Find out how the Shard was built

Tuesday 21 April 2015

The engineer who built the Shard - London's tallest building - is coming to Jersey to give a talk on how the striking glass tower was constructed.

John Parker, who was the Shard's project engineer, will address the Jersey Architecture Biennalle preview evening on 30 April at the Radisson hotel. It will be free and open to everyone who has a ticket.

The virtues of tall buildings has become a very topical subject in Jersey following the Planning Minister’s talk to the Jersey Chamber of Commerce last week. Is this the way to save St Helier’s open spaces and public realm thereby improving our urban character by realising a green and pleasant environment, while still providing Jersey’s future built floorspace needs?

Some answers to this question may be found at the free public lecture by Mr Parker (MA CEng FICE FIStructE) who be offering insights into how his team overcame the design and structural challenges encountered with such a revolutionary and high building. Jersey played a vital role realising the Shard, with the Qatari developers financing the £480m project entirely through the Island. The Shard towers 306 metres above ground level and is the tallest building in Western Europe, designed by structural engineers WSP and architect Renzo Piano Building Workshop for client Sellar Properties.

The mixed-use building – a “vertical city” – combines into one structure 28 office storeys, 12 apartment floors, six restaurant levels and an 18-storey hotel. At the top is a 60m tall steel and glass spire, containing a public viewing gallery offering 360° views of London. The Shard is “a sharp and light presence on the London skyline”, welcoming more than 8,000 workers, residents and hotel guests a day, and more than 2 million public visitors a year.

The structure combines innovation and elegant simplicity to provide a building that delights its users and London as a whole and was economical, rapid and safe to build. Pioneering techniques included a core built downwards at the same time as it was rising upwards; a tower crane that rose continuously as the building grew and modular construction of the spire.

Everyone is invited to attend this free public lecture by booking seat tickets through the AJA web-site, www.jerseyarchitects.com/events. Complimentary refreshments, wine and canapes will be served from 6 pm before the lecture starts at 6.30 pm. This event, sponsored by the Economic Development Department, comprises a preview lecture to the Jersey Architecture Biennale 2015 (JAB2015) week being held in Jersey between 14 to 18 September. Further exciting programme details for JAB2015, including a worldwide first for Jersey, will be announced during this evening's lecture.