London’s Shard Tower | Great Britain UK
London’s Shard tower was unveiled on Thursday to great fanfare — but Europe’s tallest skyscraper has won as many critics as it has admirers. The inauguration of the jagged-tipped tower, which at 310 metres (1,017 feet) dwarfs nearby landmarks such as St Paul’s Cathedral and the Houses of Parliament, has been carefully timed. Branded “an icon for London” by its developers, the Shard will be completed just ahead of the Olympic Games, which open on July 27. With its striking silhouette, 95 floors and a viewing deck offering 360-degree panoramas, developer Sellar Property hopes the Shard can become a major tourist attraction. “It will become as essential a part of a visit to London as going to the top of the Empire State Building is for visitors to New York,” said Irvine Sellar, the company’s chairman. The inauguration will be as bold as the skyscraper’s shape, with a spectacular night-time laser show lighting up the city’s major landmarks to live music fr...