Hugh Pearman

Towering extravagance

It’s a very good piece of architecture. But we don’t need it — or need to celebrate its developer Irvine Sellar

issue 29 July 2017

The Shard is an unnecessary building. Nobody apart from its developer asked for it to be built. Nobody was crying out for a big spike of concrete, steel and glass filled with a mix of superluxury hotel, ultraprime apartments and loads of speculative offices right above London Bridge station, with an expensive viewing gallery as a sop to public accessibility.

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