The Shard of Glass London Skyscraper
/Shard of Glass
First Published Date: Feb 3, 2011
It may not be the tallest building in the world, in fact it is less than half the height of the tallest building in the world, but the Shard of Glass, also known as Shard London Bridge, is a truly beautiful building.
Currently under construction in London, England, this skyscraper is scheduled to be finished in 2012 for the Summer Olympics in London. Upon its completion, it will become the 45th tallest building in the world, the second-tallest freestanding structure in the United Kingdom after the Emley Moor Transmitting Station and the tallest building in the European Union.
The tower will stand 1,017 feet, or 310 meters and have 72 floors. In addition, there will be an additional 15 radiator floors that sit on the roof.
One of the more interesting factors about this building, and its defining characteristic, is the fact that it has an irregular triangular shape. As well, the building is completely covered in glass, which is where the name Shard of Glass comes from.
The skyscraper, which will have an open-air observation deck on the top of the 72nd floor, was designed by noted architect Renzo Piano who considers the slender form of the skyscraper a positive addition ot the skyline of London.
Piano created the unique angles of the Shard of Glass so that it will reflect light and the changing patterns in the sky, depending on the time of day, year and season.
The public viewing gallery on the top is expected to draw over two million people per year. The skyscraper, along with its smaller companion building known as London Bridge Place, are part of a revitalization project for the surrounding area, which also includes a museum, a concours and a public piazza.
Upon its completion, it will surpass the Frankfurt Commerzbank Tower, which is currently the tallest building in the European Union, and has been since 1997. It was hoped that the Shard of Glass would also be the tallest building in Europe, taking into account cities in Russia including Moscow, but this may not be the case. The Triumph-Palace and Naberezhnaya Tower have both been completed and both are taller than the Shard of Glass. Another building in Moscow, the Mercury City Tower, will also be taller than the Shard of Glass when it is completed.
Needless to say, the Shard of Glass will be the tallest building in the European Union but not for long. It is expected that the Hermitage Plaza, which will rise to 323 metres, will become the tallest building in the European Union when it is completed in France in 2016.
Due to the collapse of the World Trade Center in 2001, a complete re-evaluation was done on tall structures across the planet and the Shard of Glass is among the first in the United Kingdom to be built using the US National Institute of Standards and Technology report on the WTC collapse, meaning it will withstand the most difficult conditions nature and man can put up against it.
