THE SHARD OF LIGHT, the tallest building in London and the whole of the European Union, enjoys its official opening tomorrow night (05.07.12), with a laser and light show likely to be visible all across town.


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Last night, Shard developers had a smaller-scale practise run for the main event, firing lights in the direction of other famous London buildings, the new kid on the block reaching out to its forebears.

“For me, the most important thing is, is it going to be loved in London or not?” said Shard architect Renzo Piano.

“Skyscrapers have to give back to the city more than they get from the city.”

Standing 310 metres (1020 feet) tall, the Shard is 75m further towards the heavens than Canary Wharf’s One Canada Square, London’s next highest structure, and its chances of beating the Docklands tower for lovability seem just as high: the Shard is to be a far more public building than Canary Wharf.

Viewing platforms and restaurants right near the top mean that thousands of visitors are expected to take the trip upwards, but vista-fans will have to wait until next year when the Shard opens fully. Nevertheless, tickets for The View from the Shard, as its officially dubbed, go on sale this Friday, 6 July.

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The View from the Shard Tickets (via LondonNet from Friday 6 July 2012)