Creating the Shard at London Bridge

This paper presents the structural design of the Shard, currently under construction in the extremely complex urban environment at London Bridge. Designed by structural engineers WSP and architects Renzo Piano Building Workshop for client Sellar Properties, it will reach a height of 310 metres, becoming the tallest building in the European Union. It is designed to accommodate retail, offices, restaurants, an hotel, residential apartments and a viewing gallery, together with the associated plant rooms and MEP systems, parking and other ancillary facilities.

Throughout the structural design process, the intention has been to complement the architect’s inspiration for the building. State of the art structural engineering tools and techniques have been used to optimise every aspect of the structure, from the foundations to the vertical load-bearing and lateral bracing systems.