Europe’s tallest building, the Shard
Apparently, the first plans for the Shard were sketched out on a napkin in a Berlin restaurant in 2000. Thirteen years on, Shard London Bridge, which is the work of Italian architect Renzo Piano, is officially the tallest building in Europe, with a total **height of 310 metres.
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The building is completely clad in glass, and when the sun shines on it, the Shard looks like a glowing beam of light shooting up from the ground. It has 95 floors and will house offices, residences and the new Shangri-La Hotel. Vertigo-sufferers will want to steer clear of The View - the UK’s highest viewing galleries.
The London Bridge quarter is part of the trinity that includes the Shard and another development called the Place. It’ll be a great place to hang out in, as it features a new plaza and shops.
There are 44 lifts in the Shard, as well as 306 flights of stairs. And how’s this for a nerdy factoid - the entire area of glass used on the exterior is as big as eight football pitches.
The Shard’s future looked wobbly in 2008 following the recession but Qatari investors LBQ Limited stepped in to save the day. Work on the building began in February 2009 and it has cost around** £450 million **to build.
In addition to bagging the continent’s tallest building spot, it is also the site of London’s largest ever concrete ‘pour,’ which saw 5,500 cubic metres poured over 36 hours. When it opens to the public next year, it will give uninterrupted views of London, stretching for 40 miles on a clear day.
Although it has been described as an iceberg, the Shard in truth is closer to resembling the tall steeples of churches that are featured in old pictures of the city. Or at least that’s what the designer intended.
Although the building has courted controversy and criticism (English Heritage has said the Shard ‘taints’ a view of St Paul’s), it is well-received as an elegant addition to the city’s landmarks. Tonight sees the inauguration of the building, complete with a dazzling opening ceremony featuring laserbeams.
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