Renzo Piano’s 310 metre
masterpiece is the focus of the
new London Bridge Quarter,
set to transform an area that
has been crying out for
redevelopment for many years.
It replaces Southwark Towers, a 24
storey office building – and will
look very different indeed.
There are a number of
‘wow factors’ in the
statistics for this amazing
construction. At 72
floors, (plus eight
radiator floors) it will
be the tallest building in
Europe (but possibly not
for very long, other
contenders are already
planned). It is twice the height of
the Swiss Re building – The Gherkin;
the status of which as London’s ‘iconic’
building may well be challenged by the
Shard. It will also offer the highest public
viewing gallery in Europe; it’s estimated
that over 1 million people will visit the
Shard to see what London – and many
miles further – looks like from 850 feet up.
Building the building:
• Level 1 - 22,627 sq ft - lobby
• Levels 2-28 - 586,509 sq ft office space
• Levels 34-52 - 174,355 sq ft 5 star
Shangri-La Hotel
• Levels 34-36 - 63,992 sq ft restaurants
and viewing gallery
• Levels 53-65 - 62,129 sq ft residential
apartments
• Levels 68-72 - 8,159 sq ft viewing gallery
and open air observation deck
After several years with a public enquiry
and planning arguments there was
considerable doubt that this very modern
dreaming spire would ever materialise.
It was finally given approval by John
Prescott in November 2003.
The Shard’s site used to be home to
Southwark Towers. In 2007, PwC, the
occupants, vacated the building, enabling
demolition work to start. In 2008, after a
very rocky road, new financing was agreed
for the project when the Qatari Diar Real
Estate Investment Company stepped in to
join Qatar Islamic Bank, Qinvest, Qatar
National Bank, Barwa International and
Sellar Property Group as funders.
Construction finally started in March
2009 and now the steel skeleton is now
visible to the 375,000 users of London Bridge railway station as it reaches the fifth
floor on its long journey skywards.
The Shard’s developer is Sellar Property
Group, working with the major shareholder
(80 per cent), the State of Qatar. His
Excellency Sheikh Abdulla Bin Saoud
Al-Thani, Governor of Qatar Central Bank
says that neither the financial troubles in
Dubai or the recession in the UK will affect
the completion of the development.
“This is a significant milestone in the
construction of the Shard as it marks a new
and exciting phase in the project. Over the
coming months, the Shard will begin to
take shape above the streets of London,
a testament to the vision and hard work of
our team.”
James Sellar, chief executive of Sellar
Property Group, said of the spectacular
project, “The Shard is set to become one
of the most significant additions to the
London skyline in decades. From the
outset, it has always been my aim to ensure
that this wonderful building is open to the
public, so that they get to experience the
wonder of the Shard at first hand.”
The London Bridge Quarter
development will also have another 600,000
sq ft office building, providing a workplace
for 12,000 people. The total cost is
expected to be in excess of £1.2bn, to
include major refurbishment of the train
and bus stations and a piazza connecting
the various areas.
Although nearly half of the Shard is pre
let, letting agents for the remainder and
associated rents have yet to be decided, but
with many London projects on hold
because of the funding issues, the Shard
could be ready just as London faces its next
boom, with increased demand for office
space and correspondingly increased rents.
Who knows, by pushing ahead with the
Shard maybe the developers have a point.
