![](http://www.alamy.com/thumbs/6/DF2806CA-23C5-40E8-B375-8163CD4F5199/DW2563.jpg)
The Shard under construction as of 27/08/2011, London, England.
This image shows The Shard under construction as of 27/08/2011. This image was taken from the Tower of London looking South of the River Thames towards the More London Place development. The image also shows City Hall (far left), More London Place (centre), Guy's Hospital and HMS Belfast (far right). The Shard, also referred to as the Shard of Glass, Shard London Bridge and formerly London Bridge Tower, is an 87-storey skyscraper in London that forms part of the London Bridge Quarter development. The Shard's construction began in March 2009; it was topped out on 30 March 2012 and inaugurated on 5 July 2012. Practical completion was achieved in November 2012. Its privately operated observation deck on the 72nd floor, the View from the Shard, opened to the public on 1 February 2013. Standing approximately 306 metres (1,004 ft) high, the Shard is currently the tallest building in the European Union. It is the second-tallest free-standing structure in the United Kingdom, after the concrete tower at the Emley Moor transmitting station. The glass-clad pyramidal tower has 72 habitable floors, with a viewing gallery and open-air observation deck – the UK's highest – on the 72nd floor, at a height of metres (802 ft). The Shard was designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano. More London is a development on the south bank of the River Thames, immediately south-west of Tower Bridge in London. The development includes City Hall, a sunken amphitheatre called The Scoop, office blocks, shops, restaurants, cafes, and a pedestrianised area containing open-air sculptures and water features, including fountains lit by coloured lights. City Hall is the headquarters of the Greater London Authority (GLA), which comprises the Mayor of London and the London Assembly. It was designed by Norman Foster and opened in July 2002, two years after the Greater London Authority was created. HMS Belfast is a museum ship, originally a Royal Navy light cruiser.
Size: 3781px × 2521px
Location: Tower of London, London, England.
Photo credit: © Stuart Robertson / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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