The Shard lights up

Europe's tallest tower will be officially unveiled tonight

The Shard, one of London's most iconic landmarks, will be officially unveiled tonight.

At 10pm tonight Londoners will be treated to a spectacular laser show projected from the Shard.

The event marks the completion of the exterior of the building, with work on the inside expected to continue into 2013.

10 Shard facts

• The Shard is the tallest building in Europe and the 59th tallest building in the world
• The structure is is 309.6m (1,016 ft) high
• There are 44 lifts and 306 flights of stairs
• The total floor space is 31.4 acres
• The building is covered in 11,000 glass panels which cover 56,000m2 – equal to eight football pitches
• 95% of the construction materials and 20% of the steelwork comes from recycled sources
• The corners of the building are open and the shards do not touch, allowing the building to "breathe"
• There are 72 occupiable floors with further 15 levels that make up the "spire"
• The ground floor Shard Plaza will be a public area, while the second floor will open out onto the concourse of London Bridge station
• The 68th to 72nd floors will be the public observation galleries