On a thoroughly miserable wet and grey April afternoon, I grabbed a couple of photos of The Shard and its accompanying London Bridge Quarter development.
Now officially the tallest skyscraper in Europe, the tower is almost structurally complete, with the building being topped out on 30 March 2012, when its 66-metre (217 ft), 500-tonne spire was winched into place.
The steel structure now stands at its final elevation of 308.5 metres (1,012 ft), with the final 516 panes of glass topping the tower out at its full height of 309.6 metres (1,016 ft).
Tightly wedged into the space between the Shard and London Bridge railway station is the dire-sounding ‘London Bridge Quarter’ which is apparently busying itself, “Inspiring Change” – whatever that means.
According to Wikipedia, here’s how the floors have been allocated. Can’t say I’d fancy living on the 65th floor, although the views will no doubt be astonishing.
| Floors | Floor area | Space designation |
|---|---|---|
| 73–87 | Spire | |
| 68–72 | 8,159 sq ft (758 m2) | Observatory |
| 53–65 | 62,129 sq ft (5,772 m2) | Residential apartments |
| 52 | Spa | |
| 34–52 | 174,355 sq ft (16,198 m2) | Shangri-La Hotel |
| 31–33 | 63,992 sq ft (5,945 m2) | Restaurants |
| 2–28 | 586,509 sq ft (54,488 m2) | Offices |
| 0–1 | 22,627 sq ft (2,102 m2) | Lobby |
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