THE SHARD

An Icon for London

Set in the London Bridge Quarter, the Shard transforms London’s skyline sitting at a staggering 310m (1,016 ft). The building of offices, restaurants, a 5-star hotel, apartments and the Capital’s highest viewing gallery of 360° views makes the Shard the tallest building in Western Europe. Not only will you have a full view of London, but also France will be visible on a clear day.

The name ‘The Shard’ derived from the design concept of Renzo Piano who wanted to create 'A shard of glass through the heart of historic London'. The combination of a spire-like form with 11,000 panes of glass, gives the appearance of a shard of glass. The clever use of angled glazing allows the building to reflect the skyline and sunlight allowing the building to change appearance dependent on the weather and seasons.

The Shard’s inauguration ceremony was concluded with a laser light show to light up the city on Thursday 4^th July, 2012. Approximately twelve lasers and thirty searchlights lit up the London sky to celebrate completion of external building works. They reached out as far as other landmarks including the London Eye, Tower Bridge and St Pauls. The stunning looking structure was also lit up in blue, gold, green and purple.

www.the-shard.com