme, Jeff Randall Live, from a studio in the building.
In September 2006, the building was put up for sale with a price tag of GB£600 million. Potential buyers included British Land, Land Securities, Prudential, ING and the Abu Dhabi royal family. On 21 February 2007, IVG Immobilien AG and UK investment firm Evans Randall completed their joint purchase of the building for GB£630 million, making it Britain's most expensive office building.
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