The Shard and City Hall

On Thursday 5th July 2012, to mark the inauguration of The Shard – now London and Western Europe’s tallest building – a laser light show beamed out of the glass and concrete. I watched the show from Potter’s Field Park by City Hall and was able to see the lasers bouncing off iconic London landmarks like Tower Bridge, Tower of London, The Monument and the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral.

Although not related, the Olympic rings on Tower Bridge were illuminated for the first time – moments after the bridge opened up to let the PS Dixie Queen go down the River Thames – which gave added excitement to the thousands on the South Bank watching the laser show.

The Shard stands 1,016ft tall and is set to have an observation deck at 800ft open to the public from 2013. The building, designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano, includes 44 lifts and 306 flights of stairs. The Shard is set to contain a mix of offices, private residences, shops, restaurants and the Shangri-La Hotel & Spa.

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For Metro Girl’s post of her visit to the View From The Shard for a Silent Disco in 2014, click here.

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