LEARNING LONDON

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME FACT SHEETS 1

The Shard Story – Developing The Shard
 he idea for The Shard was the brainchild of
T 2000 – he had been suggested to Sellar by a
property developer, Irvine Sellar colleague who admired his work
Not known for designing tall buildings, Renzo
S
 outhwark Towers, a 1970s office block, had Piano saw the sense of a high-rise development
been purchased as an investment at London Bridge
It made poor use of a good site which had
excellent transport links The idea was to create a vertical city, a place
where people live, work and enjoy themselves
I n 1999, a proposal for a high building on the The ‘roads’ in this city are the building’s banks
site was put forward of lifts and escalators
Opposition came from English Heritage and
Historical Royal Palaces Having public access was seen as a vital
Support came from the Mayor of London and component of the project, but it is highly
the local community in Southwark unusual for a tall building in London

 riginally the building was planned to be

O Investment in the project came from the Sellar
400 metres high, but the height was reduced Property Group and the State of Qatar
following 9/11
 he Shard is the centrepiece of London Bridge
T
Planning consent was obtained in November 2003 Quarter – a £2bn development to regenerate
and rejuvenate the area adjacent to London
The architect, Renzo Piano, was appointed in Bridge Station 
LEARNING LONDON
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME FACT SHEETS 2
The Shard Story – Designing The Shard
 he architect of The Shard is Renzo Piano, one of
T S itting on the banks of the Thames, Piano
the most innovative architects in the world today designed his building to be a kaleidoscope that
Piano achieved international acclaim when, responds to changeable London weather, to light
in partnership with Richard Rogers, he and shade – like a mirror, reflecting the city
designed the Centre Georges Pompidou
in Paris in the 1970s  ealising the vision of ‘a shard of glass’ meant
R
the design of the façade was critical, with
The Renzo Piano Building Workshop was large sheets of floor-to-ceiling glazing
established in 1981 and notable projects include providing unobstructed views of London
The New York Times Building in New York, Isabella
Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston and Central  iano envisaged a building that would respond
P
St Giles in London to the changeable English climate

Irvine Sellar met Renzo Piano for the first time in  he form of the tower itself is configured with
T
2000 in a restaurant in Berlin to discuss the idea views in mind, but equally to optimize climatic
of a tall building at London Bridge conditions for its users

P
 iano sketched his initial design thoughts on  he mix of uses within The Shard meant that
T
the back of a napkin in the restaurant – that office workers, hotel guests and diners, residents
initial sketch bears a remarkable resemblance of the apartments, and the public visiting
to the finished building The View from The Shard all had to have their
Piano wrote on the sketch ‘To Irvine from own points of entry to the building, with no
Renzo, May 2000 Berlin’ fewer than 44 lifts to whisk them to their
required levels
 iano’s inspiration for the design of The Shard
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comes from the sailing masts of the ships that  he top of the building is a spectacular glass and
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docked in the river Thames and the steeples of steel spire
Sir Christopher Wren’s churches in the
City of London The dramatic design forms a new London landmark
LEARNING LONDON
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME FACT SHEETS 3
The Shard Story – Constructing The Shard
T
 he Shard took three years to build, with up to  he core of The Shard was built ‘top down’
T
1,500 people working on its construction – the strategy used to construct the basements
allowed the concrete core of the building to be
Nothing about the project was simple: the team raised simultaneously
had to work on a constricted site, hemmed in by A rig on top of the core was used to pour
streets and buildings, including a major hospital, concrete as the structure rose
and overlapping one of London’s busiest
railway stations On top of the core a crane was installed,
steadily rising as the core itself grew
The foundations began with 120 piles extending
54 metres (177 feet) deep into the ground Four tower cranes were installed to deliver steelwork.
Each of these had to bear a weight of 2800
tonnes (3086 US tons) as the first 21 storeys I n the final stages of construction, the site
of the tower were constructed around a  boasted the tallest tower crane in Europe
central core
The Shard is clad with more than 11,000
 he Shard has three basement levels used for
T individual glass panels, assembled in
services and vehicle access, the lowest extending prefabricated sections to form a unitised
more than 13 metres (42 feet) below ground level façade system
Excavating the basements was a tricky Assembled in a factory in Holland, the glass
operation, given the proximity of the Thames, panels incorporate two layers of glass, blinds
so a massive retaining wall was built to and the motors powering them
enclose the site and provide a safe, dry base On site, they were raised by lift and installed
for the tower floor by floor – each panel typically took
15 minutes to install
 massive concrete raft was constructed at
A
the lowest basement level, which provided The Spire contains some 1,300 individual parts
the structural underpinning for construction Assembling it at the summit of the tower was
of the upper levels always a challenge
The 4-metre (13-foot) thick basement raft A dry run at the steel-fabricator’s works in
was an operation of heroic proportions: it was Yorkshire was followed by the Spire being
probably the largest concrete pour ever carried dismantled and transported to the site and
out in Britain assembled in sections
In a space of 36 hours, 700 truckloads of These were lifted into place and fixed into
concrete were delivered in a military-style position with the aid of a team of expert
operation steel erectors
LEARNING LONDON
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME FACT SHEETS 4
The Shard Story – Inside The Shard
 he Shard contains a mix of uses and is a vertical
T  evel 34-52 is the Shangri-La Hotel,
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city of offices, hotel and restaurants, apartments with 202 guestrooms and its own restaurant
and public viewing galleries The spa and infinity pool is on Level 52

L
 evels 2-28 are offices L
 evel 53-65 are exclusive residences with
Entered via a double-height lobby clad in white, unparalleled views over London
hand-chiselled Carrara marble The penthouse on Levels 64 and 65 is rumoured
to have seven bedrooms
L
 evels 31-33 have some of the highest
restaurants in London The View from The Shard occupies Levels 68-72
Aqua Shard on Level 31 serves innovative and offers the highest viewing gallery in London
contemporary British cuisine and features a
three-storey high atrium bar  he building is crowned by the dramatic steel
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Oblix on Level 32 features an aged cocktail and glass spire, which occupies Levels 75-95
library and live music
Hutong on Level 33 serves Chinese cuisine  ravel up this vertical city is via the 44 lifts,
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and features traditional Chinese decor and some of which are double-decker, and the 306
hand-carved ‘Moon Gates’ flights of stairs
LEARNING LONDON
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME FACT SHEETS 5
Fast Facts – The View from The Shard
 he View from The Shard sits 244 metres
T Parliament, Buckingham Palace and the BT Tower
(800 feet) above London, almost twice as to the SOUTH: Battersea Power Station, the
high as any other view in the city Imperial War Museum, Crystal Palace
and The Oval cricket ground
 ouble-decker elevators travel at speeds of
D to the NORTH: St Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of
6 metres a second London, Alexandra Palace and the Monument
The lifts have kaleidoscope ceilings, which
change as you ascend and descend to The View L
 evel 72, the highest public level, allows people
to stand in the open, exposed to the elements
The View has 360 degree uninterrupted views and the sounds of the city beneath, and look
for up to 40 miles up to the shards of glass that form the top of
It is possible to see Windsor Castle on a the remarkable building
clear day
The Tell:scopes on Level 69 are state-of-the-art
 he View is a day and night experience,
T interactive telescopes with unique views of London
open from 10am - 10pm (in summer) London can be viewed in real-time, by day,
by night, at dusk and going back through
G
 uests can stay as long as they like, the centuries
taking time to appreciate the city from One Tell:scope also provides a view of London
this unique perspective in the future, taking account of planned
building work
Iconic London landmarks are laid out before
you, including: The View from The Shard has the highest toilets
to the EAST: Olympic Stadium, Tower Bridge in London with the Loo with a View on Level 68
and Canary Wharf On average, the Loo with a View gets
to the WEST: Big Ben and the Houses of through 700 rolls of toilet paper a month
LEARNING LONDON
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME FACT SHEETS 6
Fast Facts – The Shard
T
 he Shard is 309.6 metres tall (1,016 feet) and The tower is made up of 11,836 tonnes of steel
is the tallest building in the European Union
The volume of concrete used was 54,000 cubic
Level 72 is the highest floor the public can go to metres, equivalent to 22 Olympic swimming pools

 he highest floor you can stand on (only open to
T The Shard has an equivalent floor space
maintenance staff) is 87 and the highest piece of of 31.4 acres
glass is officially the 95th floor
Construction cost £400m
 he Shard was originally named ‘The London
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Bridge Tower’  he tower’s external surface is the size of
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eight football fields
 mong the buildings Renzo Piano has designed
A
are The New York Times Building in New York,  1,000 glass panels were cut by a specialist
1
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston factory in Holland – no two panes are identical
and Central St Giles in London which makes the building shimmer with
56,000 square metres of glass
The developer was The Sellar Property Group
44 lifts have been installed and 306 flights of stairs
 he Shard’s principal contractor was Mace who
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worked in conjunction with WSP (engineers) Levels 1-26 are offices
and Severfield Reeve Structures (steel)
L evels 31-33 house three different restaurants
 ore than 900 consultants and construction
M with at least two separate bars
workers were on site everyday
 he Shangri La Hotel is on Levels 34 and 52,
T
 uilders worked 24 hours a day six days a week
B and has 202 guestrooms and suites with enclosed
to raise the tower at a rate of 390cm an hour at balconies plus a spa.
its peak
There are 10 luxury apartments on Levels 53–65
 he total piles supporting the building would
T – the penthouse takes up the whole of Levels 64
measure 13.7km if laid end to end and 65

The earth and rubble removed was 65,000

cubic metres
LEARNING LONDON
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME FACT SHEETS 7
Fast Facts – The Shard Weather
 scar Wilde said “England has four seasons.
O snow fell every day somewhere in the country
But do we have to have them in one day!”
W
 ind is caused by differences in atmospheric
I t rains when warm moist air cools and pressure, the rising and sinking of air in
condensation occurs the atmosphere
Warm air can hold more water than cool air, Window cleaners at The Shard have to stop
so when the warmer air is cooled the moisture working when the wind exceeds 25 mph
condenses to liquid – and it rains
I n 1953, 58 people died on Canvey Island, Essex
There are different types of rain when the North Sea flooded – this tragic event
Frontal rain occurs when a warm air mass ultimately led to the creation of the Thames Barrier
meets a cold air mass
Orographic rain is rainfall produced as a result  he official definition of fog is a visibility of less
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of clouds formed from the topography, or than 1,000 metres
shape, of the land
Convective rain is produced by convective cloud,  London Particular or Pea-souper was the thick
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formed when the ground warms up, causing fog or smog that used to cover London
moisture in the ground to evaporate and rise Caused by coal smoke from millions of
chimneys, the Clean Air Act in 1956 banned
 louds are made of tiny drops of water or
C the use of coal for domestic fires in urban areas
ice crystals that settle on dust particles in and drastically reduced the number of deaths
the atmosphere from respiratory problems

 now is formed when temperatures are low and

S I n May 2014, The Shard was hit by a bolt of
there is moisture, in the form of tiny ice crystals, lightning during a sudden storm – neither the
in the atmosphere building nor its occupants were affected due to
When these tiny ice crystals collide they stick the lightning protection system installed
together in clouds to become snowflakes during construction
If enough ice crystals stick together, they
become heavy enough to fall to the ground L ondon generates its own microclimate, known
as the Urban Heat Island (UHI), caused by the
 he snowiest winter of the 20th century in the UK
T urban landscape where roads, buildings and
was 1947 – between 22 January and 17 March pavements absorb and trap heat
LEARNING LONDON
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME FACT SHEETS 8
Fast Facts – Thames Top 20
 he Thames is 215 miles/346km long and runs
T (184 miles) from its source, making it the longest
from its source near Cirencester in Gloucestershire riverside walk in Europe
to the Thames Estuary near Southend-on-Sea
 agna Carta was ‘signed’ by King John on the
M
 he first bridge over the Thames was built by the
T banks of the Thames at Runnymede in June 1215
Romans in the 1st century – now there are 104 (in reality he put his seal on the document)
bridges along its length
 he “Doggett’s Coat and Badge” is the oldest
T
 he Thames is tidal from the sea to Teddington
T continuously run single sculling race in the world,
Lock – the tidal stretch of the river is known as founded by Thomas Doggett in 1715 to celebrate
The Tideway the accession of the House of Hanover (George I)
to the throne of England. The race takes place
 he non-tidal part, from its source to Teddington,
T between London Bridge and Cadogan Pier,
is 147 miles/237km long and falls approximately Chelsea and is 4 miles 5 furlongs (7,400m) long
342 feet/104.2 metres
 ver 30 million years ago, the Thames was a
O
There are 45 locks on the non-tidal river Thames tributary of the river Rhine, as Britain was not
yet an island
 here is a 23 feet/7 metre difference between low
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and high tide at London Bridge  he RNLI’s Tower Lifeboat Station, now
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based near Somerset House (it used to be by
The Thames is 870 feet/265 metres wide at the Tower), is the busiest lifeboat station in the
London Bridge country, launching over 500 times a year

 rost fairs used to be held on the Thames as it used
F  he Thames Police (now part of the Metropolitan
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to freeze over – the last frost fair was held in 1814 Police and called the Marine Police Unit) were
formed in 1798, making them the first policing
 he Thames has featured in many literary works,
T body in the country
including Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K
Jerome, The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth  he Thames contains seawater and freshwater so is
T
Grahame, Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll home to a variety of fish and marine life, including
and Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens brown trout, perch, pike, flounder and eels

 he river Thames may take its name from the
T L ondon Bridge once had a public toilet (in the
Sanskrit Tamas meaning “dark” as its waters are medieval era) that showered its contents directly
often dark and cloudy; another school of thought into the river below!
is that it is named after the Roman Tam meaning
“wide” and Isis meaning water  he Great Stink of 1858, when the Thames was
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heavily polluted, resulted in the creation of the
In Oxford the Thames is known as the river Isis sewer system which in turn led to the narrowing
of the Thames by reclaiming land to build
The Thames Path follows the river for 296km the embankments
LEARNING LONDON
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME FACT SHEETS 9A
Thames Timeline – A Brief History of the River Thames
AD47
The Romans sail up the river and found
Londinium on its banks
1st century AD
The Romans build the first wooden bridge over
the Thames shortly after they found Londinium
1014
London Bridge is pulled down by King Olaf of
Norway to help his ally King Aethelred
defeat the Danes
1150
First recorded occasion of the Thames
freezing over
1209
The first stone London Bridge completed, built by
Peter de Colechurch. It remains the only bridge
crossing the Thames in London until 1750
1275
The first Custom House is established to collect
import and export duties from ships
1305
The first head, that of William Wallace is
displayed on London Bridge
1422
The Lord Mayor’s Procession takes place on the
river for the first time. It would move back onto
dry land in 1857
1620
The Mayflower sets sail from Rotherhithe taking
the ‘Pilgrim Fathers’ to America
1666
Londoners take to boats to flee from the Great
Fire of London
1701
Pirate Captain Kidd’s body is displayed at Execution
Dock, Wapping for the wash of three tides
1750
Westminster Bridge is built, becoming only
the second bridge over the Thames in central
London since Roman times
1798
Thames Police are founded
1802
West India Docks open – the first enclosed docks
built to provide security for cargoes and to relieve
overcrowding in the Pool of London
LEARNING LONDON
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME FACT SHEETS 9B
Thames Timeline – A Brief History of the River Thames
1806
Admiral Lord Nelson lies in state in the Painted
Hall in Greenwich, before being taken by boat for
his funeral in St Paul’s Cathedral
1814
The last Frost Fair is held on the Thames
1829
The first Oxford and Cambridge University boat race
takes place – it becomes an annual event in 1856
1843
The Thames Tunnel, the first tunnel in the world to
be built under a river, opens for pedestrians
1858
The “Great Stink” – when the stench from the river
Thames becomes unbearable and leads to the
building of London’s sewer system by
Sir Joseph Bazalgette
1858
The SS Great Eastern, Brunel’s huge sailing
steamship, is launched from the shipyard at Millwall
1894
Tower Bridge opens. A ‘bascule’ bridge that
opens to let ships pass
1940 / 1941
London’s docks are heavily bombed during the
Blitz. 7th September 1940 becomes known as
‘Black Saturday’ as 430 people die and 1,600 are
seriously wounded in the bombing
1951
The Festival of Britain takes place on the South
Bank as Britain gets back on its feet after World War II
1982
The Thames Barrier becomes operational to
protect London from flooding
1988
Building of Canary Wharf begins on the
old Docklands
2000
The Millennium Bridge opens and earns its
nickname of ‘the wobbly bridge’ due to the
unexpected sway of this suspension bridge
LEARNING LONDON
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME FACT SHEETS 10A
London’s Timeline – A Brief History of London
AD47
Londinium founded on the banks of the river
Thames, following the Roman invasion by
Claudius in AD43
AD61
Boudicca, Queen of the Iceni, burns Londinium
down, but the Romans rebuild a greater city
AD180
The Romans build a wall around the city, parts of
which can still be seen today
AD410
Londinium grows and flourishes, but the Romans
withdraw and Londinium is abandoned
AD604
First known church on the site of St Paul’s
Cathedral is founded by Bishop Mellitus in AD604
AD886
Alfred the Great re-establishes London back
inside the walls of the old Roman city
1065
Edward the Confessor builds a palace and abbey
at Westminster. He becomes the first king to be
buried in Westminster Abbey
1066
William, Duke of Normandy, invades and defeats
King Harold at the Battle of Hastings.
William I is crowned in Westminster Abbey
on Christmas Day
1078
Construction starts on the White Tower
(Tower of London)
1209
The first stone London Bridge, built by Peter de
Colechurch. It remains the only bridge crossing
the Thames in London until 1750
1348
The Black Death sweeps across Europe
and half of London’s population die
(approx. 40,000 people)
1381
The Peasants Revolt, led by Wat Tyler, sees riots
in London and a confrontation with Richard II
at Smithfield
LEARNING LONDON
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME FACT SHEETS 10B
London’s Timeline – A Brief History of London
1397
Richard “Dick” Whittington becomes Lord Mayor
of London, a post he will hold four times
1476
William Caxton’s printing press is established
at Westminster Abbey
1571
The first Royal Exchange is opened by Elizabeth I
1605
Guy Fawkes fails to blow up James I and
Parliament in what becomes known as the
Gunpowder Plot
1649
Charles I is beheaded at Banqueting House
in Whitehall during the Civil War and England
becomes a Commonwealth
1660
Following the death of the Lord Protector, Oliver
Cromwell, the monarchy is restored and Charles
II takes the throne
1665
70,000 Londoners die during the Great Plague
1666
The Great Fire of London breaks out in a baker’s
shop in Pudding Lane on the night of Sunday 2nd
September. Two thirds of London burns down
1694
Bank of England is founded to provide
funds for the king
1732
10 Downing Street becomes the official
residence of the Prime Minister
1817
Robert Peel establishes the first police force
in London. The Metropolitan Police will be
established in 1829
1834
The Houses of Parliament burn down. All that
remains is Westminster Hall and the Jewel Tower
1837
Queen Victoria becomes the first monarch
to live in Buckingham Palace.
She goes on to reign for over 64 years
LEARNING LONDON
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME FACT SHEETS 10C
London’s Timeline – A Brief History of London
1851
The Great Exhibition takes place in Hyde Park.
The brainchild of Prince Albert and Henry Cole
is housed in the Crystal Palace
1858
The “Great Stink” – when the stench from the
river Thames becomes unbearable and leads to
the building of London’s sewer system by
Sir Joseph Bazalgette
1863
The Great Metropolitan Railway opens and
London’s Underground is born (the world’s first
underground railway)
1888
Londoners are terrorised by Jack the Ripper,
who murders and mutilates at least six victims.
He is never caught
1915
Zeppelins (airships) appear over London and
drop the first bombs during World War I
1922
The BBC transmits its first radio broadcast
from London. Daily transmissions follow from a
transmitter on the roof of Selfridge’s
1940 / 1941
London is devastated during the bombing
of the Blitz
1951
The Festival of Britain takes place on the South Bank
as Britain gets back on its feet after World War II
1988
Building of Canary Wharf begins on the old
Docklands
2012
London celebrates Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond
Jubilee and hosts the Olympic Games for the
third time