Originally called the ‘London Bridge Tower’, and then the ‘Shard London Bridge’ and ‘Shard of Glass’ before most people settled on describing it as ‘The Shard,’ this elegant skyscraper is set to be the tallest building in London, the United Kingdom and the European Union.
The view from Bankside, Sept 12th, 2010.
Similar view, September 25th, 2010.
Set for completion in 2012, the pointy tower will stand at 310 m (1,017 ft) tall and boast 72 floors, plus 15 further radiator floors in the roof, with architect Renzo Piano incorporating structural design lessons learnt from the 9/11 WTC collapses.
View from near Nunhead, south London, showing how the Shard will dominate London’s skyline.
More photos and info:
The Shard rises! Iconic London skyscraper underway [Sept 15th]
The London Shard reaches for the sky [Sept 27th]
In the artist’s impressions, it looks like some tacky trophy presented at a third-rate music awards ceremony.