London Shard skyscraper, observation deck and Oblix restaurant. The tallest skyscraper in London - The Shard What is a shard in the UK

The Shard Tower is one of the tallest buildings in Great Britain. It was officially opened on July 5, 2012. To mark this occasion, impressive laser shows were organized. Since then, visitors have been able to ride in high-speed lifts and enjoy 360-degree panoramas of London, covering a distance of up to 60 km (40 miles).

Skyscraper construction

The Shard Tower was designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano. He is said to have been inspired by sailing ships on the River Thames and the spearheads of London churches.

The history of the skyscraper dates back to the 1998 purchase of the site - formerly the site of a building called Southwark Towers - by developer Irvine Sellar. In the early 00s, Mr. Sellar, hoping to obtain permission to build a tower, traveled to the German capital, where he had an appointment with Renzo Piano.

The latter is known for his architectural feats such as Paris' Center Pompidou and Lloyd's of London. Mr Sellar apparently met the architect Renzo Piano in a Berlin restaurant to discuss the design of the tall building. It was widely reported that Mr. Piano at that meeting first called the building high tower“a statement of arrogance,” and then sketched out the Shard’s plan anyway.

The tower is built on an extremely strong concrete base, housing important safety components such as escape routes and 44 elevators, several of which are dedicated to firefighters. The office floors use double-decker elevators to increase the efficiency of elevator shaft operation. For unforeseen circumstances, three sets of stairs are provided, which are complemented by high-power evacuation elevators. This approach is common in cities such as Hong Kong.

The center is designed to resist massive lateral wind forces. Even in the presence of strong gusts, the Shard Tower moves to the side no more than 50 cm. For the lower office floors, a steel frame is used in the design. Concrete frame with steel tensioning - for higher hotel and residential premises. Steel allows for long, beam-free spans in offices, while concrete on upper floors helps create soundproofing in living spaces. The highest levels are steel. It uses a "truss" rod system that stabilizes the skyscraper by tying the beams around the building's perimeter together.

Any skyscraper, even one as tall as the Shard, is sure to be filled with facts, features, and record-breaking statistics.

In fact, it is the tallest building in Western Europe. The Shard briefly took first place, but two skyscrapers in Moscow overtook its height within a year.

Six women climbed the outer walls to the top of The Shard in July 2013.

In July 2013, the Shard Tower was chosen as the site of a Greenpeace protest to draw attention to oil company Shell's plans to explore for oil in the Arctic.

The builders found a fox at the top of the tower. The fox, nicknamed Romeo by staff, was found on the 72nd floor and is believed to have survived on food left behind by construction workers.

Externally, the Shard consists of 11,000 glass panels. The building is so named because it resembles a shard of glass, and its 11,000 panels have a total area of 56,000 square meters. m.

It houses a very expensive penthouse. The huge apartment at an altitude of 224 m occupies two floors and has a price tag of GBP 50,000,000.

The observation deck actually occupies three floors. The observation deck occupies floors 68, 69 and 72. On the 68th there is Cloudscape, from where you can see Various types clouds over London. The 69th contains interactive telescopes, and the 72nd is dedicated to the forces of nature.

The average rate of ascent is 6 m per second. Although the elevators are very quiet and entertain passengers with videos, it is better to take some chewing gum with you as it can cause ear congestion.

A look from the inside:

Lobby: floors 0 and 1;
Office premises: 2-28. According to a report by The Financial Times, the price is 50-55 GBP per sq. m. foot;
29-30 - official;
Restaurants (31-33) - occupy a height of 121 m;
Upscale Shangri-La Hotel: floors 34-52;
Spa (52). This is the part of the hotel where you can see London in great detail;
Luxury residences (53-65 (height from 186 m to 224 m)). Among them there are those that occupy an entire floor and cost up to 65 million USD. The Financial Times says they won't be sold for several years because the developer wants "the building's image to be built first";
66-67 - service floors;
Observation platforms (68-72 with the most high level— 244 m)
73-74 - service;
Floors 75-87 are within the spire. They are not occupied, but are necessary to radiate the heat generated by the skyscraper.

Many floors have public access. These include observation decks and restaurants. Hotels, restaurants, residential premises, playgrounds and offices have their own entrance. You can enter the observation decks on Joiner Street.

Restaurants

AQUA SHARD. Innovative British cuisine on the 31st floor, plus a spectacular three-floor atrium bar.
Oblix. Inspired by the New York skyline. The menu features sophisticated urban casual cuisine. Located on the 32nd floor.
Hutong. The restaurant's menu includes a variety of Northern Chinese cuisines. Based on the Hutong restaurant in Hong Kong.
LANG. Known for its signature Shangri-La cakes, fresh coffee, chocolates and pastries.
TING. Modern European cuisine with Asian flavor on the 35th floor. Like LANG, the restaurant belongs to the Shangri-La Hotel.
GONG. The cocktail bar is located on the 52nd floor, offering dramatic views of London. An ideal place to relax and have a late night drink.

Tower surface

The Shard consists of 11,000 glass panels.
The area of the glass façade is 56,000 sq. m. m, which is equal to eight football fields.
95% building materials can be recycled.
20% of metal structures are made from recycled materials.
Each facet forms a shard. The surface of the glass is slightly inclined inward and rises upward.
The fragments of the skyscraper do not touch, allowing it to “breathe.”

How to get to the tower

Address: Shard Tower, 32 London Bridge Street SE1 9RL
Nearest metro station: London Bridge (2 minutes walk)

The Shard website:
http://www.the-shard.com/overview/

Adult tickets cost 25 GBP.

In the event of inclement weather, all guests are offered the London Landmarks Guarantee with their tickets. This means that if there are clouds, you can return to the site for free!

The Shard skyscraper is a “shard of ice” in the middle of a cultural city. The Shard skyscraper (translated as “Shard”) is a striking landmark of England. The building truly resembles a kind of piece of ice that fell from the sky. Having been built in 2012, the building opened its doors to tourists only on February 1, 2013. Ticket prices were not low, but this did not bother those who wanted to visit the building, which for some time was the first tallest in Europe (it was soon overtaken by its Moscow “brother” Mercury City Tower). As a result, all tickets were sold out several months before the opening. Now the British proudly call the Shard the tallest building in England, as well as in Western Europe. At the very top of the building there is an excellent view of the entire city. The Shard is 310 meters high and has 72 floors. New York has a large number of skyscrapers, while London has none. This was the main impetus for the authors of the idea, because the building had to stand out among the entire city.

History of creationShard was built on the site of a 25-story office. The official opening took place on July 5, 2012. In the night sky one could see a mesmerizing laser show, created with the help of 20 lasers and 30 powerful spotlights. The skyscraper took 45th place in the ranking of the tallest buildings on the planet. The construction was made near the Thames River, near the famous London Bridge. The building was named after the shape made in the form of a shard of ice. The famous Italian designer Ranza Piano worked on creating a unique modern design. He explained such an unusual idea by the desire to build a building that would work around the clock. The initiator and sponsor of the idea is the famous oligarch who made his first fortune on cars, Irvine Sellar. The director of The View From The Shard commented on the idea of building a skyscraper: “The Shard is a great building, created by a bright mind with initiative for the future. Perhaps this is one of the best buildings in the world, offering an excellent view of the city. Agree, sites with a 360-degree view are a very rare and expensive phenomenon.”

Shard from the insideThe first, largest ones are intended for offices, the middle ones are for hotels, restaurants, the top ones are for various galleries, museums and observation decks. Some floors still remain empty, and information about what is happening on them is not known. On Offices of various companies are located on floors 2-28. The honorable 6 floors were rented by Transport of London. By the end of 2012, almost all offices were rented. Restaurants and cafes were located on the 31st-33rd floors. In the summer of 2013, tourists could already dine at some of the most prestigious establishments and try various cuisines, for example: Chinese. ???! Elite establishments of various styles are located on the floors: “Aqua”, “Hutong”, “Oblix”. The Shangri – La Hotel took over the 34-54 floors. The hotel includes swimming pools overlooking the city, 200 rooms, as well as a winter garden. The 53rd, 55-56th floors include the highest and most expensive apartments in all of England. Buying luxury real estate in a central glass building in London will cost about 50 million pounds. Observation decks with full views of the city are located on the 68th – 72nd floors. London can be seen for 40 miles. Telescopes and binoculars are provided.

Interesting fact: The construction of the “Shard” caused a lot of controversy and discussion on the part of London residents, because the bright geometric building in the form of a fragment spoils the atmosphere of one of the oldest cities on the planet, as it stands out sharply from other buildings. However, over time everything calmed down. Probably, the creators managed to convince everyone that Shard would bring more advantages than disadvantages.

Address: Joiner St, London SE1 9SP

Shard skyscraper in London (UK) - description, history, location. Exact address, phone number, website. Tourist reviews, photos and videos.

Last minute tours to the UK

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The newest architectural landmark of the British capital - the Shard skyscraper - was erected just in time for the start of the 2012 Olympic Games. The tall glass pyramid immediately firmly established itself in the top ten most popular London attractions, largely thanks to the observation deck, which occupies floors from 68 to 72. Guests ascend (or rather take off) to the observation deck in a high-speed elevator in just half a minute.

The name of the skyscraper The Shard translated from English means “shard of glass” and is 100% compatible with its appearance.

The name of the skyscraper The Shard translated from English means “shard of glass” and is 100% consistent with its appearance. Thousands of glass panels that line the skyscraper shine in the sun, attracting the eye. Inside the skyscraper there are offices, apartments, front gardens and even a hotel.

Figures and facts

Building height - 309 m

Number of floors: 72

At the time of completion, the Shard skyscraper became the tallest building in the European Union.

Address: SE1 9SP, London, Southwark, London Bridge Street, 32.

Opening hours: Sunday - Wednesday: 10:00 - 19:00 (entrance until 17:30 - 18:00), Thursday - Saturday: 10:00 - 22:00 (entry until 20:30 - 21:00).

Admission: 30.95 GBP, children (4-15 years): 24.95 GBP, children under 3 years: free. Children under 15 must be accompanied by an adult to enter.

Prices on the page are as of November 2018.

Do you want to be at an altitude of 310 meters in 30 seconds? Then welcome to Shard. This large-scale structure was built about 2 years ago. The giant skyscraper in the form of a glass pyramid and 310 meters high has become a new building on par with the ancient Tower. on the skyscraper opened on February 1, 2013. You can book your tickets online using this link.

The most convenient way to visit the skyscraper is during a bus tour of London - the stops on the route are very close.

The name of the skyscraper is Shard, translated as a fragment. No wonder. The building, completely covered with glass, creates an amazing play of light and shadow. The reflection of the sun's rays makes the building look like a sparkling giant shard of glass in the middle of an English metropolis.

Architecture and observation deck

The construction of this futuristic facility in central London caused protests among the public at the time. It was believed that such an ultra-modern project could destroy the architectural unity of the city. However, after much discussion, the Shard was finally built.

The elevator of the famous skyscraper is capable of whisking visitors to the observation deck in 30 seconds. The building itself is a huge complex of offices, apartments, and gardens. In addition to the observation deck, the 310-meter skyscraper houses offices, apartments, restaurants and the five-star Shangri-La Hotel. And then comes the residential area - on each floor, from the 53rd to the 66th, there are luxury apartments of astronomical cost. As conceived by the author of the project, Italian designer Renzo Piano, Shard embodied the concept of the so-called vertical city. It was built in 3 years.

Visitors have a stunning view of 40 kilometers on each side - but the eyes are primarily looking for, and, which remain far below. On the other side of the Thames there is the famous Norman Foster and other famous skyscrapers, which cannot compete with the Shard in height. Here you can see the sights in detail - there are several binoculars on both floors, which give visitors two minutes to study the details. They can also be used to control the time of day. A close-up panorama of London is available at natural form, as well as in “day” and “night” modes. By focusing on a landmark, you can request short information about it and learn about a variety of London buildings from the BBC building to.

Restaurants are located from the 31st to 32nd floors. There are 3 of them. The cuisine is very diverse, from European to Asian. The average bill will be approximately £58.

Ticket price, opening hours, address

The skyscraper has already caught the fancy of tourists. So every day there are long queues for tickets for excursions. The ticket price is quite high - about 29 pounds sterling for an adult and 23 for children. It is best to book tickets on the Shard website in advance.

The 300th floor is open to visitors every day from 10 am to 7 pm, and on some days the tour time is extended to 22 00. The skyscraper is located at London, Southwark, London Bridge Street, 32.

What is noteworthy is that the Shard London Bridge was not built by the city authorities of London (as, in fact, the London Eye).

The skyscraper was built according to the plan of the architect Renzo Piano with almost full financial support from Qatar (and this, for a second, is more than 435 million pounds sterling).

The UK government only approved this project and washed its hands of it.

And so, starting in 2009, on the site of the Southwark Towers office complex (it had to be demolished), work began on the construction of the tallest building in London. A real pyramid made of concrete and thousands of glasses.

There was also a public outcry, as zealous defenders of the architecture and appearance of London as a whole complained that this giant would simply ruin the entire raspberry. They knocked on the doors of UNESCO, calling on the latter to use common sense.

However, all attempts to disrupt construction came to nothing. The authors of the project assured that The Shard will fit perfectly into the architecture of London and will bring incredible benefits to the city!

You know, having been in this building. Having visited several areas next to a dozen other buildings in the city, as well as visiting almost all the most famous sights of London, I can say with confidence that the capital of Great Britain, among other things, is very impressive precisely because it has preserved the strict aristocratic (royal) English style, This is how modernism is rapidly developing.

This contrast is incredibly captivating. It's not this and that in Rome , where literally everything breathes antiquity (or rather historical era). And no, it's not easy tall buildings, much less skyscrapers.

Everything is different here. In London, they respect the old classic aristocracy (in many areas you can see old, cute, identical houses with two or three floors), but they do not forget to keep up with the times, erecting beautiful high-rise modern buildings.

The view from the Shard - fantastic views of London

Okay, I got a little distracted. I go directly to the observation deck, almost on the very top of the “Oskolka”, from which a simply fantastic view of the city opens.

I'm telling you. There are two elevators leading to this site. First, you are lifted to the middle of the road on one. Then, you are transferred to another elevator, which takes you to the 68th floor.

Well, then you cover four more floors on foot.

Yes, yes, the observation deck The view from the Shard occupies as many as 4 levels! Moreover, the 72nd floor is open, so it can be especially cool here in autumn and winter.

But the views from here open up... dear mother!

And when evening comes and the lights come on in the houses, the spectacle becomes simply mesmerizing!

And you stand in silent silence, admiring the splendor woven under your feet

Holding your breath and catching the thought that this is GREAT!

Well, when London is enveloped in the night, it’s time to order champagne with caviar at the bar in order to be even more imbued with grandeur and beauty.

What else is there in The Shard

Hotel. In fact, I would be surprised if he wasn't there. It is located from the 34th to 52nd floors.

Sharda has several restaurants located on the 31st to 33rd floors. These are the British restaurant with Mediterranean cuisine Aqua Shard, the Oblix restaurant, and the Chinese Hutong Restaurant.

There is a gift shop on the 68th floor of the Shard. And even a Sky pool.

Impressions and conclusions from the visit TheShard(shard) in London

Let me summarize. We really liked The Shard London Bridge. In terms of entertainment, it is much cooler than the London Eye and the Walkie-Talkie skyscraper with the Sky Garden observation deck, because The main observation deck in the Oskolok is located much higher than its counterparts - on the 72nd floor.

This is the altitude at which helicopters and airplanes fly.

But, nevertheless, in terms of comfort and cost, “Oskolok” is significantly inferior to the same Sky Garden.

Judge for yourself. Here you pay about 30 pounds and are simply in a glass terrarium, even with a bar.

And you can come to Sky Garden completely free of charge. You can sit on soft sofas, at the bar, enjoying excellent coffee, delicious food, and, of course, enchanting panoramic views of London.

The atmosphere in Sky Garden is much nicer. And the area of the establishment itself is much larger than the observation deck at The Shard.

If you have a small budget for a trip to London, feel free to go to Sky Garden and have a lot of fun.

If you have the money, be sure to visit the Sky Garden, and then check out The Shard. You can compare these two amazing places and have even more fun.

Well, if you, frankly, have a lot of money, then you can visit the Sky Garden, the Shard, and the London Eye (although the London Eye, in my opinion, is the most useless attraction in London).

That's how things are.

Additional Information

Working hours: daily from 10:00 to 22:00.

How to get toTheShard(shard) in London

The nearest tube station is London Bridge.

But you can also get there by bus. Both on BIG BUS TOURS and on regular routes (43, 48, 141, 149, 521).

Be sure to use an Oyster Card to pay for your trips (valid in London on all types of public transport).

The entrance is on Joiner Street, just off St Thomas' Street.

How much does a ticket to the tower cost?TheShard(shard) in London

At the time of writing, tickets cost £29.86 per person

How to get to the observation deckTheShardfor free

I’m sharing a trick. Several times a month, various major sponsors organize promotional events at the tower. And then entry to The Shard is absolutely free for anyone. We just heard on the radio about such an event (held by the Corona company) and rushed to visit the observation deck of the skyscraper. We also drank a glass of beer.