The Shard

Now the tallest building in the European Union, construction on the Shard in Southwark, London began in 2009 and was finished in 2012. The tower was designed by Renzo Piano, an Italian architect chosen in 2006 by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the arts in the world. He also designed the New York Times building in Manhattan. The Shard has 87 floors, 72 of which are habitable, and stands 1,004 feet tall. The official website of the building, the-shard.com, brings the magnitude of its size to notice by welcoming us to “Europe’s first vertical city.” It houses business offices, hotels, and restaurants, and has observation decks on three of its upper floors.

Seems like you always have to get a picture like this with a tall building...

 What's London without a little rain?

 In my journal I expressed my thoughts on the tower: Seeing the Shard was really cool. It does look, especially at the top, like a shard of glass that could seriously cut you. It was very sleek, smooth, and shiny. I was overall impressed by its size. It’s so tall! I was able to get photos of it with Southwark Gothic cathedral, with Shakespeare’s Globe, and from the Millennial Bridge.

 With Southwark Cathedral, a Norman church later reconstructed after the fire in 1212 in Gothic style. Thought it was a totally cool picture! 

(Stay tuned! Literary connections abound! More pictures/info on this cathedral coming soon.)

 With The Globe

From the Millennial Bridge (which crosses the Thames from the Globe to St. Paul's)

But even though it’s big and very shiny (both characteristics of usual modern architecture), it’s also rather elegant and graceful in style. This contrasted very positively to me with other buildings here and elsewhere built in the last century. Overall, I found it to be the most aesthetically pleasing modern building and my personal favorite.