The Shard is also known under different Names: Shard of Glass, Shard London Bridge or a bit more formerly: London Bridge Tower. But most people call the at the moment tallest building in London, the Capital of the United Kingdom, simply: The Shard. It is located in Southwark in the middle of the buzzing London. The tall skyscraper is 95 floors high. The Tower is part of the London Bridge Quarter development and is 309,7 meter high (that is 1016 feet high). With this it is the tallest building in the United Kingdom. It is ranking at number 4 on the List of the tallest Buildings in Europe. It is also the 111 th tallest skyscraper in the world. In the ranks if the tallest free standing structures it is ranking at number two for the UK.
If you like, jump right into the different headlines about the Shard
- Tickets
- Inside the Shard
- 9 facts of the shard you properly didn’t know
- The Shard building process video
In March 2009 construction began at the site of the Shard. In march 2012 it was topped out and in July 2012 it was opened but works went on till November of the year 2012. Inside the shard is an hotel, offices and a privatly operated observation Deck, which is called “The View from the Shard”. The Observation deck was finally and also officially opened to the public in 2013.
The Tower is cladded with glass and has 72 habitable floor. Right at the Top (72nd floor) there is the Observation Deck at an height of 244,3 meter located. Part of the Observation deck is a viewing gallery and an open air observation deck. The pyramid shaped Skyscraper was designed by the italien architect Renzo Piano. The Shard replaced the Southwark Towers which was a 24 floors building of offices from the year 1975.
The skyscraper and tall structure was, after it was designed by Renzo Piano, developed by the Sellar Property Group. The Sellar Property Group worked on behalf of the LBQ Ltd. The owner of the Shard are Sellar Property Group and the State of Qatar.
Tickets
You would like to buy some Tickets to go up the Shard and visit the Observation Deck called “View from the Shard” to have a fantastic view of London from above? Click here to get your tickets.
Inside the Shard
Inside of the shard you find as mentioned earlier office space, a hotel, restaurants, apartments and the observation deck.
The offices reach from level 2 to level 28
This is followed by 3 floors of restaurants from level 31–33
The Hotel Shangri La occupies the levels between 34 to the level 52
From 53 to 65 are apartments located
And finally from 68–72 the “View from the Shard” is located
Occupiers of the Shard are for example Al Jazeera (The TV Network) Which is running from there a TV Studio and the UK Branch. Another well Known Company if not Brand is Campari UK. The Company is leasing also some offices in the Shard. Other Companies you might know are Sage (the Software Company), Kraft Heinz (the Ketchup) and Tiffany & Co. the jewellery brand.
Also inside the Shard are a couple of luxurious restaurants located. Starting with AQUA Shard a contemporary British restaurant located at the 31th floor. This Restaurant is followed by 5 other special and also luxurious Restaurants and Bars up to the level 52 where you can find the “GONG” a cocktail bar with breathtaking views across London.
The exclusive residential apartments of the skyscraper are the highest in the whole UK. They offer the best view of the city. One could be happy to have this most prestigious address in London.
The Hotel is the uk’s first Hotel of the Shangri-La hotel chain and is offering 200 luxurious rooms from the floors 34 to the level 52. Guests can enjoy the view and of course the 5 star service. Recreation facilities are at hand: Like a gym or an infinity pool featuring panoramic views of the London skyline. The earlier mentioned bars and restaurants are of course opened to the Shangri-La guests with their gourmet delicatessens.
9 facts of the shard you properly didn’t know:
- The skyscraper “The Shard” is in total 309.6 meters high, that is 1,016 feet high. This is almost a third of a kilometer.
- a little fox was found at the top of the building at level 72 towards the end of the construction. The staff nicknamed it Romeo and it is believed to be feed by the construction workers
- 1450 workers from 60 nations built the tall skyscraper at the busiest point during the construction.
- In all the tall skyscraper is 95 floors tall. The level 72 the the highest habitable floor.
- 44 lifts are in service inside the building, interestingly are a few double decker lifts.
- The exterior is covered by 11,000 glass panels which is the equivalent in area to eight football pitches
- With a stretch from London to Paris the wiring inside the tall building is 320 kilometers long (200 miles).
- The earlier mentioned Lifts can travel with a speed of up to 6 meter of a second.
- The highest skyscraper in UK is currently owned by two owners: The State of Qatar and the Sellar Property Group.
The Shard building process video
If you like, have a look at this timelapse video. It is showing the construction process from the start to the finish.
Post Photos of the skyscraper The Shard are Property of fsse8info, jpitha Alexander Svensson found at flickr.
