Shard London Bridge, view from London Bridge. August 2011

Undoubtedly the Shard, once it opens next year, will have an impact on the street life, transport and urban fabric of the London Bridge area – for the rest of London is has become a growing part of the skyline. Views of the Shard can be seen in other London boroughs outside Southwark. With today’s post are a few photographs taken from the top of natural and man-made vantage points, in Brixton (Lambeth) to the south and in Bow (Tower Hamlets) to the east respectively. The impact of this new landmark on views of other landmarks is well reported and debated, and as the photos show, the Shard can appear very differently depending on where it is viewed: either as just another (taller) part of the skyline, or appear in isolation from the cluster of skyscrapers in The City.

Shard London Bridge, view from Brockwell Park, Brixton.

Shard London Bridge and The City, view from Bow. August 2011

At the NLA there is a scale model of London highlighting new and proposed buildings. One of those proposals is the Shard. The model is on permanent display and admission is free.

Model of London, NLA: Shard London Bridge (centre), facing north-west.

Model of London, NLA: Shard London Bridge (top), facing south.

(Photographs by Wilson Yau)

About Wilson Yau

I work for the British Architectural Library at the RIBA as part of a team to share news, images and information online about the activities of the Library and the fascinating items we have in our architectural collections – it contains over four million items, so there's plenty to see! If you’re curious about what we do at the Library and with the collections, or want to discover the latest about our education programmes, public events and exhibitions at the RIBA, please visit www.architecture.com

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