The world’s most expensive sea-view luxury residence unveiled; London’s highest observation deck opens

Written/Compiled & Reported by Li Xinyi, MOOK Travel & Lifestyle Network

 

Western Europe’s tallest skyscraper, The Shard, is set to officially open its observation deck tomorrow (Feb. 1). Visitors will be able to enjoy a 360-degree panoramic view of London from a height of 244 meters. A unique all-glass observation deck restroom allows guests to enjoy the thrill of heights even while using the facilities. Despite ticket prices as high as NT$1,165, all tickets were sold out as early as the end of last year. The Shard is a modern engineering marvel and London’s newest eye-catching landmark. This 72-floor vertical city includes rental office spaces, residences, upscale restaurants, a five-star hotel, and London’s highest observation deck. Private luxury sea-view residences on floors 53 to 65 are priced between £30 million and £50 million, equivalent to NT$3 billion. From these luxury homes, one can overlook both central London and the North Sea. The kitchens in these residences even feature elevators that can deliver food directly from the hotel downstairs.

The Shard was designed by renowned Italian architect Renzo Piano and is a magnificent architectural wonder built at a cost of NT$60 billion. It consists of 11,468 glass panels and stands 309.6 meters tall, resembling a towering glass pyramid. Its design draws inspiration from the spires of London churches and the sails of ships moored along the River Thames. However, constructing this skyscraper posed multiple challenges. First, because the building is located in the London Bridge area, adjacent to a large hospital that sees up to 750,000 visitors daily, time pressure became a major issue. The tight construction schedule required workers to complete one floor per week. The construction team adopted a bold and innovative approach, allowing above-ground and underground work to proceed simultaneously. While one team excavated the basement, another group constructed the core structure upwards. This method was used in the construction industry for the first time and significantly reduced the overall construction time.

During the construction process, how were 1,400 construction workers and a large amount of equipment transported between the unfinished upper floors? In the past, temporary cranes installed on the exterior walls were relied upon, but cranes are slow and prone to weather-related stoppages. To address this, The Shard specially installed temporary ultra-high-speed elevators during construction. However, the convenience of these elevators also attracted unexpected visitors. Construction workers once found a fox on the 50th floor of the site and were completely baffled as to how it got there. There were also extreme high-altitude base jumpers who, taking advantage of lax security, sneaked into an elevator and jumped from the 52nd floor. These incidents brought significant attention to The Shard even before it was completed. This four-year-long project mobilized over 1,400 workers and used nearly 12,000 tons of steel frames and 100,000 tons of concrete. To learn more about The Shard’s astonishing architectural achievements, tune in to the Discovery Channel’s “Building The Shard,” airing at 8 PM on February 3.