The completion of the London Shard’s exterior was celebrated on Wednesday night (July 5th) with an extravagant light show.

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According to telegraph.co.uk, the skyscraper is the tallest building in Europe and developers sought to highlight the building’s debut in the capital with an eye-catching show involving streams of light – which were emitted through the building’s external cladding, which is made up of clear blue glass.

Inauguration ceremony which illuminated the Shard

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In addition to 12 lasers coming from inside the 95-storey Shard, there were search lights set up to further illuminate the area, while the London Philharmonic Orchestra also featured in the inauguration ceremony.

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Not everyone was impressed by the event…

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While the light show was intended to mark the skyscraper’s arrival in style, not everyone was impressed by the event, reported independent.co.uk. Several comments on social networks indicated that people gathering to watch the lasers were expecting more…

“It didn’t look this good close up…”

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“Let’s face it: it was a bit pants 😉 #ShardFacts”

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…but officials appeared to be happy with how it went.

Investment by both the UK and Qatar

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One of the guests of honour at the occasion was Duke of York Prince Andrew, who said:

“I hope that the people who will come and work here and live around here will truly appreciate not only the hard work that the entire team have put together, but also they’ll recognise the relationship and investment that has been put in by both the UK and Qatar.”

Author: Paul Smithson    Date Written: 06 July 2012