London's Shard | Moss and Fog

‘The Shard’ is located within the london bridge quarter image © sellar

View from Tower bridgeimage © sellar

Renzo Piano’s newest skyscraper is set to open to the public in February, and it is already leaving an indelible mark on London. The beautifully named “Shard” is just that. A massive shard of glass, protruding from along the river, glistening with potential.

Via DesignBoom:

Formally named ‘The London Bridge Tower’, but now commonly referred to as ‘the Shard’ by Italian architect renzo piano has been complete since
the summer of 2012 and officially opens to the public on february 1, 2013. Currently considered the tallest building in western europe,
the needle-point structure stands 309.6 meters above the new london bridge quarter in the south bank district and is home to a number
of programs including office space, restaurants, 5-star shangri-la hotel and residences. Situated at the top on floors 68, 69 and 72 are platforms,
with the one on the uppermost level standing at twice the height of any other viewing deck in london offering panoramic lookouts
of 64 km (40 miles). Here, at the highest public level, 244m above ground – accessed by elevators travelling approximately 6 meters per second –
one will experience the structural pieces of the glass that form the top of ‘the shard’ and disappear into the sky. A centerpiece to the 2 million
square meter development, the 72-storey mixed-use tower was inaugurated with a nighttime light show, which combined 12 lasers and 30 searchlights
to celebrate the skyline’s newest addition.