The Shard

The Shard is a 95-storey, 309-metre glass-clad skyscraper in Southwark, south London, making it the tallest building in the United Kingdom and among the tallest in Europe. Designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano and completed in 2012, the building contains offices, restaurants, the Shangri-La Hotel, and a public viewing gallery on floors 68–72, offering panoramic views extending up to 40 miles on clear days. The building's distinctive tapering form of glass shards reaching to a point was designed to reflect the sky and merge with the changing weather of London. It has become one of the most recognisable landmarks on the London skyline since its opening to the public in 2013.