The Shard
The Shard London Bridge Quarter.
The Shard Our Photography Project.
The Shard will be the tallest building in Western Europe, its crystalline façade transforming the London skyline with a mixed-use 310 m (1,016 ft) vertical city of high-quality offices, world-renowned restaurants, the 5-star Shangri-La hotel, exclusive residential apartments and the capital's highest viewing gallery offering 360° views.
UK'S TALLEST CRANE AS SPIRE CONSTRUCTION GETS UNDERWAY.
PRESS RELEASE.
London's latest iconic landmark the Shard established another new record as the UK's highest crane was raised into place. When fully extended the crane will sit 317 metres (1,040 ft) above ground level - seven metres taller than the building's eventual highest point.
The crane has been "jumped" into place so as to enable construction of the Shard's spire to get underway and take the building to its ultimate 310m height from its present 244m. The spire will form the top 23 floors of the Shard starting at level 72 (the viewing gallery) and rising to level 95.
The crane sits on a platform attached to the outside of the building at floor 55 and will lift the 500 tonnes of steel comprising the spire into place over the coming weeks.
Although there are 800 separate pieces of steel making up the spire, entire sections have been assembled off-site and then transported to the Shard rather than individual beams lifted and attached to each other at the top.
It is anticipated that the spire will require a total of around 100 crane lifts to raise all the large floor and facade sections into place. Each facade section measures up to three storeys and have some servicing floors already attached.
During the lifting process the crane driver's cab will sit at around 280m above ground level - 36m
above the Shard's current height - giving him a unique panoramic view of London.
Developer Sellar, on behalf of LBQ Ltd has worked closely with its main contractor Mace and the structural engineer WSP and steel contractor Severfield Rowan to develop and fine tune this modular approach.
Irvine Sellar, Chairman of Sellar Property Group, said: "This is another unique milestone in the development of this global iconic landmark building. The Shard is already making a positive impact on London's skyline and the spire will complement the design of the building and complete a truly stunning piece of architecture."
The South Bank of the Thames has always played a significant role in the rise of London as a world city - an economic, social and cultural magnet that draws people to live and work in the area.
London Bridge Quarter stands at the heart of this vital community. The architectural masterworks of the Shard and The Place, the transformed transport hub, the new retail space and the landscaped public realm reveal the city's confidence and capacity for reinvention.