The Shard
London, UK

Renzo Piano Architects

The Shard, designed by the acclaimed Italian architect Renzo Piano, stands as a prominent landmark on London's skyline. Completed in 2012, this 72-storey, mixed-use skyscraper, reaching a height of 309.6 meters (1,016 feet), has become an undeniable icon, embodying a new era of vertical urban living in the UK capital.

Inspired by the masts of sailing ships and the spires depicted in 18th-century Venetian painter Canaletto's Londonscapes, Piano sought to create a modern spire for London. The building's extra-white, low-iron glass façade is central to this concept. Comprising 11,000 panes of glass arranged in eight sloping "shards," the exterior is designed to reflect the sky and changing light, giving the building a constantly shifting appearance, a "crystal-like illusion." The gaps or "fractures" between these shards even house opening vents, providing natural ventilation to internal winter gardens.