THE SHARD - LONDON'S SKYLINE.

Hi my dear friends. Today, we are going to know a bit more about "The Shard" a new and famous London skyscraper.

Hola mis queridos amigos. Hoy vamos a saber un poquito más sobre "The Shard" (La astilla) un famoso y nuevo rascacielos de Londres.


Info; from Speak Up magazine.
Photos:  getty.images.es  /  kone.es  /  londres.es  /  londonpass.es  /  posterlounge.es

THE SHARD   -   LONDON'S SKYLINE

If you have been to London recently, you will have noticed that there is an addition to the skyline.  It is called "The Shard" and it was officially inaugurated on July 5th, 2012 with a spectacular light and laser show.  Since then The Shard has quickly established itself as a landmark.  It has already replaced "The Gherkin" as the British capital's most unusual building.

As well as being unusual, The Shard is also very tall: at 309.6 metres it is in fact the tallest building in Western Europe. The Shard is located in a new commercial district, London Bridge Quarter, on the South Bank, across the river from "The City".

SUSTAINABILITY

The project is a partnership between the State of Qatar and the Sellar Property Group.  The developers are keen to emphasise that The Shard is an example of sustainable urban development:  95 per cent of the construction material has been recycled, while 20 per cent of the steelwork comes from recycled sources.

As London Bridge Quarter spokesperson explains: "The Shard" was coined by its Italian architect, Renzo Piano, who transformed Paris with the Pompidou Centre in the 1970s. A "shard" is a fragment of glass and this Shard consists of facets of glass that don't actually touch; this allows the building to "breathe".

Renzo Piano described The Shard as being like shards of glass, because, if you look at it, that's exactly what it is, it's got six or eight different sides to it, and there are eleven-and-a-half thousand (11,500) panes of glass in there!  It is effectively a glass building with an unbelieavably strong concrete core.

THE VERTICAL CITY

All this glass contains a "vertical city" with 31.4 acres (127 hectares) of space and 95 floors of offices, restaurants, shops, a five-star hotel and spa, residential apartments  and the capital's highest viewing galleries as "The View from The Shard"

The Shard comprises offices up to floors 28 so, 600,000 feet, 55,000 square metre of office space. Above the offices, there are three  floors of restaurants and a public bar.  Above the restaurants, it is the famous luxury Shangri-La Hotel.  Above that, there are 10 residences and above them, the viewing galleries.

It is demonstrated that The Shard has already caught the world's attention and has become a global icon.  It is a recognisable building around the world.  It is already establishing itself as one of the great global buildings.


To reach the rop you could walk up 306 flights of stairs, but it's quicker to take the lift, which travels at 6 metres per second. In one minute you will reach the top, where (on a clear day) you can see for 40 miles (64 km)

FACTS AND FIGURES

The Shard has 11,000 glass panels over an area equivalent to 8 football pitches.

The volume of concrete used is 54,000 square metres, the equivalent of 22 Olympic swimming pools.

The View from The Shard is the highest vantage point from any building in Western Europe.

The View from The Shard is the only place where it is possible to see all of London all at once.

The attraction features 12 "Tell:scopes" -state-of-the-art digital telescopes that are  being used in Europe for the first time.

Guests take two separate lifts to reach the viewing galleries on levels 68-72.  The lifts travel at 6 metres per second, completeing the journey in 60 seconds.


                                        **************************************

EXERCISE.  
Choose the best answer for each question.

a) In which London neighbourhood can you find the Shard?
1 The West End  2 The City  3 Embankment

b) Which of these three phrases is incorrect?
1 A pane of glass   2 A shard of glass   3 A level of glass.

c) What is the centre of The Shard made of?
1 A special kind of glass   2 Solid brick   3 Strong concrete.

d)What can be found in The Shard?
1 Offices and some residences   2 Residences only   3 London government offices

e) Which luxury hotel chain has its first European hotel in The Shard?
1 Westin   2 Four Seasons   3 Shangri-La


                                                *******************************


VOCABULARY

-SHARD:  astilla.
-GHERKIN:  pepinillo.
-PARTNERSHIP:  colaboración.
-STEEL WORK:  acero usado en construcción.
-SPOKESPERSON:  portavoz.
-FACET:  panel.
-FLIGHT:  tramo.
-PITCH:  campo.
-VANTAGE POINT:  mirador privilegiado.
-STATE-OF-THE-ART:  última generación.
-SKYSCRAPER:  rascacielos.
-PANE:  hoja.
-CONCRETE:  hormigón.
-TO COMPRISE:  constar.
-CORE:  núcleo.
-VIEWING GALLERY:  terraza panorámica.
-LANDMARK:  edificio singular.


                                       **********************************



SOLUTION TO THE EXERCISE.
a) 2   b) 3   c) 3   d) 1   e) 3


SEE YOU!!!