The London Shard at London Bridge, London SE1 continues to soar

The London Shard at London Bridge, London SE1 shoots up...

Now reaching the start of the viewing gallery and open air observation deck at floors 64-72 is the Shard tower at London Bridge, which can already claim to be the tallest structure in London.

I took some photos back in mid-September 2010 and later that same month, but you can see that it’s still growing upwards at an astonishing rate.

The London Shard at London Bridge, London SE1 shoots up...

Old and new. The central core of the Shard as seen from Borough High Street, SE1.

The London Shard at London Bridge, London SE1 shoots up...

When completed, the Shard will stand 310 m (1,017 ft)  tall and comprise of  72 floors, plus 15 further radiator floors in the roof.

Designed ten years ago by Renzo Piano – the Italian architect who created Paris’s Pompidou Centre of modern art with Britain’s Richard Rogers – the Shard will become the tallest building in the European Union  (at least for a while) when completed.

The London Shard at London Bridge, London SE1 shoots up...

The main contractor for the project is Mace who were reported as blowing their original £350m budget by about £85m back in 2008.

The London Shard at London Bridge, London SE1 shoots up...

What goes where

Here’s how the floors will be used in the tower:

Level 1-3: Lobby
Floors 4-28: Office space
Floors 31-33: Restaurants and viewing gallery
Floors 31-50:Shangri-La Hotel
Floors 52: Spa
Floors 53-65: Residential apartments
Floors 64-72: Viewing gallery and open air observation deck
Floors 75-87: Spire
[Source]

The London Shard at London Bridge, London SE1 shoots up...

The grey grimness of Guys Hospital next to the Shard.

The London Shard at London Bridge, London SE1 shoots up...

The base of the Shard.

The London Shard at London Bridge, London SE1 shoots up...

The London Shard shoots up...

Raising the steel beams.

The London Shard at London Bridge, London SE1 shoots up...

Looking up from the footbridge next to Guy’s Hospital.

The London Shard at London Bridge, London SE1 shoots up...

The London Shard at London Bridge, London SE1 shoots up...

The London Shard at London Bridge, London SE1 shoots up...

Looking at the tower from near London Bridge. I’s going to make one hell of a landmark when completed!

The London Shard at London Bridge, London SE1 shoots up...

The London Shard at London Bridge, London SE1 shoots up...

The central concrete core, with the floors marked off as far as number 62.

[Official website]

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