The Shard

The Shard
The Shard in April 2015
Map
Alternative namesShard London Bridge
Record height
Tallest in Europe from 2011 to 2012[I]
Preceded byCity of Capitals
Surpassed byMercury City Tower[9]
General information
StatusCompleted
LocationLondon, England
Coordinates51°30′16″N 0°05′11″W / 51.5045°N 0.0865°W / 51.5045; -0.0865
Construction started16 March 2009
Completed5 July 2012
Opening1 February 2013
Cost~£435,023,452 (contract cost only)
OwnerState of Qatar (95%)
Sellar Property Group (5%)
Height
Architectural309.6 m (1,016 ft)[10]
Observatory244.3 m (802 ft)
Technical details
Floor count95 (72 habitable)
Floor area1,367,784 sq ft (127,071.3 m2)[1][2]
Lifts/elevators36[11]
Design and construction
Architect(s)Renzo Piano
DeveloperSellar Property Group
Structural engineerWSP Global (structural engineers), Robert Bird Group (concrete temporary works), Ischebeck Titan on most floors 40+ (concrete support)
Services engineerArup
Main contractorMace
Website
www.the-shard.com
References
[3][4][5][6][7][8]

The Shard,[a] also referred to as the Shard London Bridge[12] and formerly London Bridge Tower,[13] is a pyramid-shaped 72-storey mixed-use development supertall skyscraper, designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano, in Southwark, London, that forms part of The Shard Quarter development. Standing 309.6 metres (1,016 feet) high, The Shard is the tallest building in the United Kingdom, and the seventh-tallest building in Europe, the second-tallest outside Russia, only 3 meters less than the Varso Tower in Warsaw.[14] It is also the second-tallest free-standing structure in the United Kingdom, after the concrete tower of the Emley Moor transmitting station. The Shard replaced Southwark Towers, a 24-storey office block built on the site in 1975.

The Shard's construction began in March 2009; it was topped out on 30 March 2012 and inaugurated on 5 July 2012. Practical completion was achieved in November 2012. The tower's privately operated observation deck, The View from The Shard, was opened to the public on 1 February 2013. The glass-clad pyramidal tower has 72 habitable floors, with a viewing gallery and open-air observation deck on the 72nd floor, at a height of 244 metres (801 ft). The Shard was developed by Sellar Property Group on behalf of LBQ Ltd and is jointly owned by Sellar Property (5%) and the State of Qatar (95%).

  1. ^ "The Shard by numbers". Mirror Online. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  2. ^ "The Shard". Structurae. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  3. ^ "The Shard Opens Viewing Deck To Visitors". Sky News. 2 February 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
  4. ^ The Shard: The Official Guidebook. Thames & Hudson (2013). p. 22. ISBN 9780500342848.
  5. ^ Piano, Renzo (2013). The Shard: London Bridge Tower (in English and Italian). Matador. p. 74. ISBN 978-88-6264-006-0.
  6. ^ "The Shard – The Skyscraper Center". Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
  7. ^ "Emporis building ID 101995". Emporis. Archived from the original on 18 March 2016.. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  8. ^ "Inauguration of the Shard Tower in London on July 5th 2012" (Press release). Business Wire. 30 April 2012.
  9. ^ Brogden, Jim (2019). Photography and the Non-Place: The Cultural Erasure of the City. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-3-030-03919-6.
  10. ^ "The Shard: About". Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  11. ^ "The Shard: About". Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  12. ^ "London Bridge Tower, London". Designbuild-network.com. 15 June 2011. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  13. ^ Weaver, Matt (15 April 2003). "Battle begins for London Bridge Tower". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
  14. ^ "Tallest tower in EU completes". www.building.co.uk/. Retrieved 28 October 2022.


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