Why is The Shard famous?

Dominating the London skyline, The Shard is also one of the most recognised buildings in the world. Since opening on 1st February, 2013, The Shard has fast become one of London's most popular attractions, thanks to the highest viewpoint of the city offering unparalleled panoramas over London at The View from The Shard.

Why is the shard an iconic building?

Like its name, it resembled a shard of glass, albeit one reaching over 1,000 feet with 87 floors. The building has a little for everyone, featuring shops, restaurants, offices, a hotel, and flats. On completion in 2012, it became an instant London icon, appearing in everything from The Simpsons to Doctor Who.

Why is the Shard a tourist attraction?

Regularly voted as one of London's greatest tourist attractions we offer the best views of the city from the top of London's tallest skyscraper. Visit The View from The Shard and celebrate London with breath-taking 360° panoramic views day and nights.

Is the Shard iconic?

Its design has made it a global icon and a beacon for modern London.

Why is the shard called that?

Soaring the highest above the city and dwarfing the meeting rooms city of London is the Shard, the tallest building in the UK, so-called as it resembles a shard of glass.

Why does The Shard look unfinished?

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This, according to another architect on the project, allows the building to "breathe" - hence the reason why it may look unfinished to some.

What makes The Shard unique?

Threading the skies over London like a great glass needle, the Shard is one of the city's newest and most striking skyscrapers. Completed in 2013, it has 95 floors and stands at 1,106 feet, making it also the tallest structure in the city and the whole of the United Kingdom.

What makes The Shard in London unique?

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. It is also the second-tallest free-standing structure in the United Kingdom, after the concrete tower of the Emley Moor transmitting station.

What effect has The Shard had on its surrounding?

High influence. With luxury apartments, upmarket boutiques and restaurants, premium offices and a five-star hotel, The Shard has attracted people and companies to the surrounding area, helping to establish Southwark as a core business district and leading to the £1 billion redevelopment of London Bridge station.

What is it like in The Shard?

The Shard has very little surrounding high-rise making the feeling of being way above the city so much more dramatic. On one side the River Thames snakes its way past the Tower of London and Tower Bridge as well as some of London's less attractive buildings. The 'Walkie-Talkie' building comes to mind.

What can be seen from The Shard?

6 sights to see from the top of the Shard

• River Thames. As the largest waterway in London, there are plenty of places where you can see the famous River Thames. ...
• Big Ben. ...
• Tower of London. ...
• Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. ...
• London Eye. ...
• Tower Bridge.

What is inside The Shard?

The Shard comprises 26 floors of high specification office space, three floors of restaurants, the 19-floor five-star Shangri-La Hotel, 13 floors of residential apartments and London's highest public viewing gallery.

What was The Shard inspired by?

Architect Renzo Piano took inspiration for the Shard from the spires of London churches and the masts of tall ships depicted by the 18th-century Venetian painter Canaletto.

What does The Shard represent?

The Shard has become a symbol of London – a landmark of modern architecture in a contemporary capital. Its cutting-edge design resembling a glass shard reflects London's skyline on its exterior and changes colour depending on the weather and the seasons.

Is The Shard the tallest building in the world?

At 1,016ft (310m), The Shard is the tallest building in Britain and the European Union, and 96th tallest in the world. It is eight feet shorter than the Eiffel Tower, although that does NOT count as a building as it is not habitable.

Does anyone live in The Shard?

He said: "There's three of them, they're still in construction, nobody is living in them."

What is The Shard made of?

The Shard is an unusual mixture of concrete and steel, a tiered wedding cake of a building with a concrete basement, structural steel from ground to level 40, concrete from levels 41 to 69, and steel again from there to the top at level 95.

How big is The Shard?

The Shard is 309.6 metres (1,016ft) high. The building reached its top height on 19 June. It has 11,000 glass panels. The area of the glass façade is 56,000 sq metres (602,779 sq ft), which equals eight football pitches.

Is The Shard a green building?

The building was finished in July of 2012 and was designed by the architect Renzo Piano. He designed the building to be extremely environmentally friendly and economically sustainable. The building even was given a BREEAM Excellent rating.

Who owns The Shard apartments?

While The Shard is owned by both the Sellar Property Group and the State of Qatar, the latter actually own 95% of the enterprise after securing an initial 80% stake in 2008.

How much is The Shard worth?

Many believe this is a sound investment considering that the net worth of the Shard is pegged now at 2.5 billion pounds or $3.9 billion. The Shard is shaped as an irregular pyramid building that is entirely covered in glass.

How was The Shard designed?

The architect Renzo Piano wanted The Shard to resemble a church spire, inspired by a painting of London by 18th-century Venetian painter Canaletto as well as the masts of sailing ships. The design was also in part influenced by the railway tracks that would be running around the building.

Is The Shard taller than the Empire State Building?

The Shard is the largest skyscraper in the United Kingdom and seventh largest building in Europe. The Empire State building is currently the seventh-largest tower in New York City and the ninth tallest in the United States. Skyscrapers are typically defined as being over 150m and are continuously habitable.

Is The Shard taller than the Eiffel Tower?

In comparison, the Eiffel Tower, which is not a structure, is 320m taller than the Shard, and its observation deck is likewise 31m (100 feet) higher than the Shard's at 276m.