The Shard

Stumble this
 
 
 
 
Previous image

The Shard Spire

Next image
The Shard Spire
The Shard
The Shard
The Shard
The Shard
The Shard
The Shard
The Shard
The Shard
The Shard
The Shard
The Shard
The Shard
The Shard
The Shard
The View from The Shard
The View from The Shard
The View from The Shard
The View from The Shard
The View from The Shard
The View from The Shard
The View from The Shard
The View from The Shard
The View from The Shard
Oblix, 32nd Floor, The Shard
Hutong
Aqua Shard
Shangri-La Hotel London
TING - Shangri-La Hotel, at The Shard
Gong, Shangri-La Hotel, at The Shard
 

Credit: Sellar Property

From 1st February 2013 members of the public gained access to Renzo Piano's 306-metre tall glass building via The View From The Shard. Since then we've seen the opening of the building's bars, restaurants - including Oblix, aqua shard and Hutong - and the first 5-star Shangri-La hotel in the UK.

Filter by category:
 
 

The Shard

Open 5th July 2012

96 Tooley Street, Bankside, London, SE1 9SG

Tube: London Bridge Station

 
 

Officially opened on Thursday 5th July 2012, The Shard launched with a formal inauguration with guests entertained by the London Philharmonic Orchestra while lasers and searchlights lit up the sky over the capital's record-breaking building which stands at a neck straining 309.6 metres (1,015 feet) tall. The lightshow, which took place at around 10.15pm, linked the 95-storey 'vertical city' above London Bridge Tube and train stations to London icons including the London Eye and Tower Bridge. The best viewing vantage points included Tower Bridge, Tower Hill and the Tower of London Path and any elevated position to the north of The Shard. The Renzo Piano-designed building includes offices, restaurants, the 5-star Shangri-La Hotel (opening in 2013), exclusive residential apartments - Europe's highest homes; yours for 30 to 50 million pounds - and The View from The Shard, the capital's highest viewing gallery. The public viewing gallery, way up on floors 68 to 72, opens on 1st February 2013 but tickets go on sale from 9am on Friday 6th July 2012. In the meantime you can enjoy the virtual views 40 miles across the city online. Vertigo sufferers need not apply.

 
 

Events at The Shard

The View from The Shard Ongoing Editor's Top Pick - Recommended

1st February 2013 to 31st December 2045

 
The View from The Shard The Shard 2013-02-012045-12-31 Where:
The Shard, 96 Tooley Street London, SE1 9SG
Category: Sights
All events at The Shard
 
 
 

The Shard from Top to Bottom

Restaurants, offices, flats and London's highest viewing platform

 

Occupying The Shard's 'vertical town' are, from the top:

Floors 68-72: The View from The Shard, London's highest viewing platform, which allows members of the public unrivalled views from the uppermost floors.

Floors 53-65: The UK's most expensive homes, 10 flats available to those with 30 million to 50 million pounds to splash out on a city residence.

Floors 34-52: The Shangri-La Hotel, due to open in 2014, which offers residents 170 deluxe guestrooms and a luxury spa complete with indoor infinity pool.

Floors 31-33: The Shard's restaurants: Aqua London at The Shard and Hutong, two separate restaurants on floors 31 and 33 run by David Yeo's Aqua Restaurant Group; and Oblix, a New York-style grill by chef restaurateur duo Rainer Becker and Arjun Waney, occupying the 32nd floor.

Floors 2-28: At the official opening, in July 2012, tenants for the 26 floors of office space were unconfirmed.

 
 
 

The View from The Shard

Open 1st February 2013

The Shard, 96 Tooley Street, Bankside, London, SE1 9SG

Tube: London Bridge Station

 

Dates: 01st February - 31st December 2022

 

Even if you're not living, working or staying at the Shangri-La hotel in The Shard, you can enjoy its far-reaching views from The View from The Shard which, at 244 metres, is the highest public viewing platform in Western Europe. The attraction, which is expected to welcome over half a million visitors a year, offers views of the city and 40 miles beyond. That means - on a really good day - you can see the sea at Southend. Visitors are greeted at the entrance by pictures of over 140 famous Londoners - including The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as Pearly King and Queen, Kate Moss marrying King Henry VIII and Boris Johnson shining Ken Livingstone's shoes. Around the gallery there are animated maps, interactive displays, video screens and short films giving visitors an insight into London the London Bridge area which houses the oldest crossing point over the Thames. Buy Tickets for View from the Shard.

 
 
 

Shangri-La Hotel London

The luxury Shangri-La Hotel, occupying floors 34 to 52, opened on 6th May 2014.

32 Bridge Street, Bankside, London, SE1 9SY

Tube: London Bridge Station

 
 

The first ever luxury Shangri-La Hotel in London has the unique selling point of occupying the upper floors of one of the tallest buildings in Europe. Standing at 306 metres The Shard towers over London Bridge, Borough Market and beyond. Taking up 18 floors - from floor 34 to 52 - of The Shard the Shangri-La has 202 guestrooms and suites, each with a view of the city (and into your neighbour's room, if you're lucky) through ceiling-to-floor windows. Rooms feature abstract Chinese art, a soothing colour scheme, mood lighting, marble-clad bathrooms with under floor heating, Acqua di Parma amenities and a pair of binoculars. And, with room sizes averaging more than 42 square metres, they are among the largest in London. Lang is the hotel's artisan deli and cafe on the ground floor while right at the top, on level 52, there's an indoor infinity swimming pool which shares a floor with Gong, the highest bar in London. Even if you're not staying at the hotel you can enjoy those far-reaching views by visiting Ting the restaurant and lounge on level 35 (128 metres above ground level), an alternative to the viewing platform, The View From The Shard, on floors 68 to 72.

 
 
 

Ting

Modern European food with a hint of Asian flavouring.

32 Bridge Street, Bankside, London, SE1 9RL

Tube: London Bridge Station

 
 

Modern European food with a hint of Asian flavouring is on the menu at Ting, the signature restaurant and lounge of the Shangri-La, the five star hotel occupying the middle floors of Renzo Piano's 72-storey Shard. From the hotel's sky lobby on level 34 it's a short but spectacular walk up the sweeping staircase to the restaurant on level 35 which gets its name from the Chinese word for 'living room'. Signature dishes include hand-dived scallops from the north-west Highland coast cooked a la plancha and served with carrot, ginger and a light yuzu and grape seed oil dressing and organic Welsh lamb from Rhug Estate, glazed with mirin, sake and soy sauce, served with root vegetables and Kentish apples. The more casual lounge has an a la carte menu of Asian specialties including curry laksa, 'Hainan' chicken rice and char koay teow. Afternoon tea is also something of a speciality with two options on offer - a classically English experience, and an Asian-inspired alternative - both with 30 teas to choose from. One of three restaurants and bars within the Shangri-La, Ting is two floors beneath the hotel's bar, Gong, while artisan deli Lang can be found on the ground floor.

 
 
 
 

Gong

London's highest bar, on the 52nd floor of The Shard.

31 St Thomas Street, Bankside, London, SE1 90U

Tube: London Bridge Station

 
 

On level 52 of The Shard Gong is London's highest bar. Part of the Shangri-La Hotel, the tallest hotel in Western Europe, Gong takes its name from 'dougong', an ancient Chinese structural element of interlocking wooden brackets that will be a component of the bar's interior. One of three wining and dining options within the Shangri-La, Gong is two floors above Ting, the hotel's signature restaurant and lounge on level 35, linked to the hotel's reception area on level 34 by a spectacular grand staircase sweeping across double length floor-to-ceiling windows. Added to these is Lang, an artisan deli on the ground floor which gets its name from the Chinese word for 'pathway'. Gong on level 52 is on the same floor as a 24-hour gym and London's highest infinity pool.

 
 
 

Oblix

Open 7th May 2013

32nd Floor, The Shard, 96 Tooley Street, Bankside, London, SE1 9RL

Tube: London Bridge Station

 
 

High up on the 32nd floor of The Shard, Oblix is a New York-style grill from celebrated chef restaurateur duo Rainer Becker and Arjun Waney, serving charcoal-grilled meats, and wood-fired pizzas and spectacular views of London. This will be the fourth London restaurant from the pair responsible for Zuma and Roka, which has branches in Charlotte Street and Canary Wharf, but with Oblix they have, sensibly, taken inspiration from the towering building it occupies. Reminded of the high rises of New York, they have gone for a classic New York grill and given it a twist by using British and European ingredients. The lounge bar, with its live music acts and drinks chilled with chunks of ice chiselled from large, purified blocks, sounds super cool. Interiors have been developed by Italian architect and designer Claudio Silvestrin (whose clients include gallerist Victoria Miro, designer Giorgio Armani and rap star Kanye West) to frame rather than compete with the stunning views. As Becker explains, "You can't compete with the view... it's what being in the Shard is all about."

 
 
 

Hutong

Open 26th June 2013

33rd Floor, The Shard, 96 Tooley Street, Bankside, London, SE1 2TH

Tube: London Bridge Station

 
 

Restaurateur David Yeo opens the first European branch of his Hong Kong based restaurant Hutong which, like the original (on the 28th Floor of One Peking), occupies a lofty spot, high up in the spire of The Shard. One of two Shard restaurants operated by Yeo's Aqua Group, Hutong occupies the 33rd floor while Oblix is on the 32nd level of the skyscraper building. While Aqua serves a modern British menu, Hutong specialises in Chinese food. Established in Hong Kong in 2006, the restaurant is well known for its sophisticated Northern Chinese flavours including dishes of braised beef rib wrapped in lotus leaf, crispy de-boned lamb rib, soft shell crabs in spicy peppers and crispy Peking mutton. The interior is decorated with traditional Chinese red lanterns, hand-carved wood-panelled 'Moon Gates', and a wall of tiled tea bricks (compressed dried Chinese tea) while vintage 1940s tea canisters are a nod to the link between China and London and its old tea warehouses.

 
 
 

Aqua Shard

Open 1st July 2013

Level 31, The Shard, 96 Tooley Street, Bankside, London, SE1 9RL

Tube: London Bridge Station

 
 

If you're looking for dinner with a view, Aqua London, one of two restaurants in The Shard operated by David Yeo should surely come high up in the top ten list. Divided between two floors - which straddle Rainer Becker's restaurant Oblix on the 32nd floor - the two restaurants are operated by the Hong Kong-based Aqua Restaurant Group, founded by Yeo, which already has two stylish London restaurants, the Japanese Aqua Kyoto and Spanish Aqua Nueva on Regent Street where the Aqua Spirit bar also offers great views from its roof terrace. While Hutong offers a Northern Chinese menu, Aqua London gives diners a choice of modern British cusine, a new concept from the Aqua Group.

 
 
 

Shard Stats

How high? How many glass panels? How big?

 

The Shard is:

  • The tallest building in Western Europe at 309.6m (1,016 ft)
  • Britain's highest public viewing platform
  • Part of a £2bn London Bridge Quarter regeneration project
  • Above London Bridge Station which is used by as many as 75 million people a year
  • Includes 11,000 glass panels
  • Glass panels cover an area of more than 56,000 sq metres, equivalent to 8 football pitches
  • Internal space measures approximately 920,000 sq ft
  • Office space, floors 2-28, is approximately 589,602 sq ft
  • 800 separate pieces of steel make up the spire
  • 95% of The Shard's construction materials are recycled and 20% of all steelwork is from recycled sources
  • 95% owned by the Bank of Qatar

 
 
 
 

The Men Behind The Shard

Who built, designed and financed Europe's tallest building

 

The main players in putting together the building which gives its inhabitants' the "best view in Britain" are: Irvine Sellar, 72, the veteran property developer; award-winning Italian architect Renzo Piano, 74; and the Qatar Central Bank which owns 95 per cent of the building putting the Prime Minister of Qatar in a powerful position.

Irvine Sellar - London-born and bred, Sellar, chairman of the building's developer Sellar Property, bought Southwark Towers, the office block on the site of The Shard, in 1998. He originally made his fortune in Carnaby Street fashion in the 1960s and 1970s and diversified into commercial property.

Renzo Piano - The Italian Pritzker Prize-winning architect who, with Richard Rogers, designed the distinctive Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris is the man responsible for the distinctive design of the super-tall 'shard of glass' building. Though not a fan of tall buildings he rose to the challenge by creating a tapering pinnacle which echoes London's spires and masts.

The Prime Minister of Qatar - Qatar Central Bank owns 95 per cent of the building which means the prime minister of Qatar and the Thani family are the main money men behind The Shard which serves as an alternative investment to black gold for the oil-rich Gulf state.

 
 
 

The Building of The Shard

A timeline of significant landmarks

 

Twelve years from design to completion:

July 2012 - On 5th July the tallest building will be officially celebrated with a light show and an official visit from the prime minister of Qatar and Prince Andrew.

June 2012 - The Shard's 17-storey 'little sister', The Place, is topped out. More than more than 12,000 people will work there when it is completed in 2013.

April 2012 - Final steel section is lifted into place as The Shard reaches its full height of 310 metres. In the same month 'urban explorers' calling themselves the 'London Consolidation Crew' breach security, climb the tower and publish photos taken from the crane at the top of The Shard.

February 2012 - The new entrance of the main London Bridge station concourse is revealed with a new glass roof, new flooring and new realigned ticket barriers completed.

September 2011 - The construction of The Shard's spire gets underway with the UK's highest crane raised into place. Fully extended the crane sits 317 metres (1,040 ft) above ground level - seven metres taller than the building's eventual highest point.

June 2010 - The first of 11,000 glass panels that will form The Shard's unique facade arrive on site with a targeted erection of a floor a week. The concrete core has passed the 30-storey level, with the steelwork following close behind.

September 2010 - Construction on The Place, a 17-storey office building linked to the Shard by a new public piazza and also designed by Renzo Piano begins.

December 2010 - The Shard officially becomes the tallest building in the UK when the 69th floor is completed. The milestone was marked by London's Mayor Mr Boris Johnson who was taken to the very top of the building. In the same month the 72-storey central core was completed.

March 2009 - Construction starts.

March 2000 - Renzo Piano meets Irvine Sellar and draws up plans for The Shard on the back of a napkin in a Berlin restaurant.

 
 
 

London Bridge Quarter

Newly created £2bn regeneration project

 

The Shard maybe the most visible part of the project but the whole area around the tower's base has been regenerated and renamed as the London Bridge Quarter as part of a £2 billion project. Improvements include a new entrance to the main London Bridge station concourse - which is used by as many as 75 million people a year - a new bus station, and a 17-storey office building called The Place, linked to the Shard by a new public piazza also designed by Renzo Piano. The Place has been built on the site of a former Richard Seifert-designed 1960's office tower and will provide offices for more than 12,000 people when it's completed in 2013. The development will also include approximately 9,000 square feet of retail space.

 
 
 

Time lapse film

How the Shard appeared on the London skyline

 

Video courtesy of Channel 4 News.

 
 
 

IN THIS ARTICLE

 
 
 
SALE London Hotels

From cheap budget accommodation to luxury 5 star suites see our special offers for hotels, including from 0% off.

 
 
Call now: hotel deals 0207 420 4960