Thread: The Shard of Glass, EU's tallest skyscraper, is finally completed

The final piece of the EU's tallest skyscraper was finally lifted into place yesterday.

The Shard of Glass, on the south bank of the River Thames in Southwark, south London, now stands at its full height of 1,017 feet after the topmost part of the imposing skyscraper - a steel spire weighing about 500 tonnes which was manufactured in Yorkshire, dismantled, transported to London, and then re-assembled again - was placed at the top of the building.

Not only is is the tallest building in the EU but it is the tallest inhabited building in the whole of Europe.

The spire needed the UK's largest crane to lift it in place.

The building - officially called Shard London Bridge - will offer uninterrupted 360-degree views of the capital, stretching for 40 miles in every direction, and will open in June.

Visitors will be able to enjoy the view from an observatory that will be 72 floors up.

The Shard is just one of TWELVE skyscrapers currently under construction in London, including the Bishopsgate Tower in the City which, when completed in 2013, will be the second-tallest skyscraper in the EU at 945 feet.

Another 45 buildings over 325 feet have also been approved in London.

The previous tallest building in the EU was the Commerzbank Tower in Frankfurt, which opened in 2011 and reaches 850 feet.

Now the Shard part: Highest point of Europe's tallest building lifted into place reaching 1,017 feet into the sky

By John Hutchinson
31 March 2012

The final piece of the jigsaw was added in place as the Shard building in London was topped off.

It will now take it's place as Europe's tallest inhabited building, standing 1,017 ft into the London skyline.

A steel spire weighing about 500 tonnes was placed at the top of the building, in Southwark near London Bridge, yesterday.


No rest for the wicked: Builders, who are probably working on their highest ever job, help finish off The Shard in Southwark, London

And, not surprisingly, it needed specific tools to help it into place - specifically the UK's largest crane.

Work on the Shard began in February 2009 and an estimated £450million has been spent on its construction so far.

The building will offer uninterrupted 360-degree views of the capital, stretching for 40 miles in every direction.

Visitors will be able to enjoy the view from an observatory that will be 72 floors up.


Almost done: The final bits are put into place on the Shard skyscraper


Imposing: The Shard dominates the skyline in London, and is now Europe's largest inhabited building

Billed as a ‘vertical city’, it will comprise offices up to floor 28, then three floors of restaurants; a five-star 19-storey hotel of 200 rooms; ten apartments over 12 floors – each seven times larger than a semi-detached house and likely to fetch tens of millions of pounds each; and, finally, the observatory and spire.

Designed by Italian Renzo Piano to resemble an iceberg emerging from the Thames, The Shard has not been without controversy.

English Heritage has expressed fears about the ‘major and detrimental’ impact on views of St Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London and the Palace of Westminster.

The workers building The Shard come from all over the world, although two-thirds are British.

A fifth are from other EU nations, while Brazil, Albania and Australia are also well represented.

Sellar Property Group says that co-ordination of langauges written on signs - including Romanian, Polish Bulgarian, Russian, Albanian, Lithuanian and Punjabi - has been ‘second to none’.

Australian Tony Veal, 33, a project manager, said: ‘Now my friends come from all over the world.

'Almost every continent is represented here, which makes for some good conversations about past experiences from diverse backgrounds.’

Lithuanian administrator Simona Visinskyte, 23, said: ‘Everything that’s impossible becomes possible in London.'


Impressive: The top of The Shard was constructed in Yorkshire, dismantled, and then re-applied onto the live site yesterday


Read more: Now the Shard part: Highest point of Europe's tallest building lifted into place reaching 310 metres into the sky | Mail Online

The Shard of Glass is impressive but I don't like the design, it appears so blunt to me. It won't be the highest skyscraper in Europe for long. Moscow has three higher ones under construction currently.

The gherkin is smaller and pretty phalic but at least its special in som way. I like it more. In terms of skyline, London's city can't keep up with the great skyline of La Defense which in my opinion is the most impressive one in Europe and the location, orientation as well as the Grande Arche make it something almost unique. (Of course all European skylines are dwarfed by various skylines from other continents)