Journalistic Essay - The Shard

The Shard is an instantly recognizable architectural icon in London’s skyline. When viewing the building’s structure in isolation or juxtaposed next to the city’s historic buildings, a common reaction is that The Shard’s modern architecture does not fit in with historic London’s landscape; it seemingly has no connection to the city. In fact, the building’s name came from a criticism of the design from English Heritage, an organization which seeks to protect and promote England’s historic environment. The group complained that the design looked like “a shard of glass through the heart of historic London.” This critique did not seem to faze the architect Renzo Piano, as he opted to use the complaint as inspiration for the building’s name.

When one considers the influx of skyscrapers and modern architecture into London (and other major cities) in recent years, however, The Shard doesn’t seem quite so out of place. Consider Norman Foster’s Gherkin and London City Hall, and Viñoly’s Walkie Talkie building, to name a few, and it is clear that there is a shift happening and as a result, London’s skyline is changing.

Located in Southwark, one of the oldest districts of London with over two thousand years of history, The Shard is a sharp contrast to the city’s best known historic buildings. The new modern spired structure is juxtaposed with the notable Tower of London, the old and the new. Despite its location in one of the oldest neighborhoods of one of the world’s most famous cities, The Shard is surrounded by similar modern architecture as well. It is just blocks away from London City Hall, which has also been criticized for its lack of connection to its location. The point should be made, however, that if London is choosing a modern glass structure such as Foster’s City Hall building for its government’s headquarters, the city is sending a strong message as to how it wants to be viewed. So with that in mind, maybe The Shard isn’t as out of place as it may seem at first glance. Renzo Piano was quoted as saying, “what matters, as architects, is that we try our best to make new buildings, for a new reality,” and that is exactly what he has done with The Shard.

The London skyline prominently featuring The Shard

In order to attract this much attention, it is clear that the Shard must be something special. It is the largest building in the European Union, standing at over one thousand feet tall with 95 floors, 72 of which are habitable. Piano took inspiration for The Shard from the masts of ships represented by a Venetian painter named Canaletto, as well as from the spires of London’s churches. As a result, The Shard is spired structure situated right on the Thames.  The Shard has a transparent quality due to Piano’s innovative use of glass. The structure is comprised of 11,000 glass panels, and Piano was particular in using extra white glass, which helps reflect back the building’s surroundings. As a result, The Shard’s color is constantly changing along with the city’s weather. Whereas its unique shape makes the structure stand out in the city skyline, this lightness and reflective quality balance out its stark contrast to the rest of the cityscape.

The concept behind the building of The Shard was for it to be a vertical city, the anchor of the fast growing London Bridge Quarter, where Londoners could “live, work and relax.” The structure remained true to its concept as The Shard now stands as a mixed use building, which holds private residences on twelve floors equipped with views from all sides, three of the city’s finest restaurants, the Al Jazeera studio and offices, the Warwick Business School, the five star Shangri-La Hotel & a viewing gallery known as The View from The Shard, with sweeping 40 mile views, in addition to some supplementary retail & office spaces. Irvine Stellar, the developer and part owner of The Shard has hailed the building as “a living, dynamic building, full of energy, and a beacon for modern London.”

Despite the controversy surrounding the building, after opening in February 2013, The View from the Shard welcomed over one million guests in its first year. The city even touts its popular modern architecture as a main attraction on its website, devoting an entire section under Things to Do to Modern Architecture.  With the completion of The Shard and its clear success as both a mixed use building and tourist attraction, it seems as though London is adapting to and embracing its “new reality.”