The Shard: Europe’s tallest building inaugurated (VIDEO)
The Shard rises above The London Eye Ferris wheel seen from Hyde Park on July 5, 2012 in London, England. The European Union’s highest building is to be formally inaugurated with a laser show this evening at 10pm which will also be streamed live on the internet.
The Shard, now Europe's tallest building, was officially inaugurated on Thursday with a laser show in London, according to the BBC.
The Duke of York and the Qatari prime minister were in attendance at a small ceremony as the 1,016 foot structure was unveiled earlier. It is primarily funded by the Qatar National Bank, according to the BBC.
The light show included 30 searchlights projected from the building towards other major London landmarks as the London Philharmonic Orchestra played in the background, according to Agence France Presse.
The Shard's architect, Renzo Piano, told reporters, "This building is not going to be a symbol of arrogance," according to Bloomberg. It will have cost £1.5 billion ($2.34 billion) upon completion.
Piano told AFP in February, "When you're making a building like this, that's so important for the city, you have to be absolutely sure that it's the right thing to do… as an architect, if you make a mistake it stays there for a long time."
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London Mayor Boris Johnson called it "a quite astonishing piece of architecture," but the responses to the tower have been mixed, with traditionalists pointing out that it overshadowed St. Paul's Cathedral and the Houses of Parliament, according to AFP.
UNESCO said the Shard compromised the "visual integrity" of the Tower of London, a World Heritage Site, reported AFP.
Abdullah Saoud al-Thani, the governor of Qatar Central Bank, said, "The Shard is the newest London landmark and a beacon of the city of London's resilience and expansion, even during tough economic times," according to the Guardian.
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The BBC noted that tickets for the viewing platform on the Shard would cost £24.95 ($38.73) for an adult and £18.95 for a child ($29.41), making it very expensive to visit.
Once occupied, the Shard is meant to house offices, luxury apartments, shops, restaurants and a Shangri-La hotel, according to Bloomberg.
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Here is a time-lapse video of the Shard being constructed, courtesy of the Guardian: