This week, @TheOnlyAaron and myself take on The Shard, an iconic super-tall skyscraper that completely reshaped London’s skyline. Watch along as we tackle this 309.6m (1016ft) behemoth, using clever SketchUp modeling tricks and the usual self-deprecating banter you’ve come to love and expect!
2026-06-05T18:00:00Z
I know the building, I’ve been there, and I really like it, but it seems very complicated to draw its shape (even a basic one) without having been part of the design team or having studied it extensively. Plans exist, but you can’t draw it simply from those plans… Perhaps the general shape needs to be extracted from an analysis of floor plans identified in cross-section.
scheme of the elevators
PDF vector floor plan
The Shard - level 11.pdf (944.9 KB)
Hi everyone, just a heads up: @TheOnlyAaron is out sick this week! As such, we are postponing this stream by a week… see you next Friday!
Using brochures, I was able to retrieve vector drawings that I attempted to scale. Theoretically, the cross-section shows 306 meters to the top (though I’m not sure I used the correct reference points; however, it makes sense when checking, for example, the floor height). For the two floor plans (9th and 11th floors), I initially assumed the elevators were 1600kg (quite common in skyscrapers) and then adjusted the scale to match the cross-section. It seems reasonably accurate.
the shard - elevation.skp (11.9 MB)
the shard - level 11.skp (4.1 MB)
the shard - level 9.skp (1.4 MB)
To reach the observation deck, you have to change elevators on the 33rd floor and take another elevator to the 68th floor.
It’s very clever. Because it saves space, and also energy. The speed of ascent is very energy-intensive. The speed is reduced to 6 meters per second.
The first elevator from the ground floor to the 33rd is a double-decker. The lower cabin serves the hotel’s sky lobby. Another advantage is that the tower is mixed-use. Fewer elevators, more uses, more distinct and higher-quality spaces.
One last word about the facades. They are double wall of glass, which is of limited benefit most of the time except for the towers. In this case, it is very relevant from a thermal perspective for entire façade of glass. This feature also gives The Shard a distinctive appearance, with particular reflections depending on the light, and sometimes an effect that is difficult for architects to achieve: “a white tower”.
This is amazing and fascinating! Thanks for taking a deep dive.
