The Shard at London Bridge is London's - and Europe's - new tallest building

The Shard building will be officially unveiled in central London tomorrow (Thursday) as Europe’s tallest building.

The glass structure towering 330 metres in the air and shaped like a giant pin is already impossible to miss on London’s skyline.

Italian architect Renzo Piano designed it for offices, exclusive residences, a luxury hotel, restaurants and a viewing gallery.

Owned by interests from Qatar in the middle east, it will be officially inaugurated by the Prime Minister of the Gulf State tomorrow.

But the Shard’s status as Europe’s highest is set to be short. The Mercury City Tower in Russia will be 1,089ft when completed this year.

The Governor of Qatar Central Bank – which bankrolled the project, said: “The Shard is the newest London landmark and a beacon of the city of London’s resilience and expansion, even during tough economic times, said Abdullah Saoud Al-Thani.”

“It is a symbol of Qatar’s belief and commitment to London both today and in the future.

“We have a long heritage and continued commitment to invest and build in the UK for the long term and The Shard highlights this close relationship.”