The Shard

London now has what is officially the tallest building in Europe, the Shard. Standing 1,016 above ground level or 309.6 meters if you are a metric measurer The Shard towers literally over London. Built on the site where the Southwark Towers, a 70's office block, once was in the Southwark district of London not far from the Tower Bridge. The Shard replaces Frankfurt's Commerzbank Tower as Europe's tallest building atlthough its reign may be a short one as buildings under construction in Moscow and Paris are expcted to be taller. Designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano one of the designers of the Georges Pompidou Center in Paris the Shard is pyramidal shaped tower clad in glass inspired by an ice berg rising from the river Thames. When it opens to the public in 2013 there will be an a public viewing gallery on the 72 floor. The building resembling a shard of glass is covered with 11,000 panes of glass that will reflect the London sky. Apparently The Shard will often appear grey.