Shard, The

the Shard

The Shard, als called Shard London Bridge, skyscraper in London designed by architect Renzo Piano and completed in 2012.

Londoners are tribal. It is said that those who live north of the Thames River rarely move south and vice versa. But the Shard changed parochial allegiances. It is Lord of the Manor on the less-trafficked South Bank, an area dubbed “London Bridge Quarter.” Piano says the building’s inspiration came from church spires and ships’ masts, but it appears more like the shaft of a switchblade. This is statement architecture. At 1,000 feet (305 m) and 82 stories (72 of which are habitable), its mass even threatens the UNESCO heritage status of the Tower of London.

Despite its singular gigantism, the Shard is designed as a people-sized place. One of its most unique aspects is also its most prosaic. It was deliberately designed with only 48 parking spaces. This is an urban building for the public. Piano calls it a “little vertical city” with a transportation hub, commercial activity, offices, restaurants, public spaces, a hotel, residences, and a public observation gallery with a 40-mile (65-km) view. Piano expressed his wish that it appear almost ephemeral—like a “shard of crystal.” The facade is a double skin with automatic solar blinds between the double-glazed exterior and the single-glazed interior. Natural light penetrates deep into the building.