Where did the name The Shard come from?

Critics said it looked like a shard of glass

The Shard Quiz: Renzo Piano's Glass Spire Over London

A tapering tower of glass above London Bridge station changed the city's skyline, and this The Shard quiz explores how it was designed and built. Play an interactive set of 10 questions on Renzo Piano, developer Irvine Sellar, the napkin sketch, its 2012 opening, its height, The View from The Shard, the hotel inside, about 11,000 glass panels, Southwark and the name.

Start the Shard Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Architect
Who designed The Shard?
Height
Roughly how tall is The Shard?
Opening
When was The Shard inaugurated?
Station
Which station does it stand beside?
Developer
Which developer championed the project?
Sketch
What legend surrounds the first design?
View
What is The View from The Shard?
Hotel
Which type of business occupies many middle floors?
Glass
Roughly how many glass panels cover the tower?
Name
Where did the name The Shard come from?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Who designed The Shard?
Answer: Renzo Piano
He also co-designed the Pompidou Centre.
Q2: Roughly how tall is The Shard?
Answer: About 310 meters
It is the UK's tallest building.
Q3: When was The Shard inaugurated?
Answer: 2012
The same year London hosted the Olympics.
Q4: Which station does it stand beside?
Answer: London Bridge
It is in Southwark.
Q5: Which developer championed the project?
Answer: Irvine Sellar
He met Piano in 2000.
Q6: What legend surrounds the first design?
Answer: Piano sketched it on a napkin
The story is often repeated.
Q7: What is The View from The Shard?
Answer: Its public observation floors
They sit near the top.
Q8: Which type of business occupies many middle floors?
Answer: A luxury hotel
Restaurants are also inside.
Q9: Roughly how many glass panels cover the tower?
Answer: About 11,000
They reflect changing skies.
Q10: Where did the name The Shard come from?
Answer: Critics said it looked like a shard of glass
The developers embraced it.

The Shard Quiz – Renzo Piano's Glass Spire Over London

The Shard, designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano, rises about 310 meters beside London Bridge station in Southwark, making it the tallest building in the UK. It was inaugurated in 2012.

Developer Irvine Sellar met Piano in 2000, and legend says Piano sketched the tapering tower on a napkin. Critics compared it to a shard of glass, and the name stuck.

Its facade has about 11,000 glass panels that reflect London's changing skies. The tower holds offices, restaurants, a luxury hotel and The View from The Shard, public observation floors near the top.

What This Quiz Teaches

Architecture fans will enjoy these questions.

Who designed The Shard
Where it stands
How tall it is
What it contains
Where its name came from

Did You Know?

On clear days, views stretch about 60 km.
Its spire is open to the sky at the top.
It is owned largely by Qatari investors.
Cranes worked at record heights during construction.
It is lit up for special events.