The Shard

Londoners can proudly say they have a new landmark for tourism in town. The Shard is the tallest building in the European Union with an astonishing height of 310 meters, as well as 72 floors. With such an incredible amount of floors, The Shard holds many activities and businesses on its inside. There you can find offices, luxury residences (£50 million each, no less), restaurants, a viewing gallery, a 5-star hotel, some shops and even a spa.

The Shard’s complexity was worth one episode for Discovery Channel centered on the building of this tower. This documentary was called “The Tallest Tower: Building The Shard”. On this documentary you will find out that 11,468 glass panels, 500 tonnes of steel and 100,000 tonnes were needed in order to build this masterpiece.

Besides being the tallest skyscraper in the European Union, it most likely holds the title of the smartest building too. It is said that the glass panels will open automatically when being hit by the sunshine. If it’s dark, cold and cloudy then these panels will close and the heaters will switch on.

There is only so much to be said about The Shard, but it is best to go and see for yourself. Starting on February 1st, The Shard will open its doors to general public so they can witness some of these amazing features, as well as its amazing view from the top. If you can’t wait to see what the view from the top is like, The Guardian recently produced a 360-degree panorama of it.