Design of the Shard in London

The Shard is extremely attractive and has multiple functions: offices, apartments, hotels, SPA, retail, restaurants and a 15-story public viewing gallery. The building is elegant, airy and rich in detail. The Shard, designed by Italian firm Renzo Piano, was inspired by the towering church spiers and ship masts on the Thames. The overall shape is wide at the bottom and narrow at the top, with the spire at the top gradually disappearing into the air, just like a small spire or the mast of a tall ship in the 16th century.

The form of the building also comes from the irregular base. The building is open to the sky, allowing it to breathe freely. This building will compensate for the irregular shape of the site. Every inch of the skin is covered by glass flakes that slope inward and grow upward in sequence, eventually forming a crystal-clear glass pyramid. Eventually the glass panels at the top of the tower will not touch each other, creating an open space and providing a breathing opening for the entire building. Piano used a sophisticated glass curtain wall, an expressive fa?ade composed of angled windows that reflect light and change the changing patterns of the sky. This facade treatment allows the building form to change depending on the weather and seasons.

The building is a 'vertical city', and a city with a growing population needs to maximize the use of space. The building provides different functional spaces in the center of London. The first floor includes restaurants and cafes, and a public square containing art facilities. 50,000 square meters of office space (including naturally ventilated winter gardens), a 195-room hotel and apartments on the upper floors of the building with beautiful views. The 586,509 sq. ft. building contains office space, residential apartments, Europe's first five-star rated Shangri-La hotel, retail shops and restaurants. In addition, it also contains a 15-story public viewing gallery.