Work finally begins on Shard of Glass

Eight years after the idea was unveiled, construction work on Londons Shard of Glass building is finally underway.

The giant glass building will be the tallest in Europe at 1,017 feet and, according to the Times, will have no shortage of tenants.

Developer Sellar Property Group has spent much of the past eight years agreeing tenancy deals to ensure the building is fully occupied on completion – a wise move considering the problems filling office space in other parts of the city.

Among the occupiers will be Transport for London, a Shangri-La hotel and some of the most envied apartment owners in the world.

Work on the foundations is set to begin at the London Bridge site next month and the building should be complete by the time the Olympic torch is lit in 2012.

The Shard joins the existing Gherkin and proposed Can of Ham buildings in announcing a new wave of UK architecture – one featuring glass as its main tool.

Homeowners can become part of this trend by thinking outside the box and looking at how glass could transform their property.