Buildings of Distinction - The Shard
Mar, 14 2025
For over ten years an awesome building has attracted many with it’s attractive design and incredible height. The Shard has been the focus for Londoners since it’s inception in 2012. But do you really know this sightseeing spot? Please watch this 4 minute 30 second film to discover more:- Don’t feel obliged to subscribe at the closure of the film -
Before it’s grand opening ten years previously it was the late Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, who, in July 2002, ordered a planning inquiry after the development plans for the Shard were opposed by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment and several heritage bodies, including the Royal Parks Foundation and English Heritage. The inquiry took place in April and May 2003, and on 19 November 2003, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister announced that planning consent had been approved. The government stated that:
Mr Prescott would only approve skyscrapers of exceptional design. For a building of this size to be acceptable, the quality of its design is critical. He is satisfied that the proposed tower is of the highest architectural quality.
In the aftermath of New York’s World Trade Centre the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 – architects and structural engineers worldwide reconsidered the design of tall structures. The Shard’s early conceptual designs were among the first in the UK to be amended following the publication of the US National Institute of Standards and Technology.
13 years later and in 2014, The Shard claimed first place at the Emporis Skyscraper Awards, recognising buildings over 100 m (328 ft) completed in the previous twelve months. The Emporis judges hailed the building as "a skyscraper that is recognized immediately and which is already considered London's new emblem".
The Shard is widely reported as the second tallest free standing structure in the United Kingdom, after the 330 metre (1,083 ft ) concrete transmission tower at Emley Moor. Organisers initially planned a rival building to stand in opposition to The Shard – The Pinnacle, however it was soon reduced to a height of 287.9 metres (945 ft) because of concerns from the Civil Aviation Authority.
In his lifetime John Prescott, no doubt frequently visited The Shard and was in awe of it’s height and design. Dining in The Shard and experiencing a vacation is one of the luxuries of this London based building. For more information simply visit the following website link –
The Shard became the focal point for cinematographers when it was featured -
- In Alfonso Cuarón's 2006 film Children of Men, despite having not yet been built: with the film set in the year 2027, the director and cinematographer used a scale model and CGI to add the Shard to London's skyline years before it existed.
- In the 2012 short film The Snowman and The Snowdog and its tie-in computer game.
- In the 2013 Doctor Who episode "The Bells of Saint John" as the headquarters of the episode's antagonist, the Great Intelligence. The Doctor vertically rode an anti-gravity motorbike on the face of the building and through a window to reach the Great Intelligence's headquarters.
- In the climactic scene of the 2019 film Spider-Man: Far From Home. It is Nick Fury/Talos's & Maria Hill/Soren's lookout while the final battle takes place between Spider-Man and Mysterio on Tower Bridge.
Although the film and television industry was given full permission to use the building, during it’s construction process, a group of recreational explorers called The Place Hackers evaded security and breached access to the top of the Shard building site. They took photographs and posted it on social media. Apparently over 20 urban explorers made their way to the top of the building during it’s construction.
In a 2012 article for Domus magazine, Garrett wrote that "the conceptual barrier to places in our cities is brought about by a process of engineered exclusion" and that the explorers were "cultivating the creative city that money can't buy".
It’s criminal in the modern age that people would deliberately take advantage of a beautiful building in development just to satisfy their own personal ego. This is one of London’s most pivotal attractions and so should be treated with the upmost respect and dignity it deserves.
^Alex Ashworth CCG UK Blogger
