London's New Beacon

Just in time for the Summer Olympics, London has a badass new addition to their already random assortment of skyscraper shapes. Opened on Thursday night, the new 1,016-foot-tall cutting-edge glass and steel behemoth, christened The Shard by famed Italian architect Renzo Piano, is the new tallest building in both the United Kingdom and the European Union. 

Envisioned as a “vertical city,” the mixed-use Shard contains 26 floors of office space, 3 of restaurants, 18 that will serve as London’s first Shangri-La Hotel, as well as 12 floors of private residences. Capping the tower will be four levels of 360-degree sightseeing offering 40 miles of views across the nation’s capital. Joining the ranks of recent landmark additions such as the “Gherkin” and “the Inside-Out Building,” along with the upcoming “Cheese Grater” and “Walkie Talkie” buildings, it appears London has developed an obsession with the aesthetically abstract.