Mace and Severfield Rowen erect Shard’s steel spire on airfield to test construction processes

The spire which will top the Shard was unveiled in a Yorkshire airfield this week, as contractor Mace carried out an assembly ‘test run’ on the complex structure.

The spire is made up of 800 pieces of steel with a combined weight of almost 500 tonnes. It will form the top 23 floors of the building, piercing the sky at 1017ft.

The testing of the structure, which was led by the steel design and erection team Severfield Rowen, allowed it and Mace to create 3D models of the spire, as well as a “building guide” with day-by-day instructions for the assembly team.

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