Final steel piece lifts Shard to full height

The final steel section has been lifted into place on the Shard, taking the landmark building to its full height of 310m – an equivalent of 95 floors.

Today’s milestone marks the last piece of steel slotting into the Shard’s third and final phase, which involved the UK’s highest crane – currently sitting 317m above the Capital – lifting around 500 tonnes of steel to the top of the Shard.

It has taken around 100 crane lifts to construct the final section’s steelwork, which comprises a total of 800 separate pieces of steel.

The final stage is currently being clad in 516 panes of glass, forming a relatively small part of the near 11,000 panes that have been used to clad the Shard overall.

Mace is the main contractor building the Shard.

Irvine Sellar, Chairman of Sellar Property Group, said: “This is another milestone in the development of the Shard which has become a global iconic landmark building.

“The Shard is making a positive impact on London’s skyline and there is discernible excitement among Londoners as the building nears completion.

“It is a ‘vertical town’ that includes a viewing gallery, restaurants, and a five star Shangri-La Hotel, which will all be open to the public, as well as residences and offices.”