In Pictures: How the Shard was built
THE construction of the Shard tower has enthralled all who have witnessed it over the past two years.
With its exterior completed last week, we trace the rise and rise of this 1,016ft London landmark and reveals the mind-boggling facts and figures behind the awesome architecture...
PICTURES: THE BUILDING OF THE LONDON SHARD
From its foundations to the last of its 11,000 glass panels, observers have watched the construction of the Shard with a sense of wonderment as it gradually transformed London’s skyline.
The bottom of the Shard surrounded by cranes in August 2010/Mark Kehoe
It took two years to build Europe’s tallest building and, as these photos show, it was quite a feat of engineering.
Reaching its full height of 1,016ft (309.6m) on June 19, the area of the glass façade is equal to eight football pitches.
Inside, 44 lifts and 306 flights of stairs are required to access the building’s 27 acres (10.9 hectares) of floorspace.
There are 72 habitable floors with a further 15 making up the “spire”. The tower, which was inaugurated on Thursday night with a spectacular laser display, was designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano, who described it as looking like a “shard of glass” in the planning stages and the name stuck.
Costing £1.5billion, the complex will boast a ground-floor plaza, retail space, restaurants and a five-star hotel and spa as well as offices and flats with 360-degree views of the capital.
A viewing platform will open to the public next February offering breathtaking 40-mile vistas. Adult tickets are £24.95.
The Shard starts to take its shape in September 2010/Mark Kehoe
By then the Shard may well have been toppled from top spot in the European skyscraper charts as the 1,089ft Mercury City Tower in Moscow is set to be completed by the end of the year.
The Shard is currently the 59th tallest building in the world, taking top spot is the Burj Khalifa, in Dubai, at 2,717ft.
