The Shard

“Architects have to dream. We have to search for our Atlantises, to be explorers, adventurers and yet to build responsibly and well.” – Renzo Piano

Overlooking the River Thames, The Shard is a mixed-use tower located beside  London Bridge Station was a response to the urban vision of London Mayor, Ken Livingstone and to his policy of encouraging high-density development at key transport junctions. Designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano, it stands 309.6 m (1,016 ft) high; The Shard is the tallest building in the United Kingdom and the  7th tallest building in Europe. The total floor area stands at 1,27,000 sq. m. A total of 54,000 cum tons of concrete;11,000 tons of steel and 11,000 glass panes have been used in this massive construction.

Offering new approach to high-density growth, The Shard graces the London skyline while challenges the city’s old notions of fitting in. The slender and pyramidal form of the tower was determined by its suitability to this mix: large floor plates at the bottom for offices; restaurants, public spaces and a hotel located in the middle; private apartments at the top of the building.

The final floors assimilates a public viewing gallery, 240 m above street level. This setting of functions also allows the tower to taper off and disappear into the sky - a particularly important detail for Renzo Piano Building Workshop given the building’s prominence on the London skyline.

• Other Names

  Shard of Glass, Shard London Bridge

• Location

  London

• Construction Period

  2009-2012

• Cost

  £435,023,452 (contract cost only)

• Architect

  Renzo Piano

• Structural Engineer

  WSP Global

• Floors

  95 (72 Inhabitable)

Design Concept
The design for the Shard was commissioned by real estate developer Irvine Sellar of the Sellar Property Group. Sellar went to Berlin in 2000 to have a meeting with architect Renzo Piano to go over ideas for the building. Renzo was initially very opposed to the idea of a building of this size in London. The initial designs he created for the building were strongly opposed by a number of local authorities and that forced him to re-imagine his design. The redesign gave London the present ‘The Shard’

The shadow of  skyscrapers  cast on the neighboring buildings is a thing of consideration when the skyscrapers are proposed as it hinders views, blocks sunlight and ventilation for the users of the adjacent buildings. Surprisingly, the designer of this glass spectacle claims that there is no shadow cast as such by this huge tower on the neighboring buildings because the shadow is cast on the River Thames.

Interestingly, The Shard’s unique design was referenced by Piano to the masts of ships docked in the nearly London Pool and the paintings of the Houses of Parliament by Monet.

Eight glass shards define the shape and visual quality of the tower. The passive double façade uses low-iron glass throughout, with a mechanised roller blind in the cavity providing solar shading. In the spaces between the shards opening vents provide natural ventilation to winter gardens. These can be used as meeting rooms or break-out spaces in the offices and winter gardens on the residential floors. They provide a vital link with the external environment often absent in sealed buildings.The main structural element is the slip formed concrete core in the centre of the building. It houses the main service risers, lifts and escape stairs. A total of 44 single and double-deck lifts link the key functions with the various entrances at street and station concourse level.

The project also includes the redevelopment of the train station concourse and bus station.

The existing roof is to be removed and replaced with a glazed canopy, and retail units relocated to open up visual connections between the train station, bus station and taxi ranks. Two new 30 m x 30 m public squares will form the centre of the scheme.

The Shard was designed with energy efficiency in mind. It is fitted with a combined heat and power (CHP) plant, operating on natural gas from the National Grid. Fuel is efficiently converted to electricity and heat is recovered from the engine to provide hot water for the building.

Glass Façade
Instead of the typical green glass, low iron glass also known as the extra white glass in England has been used in the facade which is clear as a crystal, and depending upon the sunlight falling on it, the building, on the whole, looks different, vibrant and changing.

Technological Integration
Automated roller blinds controlled by the Building Management System (BMS), have found their way in the glass facade, between the triple-glazed panel with a single skin on the outside and a sealed double-glazed unit on the inside. These blinds help to reduce solar gain.

Serving as Tower and Urban Corridor
The first few levels of The Shard have been made porous connecting the London Bridge station and The Place building on either side of it. The space between The Shard and The Place has been transformed into an urban plaza. In this view, The Shard in its design aspects has extended from satisfying only the client’s requirements to responding to its immediate context.

Current Usage
The Shard is a multiple-use structure. Floors 2-28 are  office space rental  areas. The 31st, 32nd and 33rd floors are all dedicated to restaurants. The Shangri-La Hotel takes up the 34th through the 52nd floor, and is a five star hotel. Residential apartments are between floors 53 and 65. There is also an observatory between the 68th and 72nd floors. There is a spire that runs from the 72nd floor to the very top.

References

1. http://www.designbookmag.com/theshard.htm » https://www.archdaily.com/889852/the-shard-renzo-piano-building-workshop

2. https://archello.com/project/the-shard-london-bridge-tower

3. https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/rtf-design-inspiration/a1269- 10-things-you-did-not-know-about-the-shard-london-arivukkarasi-manivannan/