In March 2009, the construction for The Shard began. It replaced previous building, Southwark Towers, a 24 story building that finished construction in 1975. The building was inaugurated on July 5th, 2012. Final completion happened in November 2012.

The shard is a 72-story skyscraper that is located in Southwark, London. This building is the tallest building in the United Kingdoms and the 6th tallest in Europe. Renzo Piano was inspired by the railway lines near the site, London spires, and the masts of sailing ships. Criticism to this architect from the English mass claimed the building to be a “shard of glass through heart of historic London”, thus giving it the name “The Shard”