The Shard timelapse video: How the huge skyscraper came to dominate London’s skyline

After taking more than three and a half years to construct, The Shard in central London is now complete – instantly marking it out as the highest building in Western Europe.

Standing at 1,016ft, the skyscraper now dominates the London skyline- soaring above The Gherkin [30 St Mary Axe], the HSBC tower [8 Canada Square] and the Heron Tower. The ambitious project was first dreamed up by entrepreneur Irvine Sellar, who enlisted Italian architect Renzo Piano to undertake the project at the site formerly occupied by Southwark Towers.

Piano roughly sketched what went on to be the Shard on the back of a restaurant menu in Berlin, with the final result not far off his initial doodle. After reducing the Shard’s planned height from 1,400ft to just over 1,000ft, Irvine Sellar was able to get the support of former London mayor Ken Livingstone for the project in 2000. From that point the “vertical city” became a reality.

Financial backing for the 72-storey tower came from the investment arm of the Qatari royal family - which owns a 95% stake in the project. It hopes to recoup the outlay by selling ten luxury flats in the building. It’s estimated they will sell for between £30m-£50m each. 

[Related article: Shard set for first office tenant]

Abdullah Saoud Al-Thani, 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.

“It is a symbol of Qatar's belief and commitment to London both today and in the future. We have a long heritage and continued commitment to invest and build in the UK for the long term and The Shard highlights this close relationship.”

The Shard will be officially inaugurated on Thursday by the Duke of York and the Prime Minister of Qatar, Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabor Al Thani. To mark its completion a laser show will be projected from the Shard on Thursday night from 10pm.