ZURICH, Switzerland (AP) ? Swiss Re, one of the world?s largest reinsurance companies, said yesterday it agreed to sell its London headquarters, a 40-story glass skyscraper known as ?The Gherkin.?

The company said it would sell the office building at 30 St. Mary Axe for ?600 million ($1.18 billion) to real-estate corporation IVG Immobilien AG.

The transaction is expected to close in February, Swiss Re said in a statement. The company will remain as a tenant.

London?s cigar-shaped skyscraper, which received its popular nickname because of its resemblance to a pickle, can be seen from far outside the centre of the capital. The building, designed by Norman Foster, won the top prize in British architecture in 2004, the Royal Institute of British Architects? Stirling Prize.

?In IVG Immobilien AG we have found a future owner who will maintain and preserve the superior quality of this outstanding property,? Swiss Re chief executive Jacques Aigrain said.

?The property is an attractive investment for our funds investors, not only visually but also from an investment perspective,? Wolfhard Leichnitz, chief executive of IVG Immobilien said.