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The Shard is a 95 storey supertall skyscraper that has a maximum height of 309.6 metres (1,016ft) high thus making it the tallest building in the United Kingdom, tallest in the European Union and the fifth tallest building in Europe. It is also the second tallest free standing structure in the United Kingdom, after the concrete tower of the Emley Moor transmitting station. The Shard has replaced Southwark Towers which was a 24 storey office block built on the site in 1975. The Shard's construction began in March 2009; it was topped out on 30th March 2012 and inaugurated on 5th July 2012.
The tower's privately operated observation deck, The View from The Shard, was opened to the public on 1st February 2013. The glass-clad pyramidal tower has 72 habitable floors, with a viewing gallery and open-air observation deck on the 72nd floor, at a height of 244 metres (801 ft). The Shard was developed by Sellar Property Group on behalf of LBQ Ltd and is jointly owned by Sellar Property (5%) and the State of Qatar (95%), The Shard is managed by Real Estate Management (UK) Limited on behalf of the owners. The Shard was designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano.
The building features 11,000 panes of glass with a total surface area of 602,779 square feet (56,000.0 m2) equivalent to the area of almost eight Wembley football pitches. The building is designed to maintain its stability under very onerous conditions, with its post-tensioned concrete and composite floors, load-bearing pillars and tapering shape giving it a sway tolerance of 400 millimetres (16 in).
Image Above - The Girl and Dolphin Statue with the Tower Bridge and The Shard, London, England, UK - In December 2011, a group of recreational trespassers calling themselves the Place Hackers evaded security and made their way to the top of the Shard building site, climbing one of the tallest cranes in the process. They later posted photographs of the London skyline taken from the top of the Shard on the Internet and received wide media attention. One member of the group, Oxford University researcher Bradley Garrett, later revealed to various news outlets that over 20 urban explorers had made their way to the top of the building during its construction.
Base Jumpers reportedly jumped from The Shard more than a dozen times between 2009 and 2012. Four jumps were reportedly made by Essex roofer Dan Witchalls, who had filmed one attempt with a helmet-mounted camera. The highest jump was said to have been from a height of 260 metres (850 ft). In March 2016 another person BASE jumped from The Shard.
On 3 September 2012, a team of 40 people, including Prince Andrew, Duke of York, abseiled from the tower's 87th floor. This feat was performed to raise money for the Outward Bound Trust and the Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund. In November 2012, the French urban climber Alain Robert was spotted in the building by security guards. At the end of the month, the Shard's owners won an injunction to prevent him from entering or climbing the building.
Prince Andrew has abseiled nearly 800ft down the Shard skyscraper in a bid to raise money for charity. The 52-year-old Duke of York at the time began his descent down the tallest building in Europe from the 87th floor - around 785ft (239 meters) above ground - and finished on the 20th. The stunt took the prince around 30 minutes to complete. The prince raised £229,000 for the Outward Bound Trust, of which he is chairman, and the Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund. The prince abseiled down the 1,016ft building on 3rd September 2012.
Andrew was one of a group of 40 people taking part in the charity abseil, among them Ffion Hague, the wife of Foreign Secretary William Hague, and leading businessmen and women. After his abseil, Prince Andrew said: "It was nerve-racking. I think we were in the clouds when we started. "As I was stepping over the edge, somebody said, 'By the way, there is quite a lot of condensation and the windows are slippery so you may just slide'. "And he was right - I just slid for the first, whatever it was, 10 or 15 floors. "But this is not about me. It is about the Outward Bound Trust.
"This is what we want to do for young people. We want to change people's lives." Prince Andrew also added that his training with the Royal Marines had given him the confidence to do the deed.
On 11th July 2013, six female Greenpeace volunteers climbed The Shard and unfurled a flag in protest against Arctic oil drilling by Royal Dutch Shell. The women announced they were "experienced climbers", but medical personnel were summoned to the base of the tower nonetheless. The Shard's staff closed the tower's observatory and gave the women a safety briefing and other advice during their climb. After completing their 16-hour climb, the six women were arrested by police on suspicion of aggravated trespass.
The Shard appears in the 2012 short film The Snowman and The Snowdog and it's tie-in computer game.
Image Below - The Shard has a significant role in the 2013 Doctor Who episode "The Bells of Saint John" as it is the headquarters of the episode's antagonist, the Great Intelligence. The Doctor vertically rode a motorbike on the face of the building and through a window to reach the Great Intelligence's headquarters.
Image Below - A hostage episode and deadly fight takes place at the top of the Shard near the end of Princess: A Private Novel. This book is one of a series written by James Patterson.
Image Below - The Shard appears in the climactic scene of the 2019 film Spider-Man: Far From Home. It is Nick Fury/Talos's & Maria Hill/Soren's lookout while the final battle takes place between Spider-Man and Mysterio on Tower Bridge.
Spider Man Far From Home Final Battle Part 1 HD
Spider Man Far From Home Final Battle Part 1 HD
Spider Man Far From Home Final Battle Part 2 HD
Spider Man Far From Home Final Battle Part 2 HD
The Burj Khalifa is a skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. With a total height of 829.8 m (2,722 ft) and a roof height (excluding antenna) of 828 m (2,717 ft), the Burj Khalifa has been the tallest structure and building in the world since its topping out on 1st October 2009. Construction of the Burj Khalifa began on 6th January 2004, with the exterior completed five years later in 2009. The primary structure is reinforced concrete. The building was opened on 4th January 2010 as part of a new development called Downtown Dubai. It is designed to be the centrepiece of large-scale, mixed-use development. The decision to construct the building is based on the government's decision to diversify from an oil-based economy, and for Dubai to gain international recognition. The building was originally named Burj Dubai but was renamed in honour of the ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of the United Arab Emirates, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi and the UAE government lent Dubai money to pay its debts.
Burj Khalifa was designed by Adrian Smith, of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, whose firm designed the Willis Tower and One World Trade Center. Hyder Consulting was chosen to be the supervising engineer with NORR Group Consultants International Limited chosen to supervise the architecture of the project. The design is derived from the Islamic architecture of the region, such as in the Great Mosque of Samarra. The Y-shaped tripartite floor geometry is designed to optimize residential and hotel space. A buttressed central core and wings are used to support the height of the building. Although this design was derived from Tower Palace III, the Burj Khalifa's central core houses all vertical transportation with the exception of egress stairs within each of the wings. The structure also features a cladding system which is designed to withstand Dubai's hot summer temperatures. It contains a total of 57 elevators and 8 escalators.
At a certain point in the architectural and engineering process, the original Emaar developers ran into financial issues, and required more money and economic funding. Sheikh Khalifa, the ruler of the United Arab Emirates, granted monetary aid and funding, hence resulting in the changing of the name to "Burj Khalifa". The concept of profitability derived from building high density developments and malls around the landmark have proven successful. Its surrounding malls, hotels and condominiums in Downtown Dubai have generated the most revenue from the project as a whole, while the Burj Khalifa itself made little or no profit.
Critical reception to Burj Khalifa has been generally positive, and the building has received many awards. There were complaints concerning migrant workers from South Asia who were the primary building labor force. These centered on low wages and the practice of confiscating passports until duties were complete, Several suicides were reported. Burj Khalifa was designed to be the centerpiece of a large-scale, mixed-use development to include 30,000 homes, nine hotels (including The Address Downtown Dubai), 3 hectares (7.4 acres) of parkland, at least 19 residential skyscrapers, the Dubai Mall, and the 12-hectare (30-acre) artificial Burj Khalifa Lake.
DUBAI — A woman allegedly leapt to her death off the world's tallest building, supposedly due to heartbreak. Laura Vanessa Nunes, 39, is said to have gone up to the Burj Khalifa's observation deck—located on the 148th floor—and slipped through the viewing area's glass panels, plunging head first to her death. Nunes' mother, Leona Sykes, claims she gained access from police to view footage of the incident. She says in the video, her daughter is seen walking over to the glass, peering out over the city. She then runs to the back of the observation deck, possibly out of fear for what she was about to do. When she finally gains the confidence to jump, she walks back over to the glass wall, then turns around and looks up, appearing to say a prayer. Seconds later, she sticks her head out of the building, squeezes her body through, and lets go.
Reports of the devastating incident indicate Nunes fell approximately 1,640 feet before crashing onto the terrace of a restaurant located on the Burj's third floor. According to her mother, at the time of her death, Nunes was caught up in an on-and-off relationship with an Emirati business man she had met years prior, and was distraught over the state of her romantic life. A citizen of both Portugal and South Africa, Nunes had been living in Dubai on a tourist visa in hopes of finding employment, and is believed to have converted to Islam seven months prior to her suicide.
It costs twice as much to get into the Burj Khalifa’s observation deck, despite it being only the second highest in the world Week Online reported in 2010, The world's highest viewing deck is the Shanghai World Financial Centre in China with a 22 meter higher platform, But Emaar insists "At The Top at Burj Khalifa is the world's highest observation deck with an outdoor terrace." Responding to media reports of the incident, Dubai police on Monday disputed allegations that Nunes had committed suicide by leaping from the popular tourist attraction, and claimed that the suicide did not occur at the Burj, but rather from the 14th floor of Nunes' own apartment building. Nunes' death reportedly took place in November, 2014, but has only recently come to light as a result of the highly-controlled media in the UAE. Following the tragic incident, protective bars have been installed in the space between the Burj's glass panels, making it virtually impossible for anyone to fit through going forward.
The decision to build Burj Khalifa was reportedly based on the government's decision to diversify from an oil-based economy to one that is service and tourism based. According to officials, it was necessary for projects like Burj Khalifa to be built in order to garner more international recognition, and hence investment. "He (Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum) wanted to put Dubai on the map with something really sensational," said Jacqui Josephson, a tourism and VIP delegations executive at Nakheel Properties. The tower was known as Burj Dubai ("Dubai Tower") until its official opening in January 2010. It was renamed in honour of the ruler of Abu Dhabi, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan: Abu Dhabi and the federal government of UAE lent Dubai tens of billions of US dollars so that Dubai could pay its debts – Dubai borrowed at least $80 billion for construction projects. In the 2000s, Dubai started diversifying its economy but it suffered from an economic crisis in 2007–2010, leaving large-scale projects already in construction abandoned.
Image Above - Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan -
The state news agency of the United Arab Emirates said Saturday, Jan. 25, 2014 that Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the country’s president, has suffered a stroke and undergone surgery. Khalifa became president of the UAE in 2004, succeeding his father Sheik Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan after his death. His father was the UAE's first leader after independence in 1971.
Musrat Cetinmuhurdar, AP, Turkish Presidency Press Office
The Burj Khalifi provides luxurious and exquisite apartments and facilities and recreational centers to lounge and enjoy the views.
Spectacular and forever changing scenery is guaranteed from the windows of Burj Khalifi. The Burj Khalifa set several world records, including: Tallest existing structure: 829.8 m (2,722 ft) (previously KVLY-TV mast - 628.8 m or 2,063 ft)
Image Above - KVLY TV Tower
Tallest structure ever built: 829.8 m (2,722 ft) (previously Warsaw radio mast - 646.38 m or 2,121 ft)
Image Above - Shanghai Tower China.
Image Left - Warsaw radio mast in it's heydey before it collapsed, UNTIL THE BURJ KHALIFA SKYSCRAPER in Dubai soared to its completed height of 2,722 feet in 2010, the highest structure ever built was actually a radio transmitter in Poland. Alas, the Warsaw Radio Mast is now rusting rubble, the heavenward spire bent down by human error. The radio mast near Konstantynów, Poland, was finished with an unrivaled height of 2,120 feet in 1974, and until 1991 it served as a transmitter for Warsaw Radio-Television. Its signal could be picked up across Europe into Africa and even across the Atlantic in North America. Yet already a decade in it was showing structural damage from wind oscillations, and it had a sad setback in aesthetic at least when in 1988 there wasn’t enough paint to cover its monolithic worn steel lattice.
The catastrophe occurred on August 8, 1991, when during maintenance on exchanging guy-wires during some lofty wind, cables started snapping off and the whole thing bent in two and suddenly the tower that once stood so tall was twisted metal in the earth. While no one was injured, following the disaster two members of its construction company were sent to jail. Plans to rebuild were, understandably, met with local protest for the area’s safety. The velocity with which the debris plummeted has left some of it lodged in the ground, and its companion tower, supporting basement insulator, and the transmitter building are still decaying where they were abandoned over two decades ago.
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The CN Tower is a 553.3 m-high concrete communications and observation tower located in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Built on the former Railway Lands, it was completed in 1976. Its name "CN" originally referred to Canadian National, the railway company that built the tower. Height 533 meters, construction started on 6th February 1973, Top floor, 446.5 m (1,464.9 ft)
Image Above - A view from inside the observation deck atop the CN Tower in Toronto Canada. The Burj Khalifa is the tallest skyscraper (to top of spire ): 828 m (2,717 ft) (previously Taipei 101 - 509.2 m or 1,671 ft)
Another image of the CN Tower
The Taipei 101 formerly known as the Taipei World Financial Center (臺北國際金融中心), is a supertall skyscraper designed by C.Y. Lee & Partners and built by KTRT Joint Venture in Xinyi, Taipei, Taiwan, Its elevators, capable of 60.6 km/h (37.7 mph) used to transport passengers from the 5th to 89th floor in 37 seconds, set new records. In 2011 Taipei 101 received a Platinum rating under the LEED certification system to become the tallest and largest green building in the world. The structure regularly appears as an icon of Taipei in international media, and the Taipei 101 fireworks displays are a regular feature of New Year's Eve broadcasts.
Taipei 101's postmodernist architectural style evokes Asian traditions in a modern structure employing industrial materials. Its design incorporates a number of features that enable the structure to withstand the Pacific Rim's earthquakes and the region's tropical storms. The tower houses offices and restaurants as well as both indoor and outdoor observatories, The tower is adjoined by a multi-level shopping mall that claims the world's largest ruyi symbol as an exterior feature. Taipai 101 is owned by Taipei Financial Center Corporation, The skyscraper opened on 31st December 2004.
Image Left - Curled ruyi figures, appearing throughout the structure as a design motif, are ancient symbols associated with heavenly clouds that connote healing, protection and fulfillment. Each ruyi ornament on the exterior of the Taipei 101 tower stands at least 8 m. (26 ft.) tall.
Tallest skyscraper to top of antenna: 829.8 m (2,722 ft) (previously the Willis (formerly Sears) Tower - 527 m or 1,729 ft)
Building with most floors: 163 (previously World Trade Center - 110)
World's highest elevator installation (situated inside a rod at the very top of the building)
World's longest travel distance elevators: 504 m (1,654 ft)
Highest vertical concrete pumping (for a building): 606 m (1,988 ft)
World's tallest structure that includes residential space.
World's highest installation of an aluminium and glass façade: 512 m (1,680 ft)
World's highest restaurant (At.mosphere): 122nd floor at 442 m (1,450 ft) (previously 360, at a height of 350 m (1,148 ft) in CN Tower)
Image Above - Another image of the At.mosphere restaurant situated on the 122nd floor.
World's highest New Year display of fireworks.
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World's largest light and sound show staged on a single building.
The spire of Burj Khalifa is composed of more than 4,000 tonnes (4,400 short tons; 3,900 long tons) of structural steel. The central pinnacle pipe weighs 350 tonnes (390 short tons; 340 long tons) and has a height of 200 m (660 ft). The spire also houses communications equipment. This 244-metre spire is widely consideredvanity height, since very little of its space is usable. Without the spire, Burj Khalifa would be 585 meters tall. This was reported in a Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat study, which notes that the empty spire "could be a skyscraper on its own". Such a skyscraper, if located in Europe, would be the 11th tallest building on that continent.
In 2009, architects announced that more than 1,000 pieces of art would adorn the interiors of Burj Khalifa, while the residential lobby of Burj Khalifa would display the work of Jaume Plensa. Images Above - WORLD VOICES, 2010 - Burj Khalifa, Dubai, United Arab Emirates - Commissioned by: Emaar Properties - Burj Dubai Development