The Shard is the tallest building in London

At 309.6 metres, The Shard is the tallest building in London.

It looks like a piece of glass, hence its name.

It is located on the site of the old Southwark Towers, which were demolished in 2008. The building forms the centerpiece of the Shard on the south side of the River Thames.

It is also close to many London attractions, including Borough Market, Southwark Cathedral and the Clink Museum.

The Shard’s principal architect was Renzo Piano, whose ambition was to create a vertical city where people could live, work and relax. This vision was realized in 2012.

Office space occupies the lower floors of the building, while the luxury Shangri-La Hotel occupies floors 34 to 52.

There are many luxury restaurants located between them. Above the hotel are 12 floors of exclusive residential apartments with some of the best views in the capital.

There are also two observation decks on top of the structure, collectively known as The View from The Shard.

At first, things didn’t go smoothly for The Shard.

English Heritage objected to the choice of location, claiming that the building would be out of place.

However, the Mayor of London supported the project, keen to revitalize this neglected part of the city, and tensions in global financial markets nearly killed the project before it could get started.

Fortunately, with designs and planning permissions in place, Qatari investors secured the funds needed to see the project through to completion.

The top-down construction method was the first of its kind in a British skyscraper. Four cranes rose with the tower as it rose.

Construction went smoothly and by 2011, One Canada Square, previously the tallest building in London, had fallen to second place.

The tower was the last part to be installed, and the engineers mocked up a 3D model to see if the design could be realized.

The real crane was pre-fabricated in Yorkshire, and required a crane longer than anything seen in the UK to lift it into place.

When completed, The Shard ended the reign of Frankfurt’s Commerzbank Tower as the tallest building in Europe. However, after Britain departed, the German skyscraper regained its title.

The View from The Shard is the highest viewing platform in London – in good weather,

you can see up to 40 miles.

The best part of the 360-degree panorama is across the Thames to the north.

You’ll overlook famous landmarks like St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London, Big Ben, and more.

And at the 72nd floor outdoor observation deck, the only thing higher in London is the sky itself,

where you can feel the breeze in your hair as the upper parts of this lofty level are open to the elements.

For the ultimate view of London, The Slide is impressive in an unusual way.

If you’re brave enough, grab a VR headset and get ready for a unique ride that will make you feel like you’re being pushed by The Shard.

To go on a high-adrenaline downhill ride at 100 miles per hour.

Of course, since it’s virtual, there’s no risk, but it’s certainly an exciting way to experience the London skyline.

The word “shard of glass” means a piece of glass, and this is what the Italian architect Renzo Piano meant.

When he designed this architectural masterpiece in 2000, it would be the highest peak in Britain and Europe and made entirely of glass.

Since childhood, the Italian engineer had dreamed of such an architectural form that was unparalleled by any other building in the world.

The Italian architect Renzo Piano describes it as an integrated vertical city containing offices for work and a luxurious hotel for hosting

And residences at the highest level of luxury and the most famous international restaurants, in addition to containing a huge panorama at the top of the Shard.

A person can see what is around him from a distance of 40 miles across the British capital, London, so the residents of this glass masterpiece do not need to leave it.

The beginning of the project was a dream that the architect (Piano) was trying to implement, and the opportunity came when the owner of the project land and the British partner of the project (Evren Sellar) came to him.

He presented him with the idea of erecting a glass masterpiece on the project’s land, and here the Italian architect (Piano) conjured his dream of creating the giant glass pyramid, which was the skyscraper (the Shard).

He presented it as a diagram to Sellar, the British partner agreed on it, and the Italian architect began preparing the final drawing of the skyscraper (the Shard).

During the early days of The Shard, one unusual resident who was able to live rent-free was a fox,

named Romeo by the builders.

He wanders around unnoticed and finds himself trapped.

He survived by eating leftover food scraps until rescuers seized him and brought him into a nearby animal sanctuary.

Staff gave the stunt Romeo a clean bill of health before releasing it onto the streets of Bermondsey.

The Shard’s rise is a guaranteed headline. Shortly after the structure came into being,

it hosted a fundraising event in support of the Outward Bound Trust and the Royal Marines Charitable Trust.

But not all users were cleared – several BASE jumpers,

climbers and urban explorers were escorted from the building by security personnel.

The Shard also appeared in the closing scenes of the blockbuster Marvel film  Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019).