The Shard, Skyscraper in Southwark, United Kingdom.
The Shard rises 1,016 feet (311 meters) above the south bank of the Thames, presenting a pyramidal facade formed by 11,000 glass panels that spread across 87 floors to create a tapering spire. Eight slanting glass surfaces shape the structure, whose design echoes the church spires found on historic London buildings.
Architect Renzo Piano designed this tower as part of a larger urban development plan for the railway station area, with work beginning in March 2009 on the site where Southwark Towers had stood. The building was completed in July 2012, opened its viewing platform to the public in February 2013, and became the tallest structure in London, holding that title through 2024.
The building houses more than 26 restaurants and bars alongside a luxury hotel, while international companies occupy office floors and private residences sit near the top. This combination of workplaces, homes, and dining spaces in a single tower reflects how Londoners today embrace vertical urban living.
A viewing platform on the 72nd floor offers a panoramic outlook over the city, reached by 36 elevators that travel up to 20 feet (6 meters) per second. London Bridge Underground station sits at the foot of the tower, connecting the Jubilee and Northern lines with trains to Kent and Sussex, supplemented by numerous bus routes in the neighborhood.
The highest occupied floor sits at 803 feet (245 meters) and houses private apartments with two or three-story layouts, where floor-to-ceiling windows allow a full circle outlook over London. Some of these residences include private elevators that open directly into the apartments.
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