London's tallest Building - Shard

Europe's tallest building is being officially unveiled later in central London. The Shard's tapered design and glass panelling have already made it one of the capital's most iconic landmarks. A view of the iconic Tower Bridge, right, over the river Thames, right, and The Shard Photo: AP Cleaners work on the exterior of The Shard Photo: AP Aerial of The Shard Photo: REUTERS View of London from the 14th floor of the Shard Photo: REUTERS View of London from the 14th floor of the Shard Photo: REUTERS The London skyline will be illuminated with lasers at the Shard inauguration ceremony Photo: Getty Images Facts • The Shard is is 1016ft (309.6m) high, the tallest building in Europe. • The building reached its top height on June 19. • It has 11,000 glass panels. • The area of the glass fagade is 602,779 ft squared (56,000m squared), which equals eight football pitches. • There are 44 lifts, including double-decker lifts. • There are 306 flights of stairs. • The total floor space is 31.4 acres. • 95% of the construction materials are recycled. • It is the 59th tallest building in the world, around 2.7 times shorter than the tallest, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which is 2,717ft high.