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Not sure what engineers do every day?
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Tomorrow's Engineers recently spoke to a young structural engineer who worked on the Shard, which will be the tallest building in Europe when it's finished. You can read more facts about the Shard below.
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Blog:
Engineering the Shard
When The Shard is completed in May 2012 it will be a spectacular structure on the skyline of London; the tallest building, not only in the country, but in the European Union – and engineers have played a vital role in making it happen!
The final tower will be 310 metres (1,017 feet) tall, overtaking One Canada Square (Canary Wharf Tower) which had been the UK’s tallest building since 1991 (235 metres/770 ft). The Shard will rank as the 45th tallest building in the world.
The building, which looks like a large, sharp shard of glass, will be made from granite, glass and steel in order to blend in with surrounding areas of London (as best it can for such a tall building!).
The architect, Renzo Piano, said the design was inspired by London church spires in historic paintings, as well as the masts of ships that used to sail along the nearby River Thames, and it’s been the job of engineers to make these ideas into a practical reality.
A number of different engineers have worked on the Shard, including structural engineers, geotechnical engineers, mechanical engineers and electrical engineers. They have been involved with everything in the Shard’s construction, from making sure the planned area is made suitable for building such a large tower, to choosing suitable materials for the building and helping to make sure the Shard doesn't have a negative impact on the environment. Developers claim that The Shard will use 30% less energy than other high-rise buildings of a similar size.
The project is thought to have created 300 engineering jobs. The developers hope that 1000 jobs will be created after its completion as business is attracted to the area… The area will also get many more tourist visitors by people keen to see this spectacular structure.
You can read an interview with a young engineer who worked on the Shard on our main site.