My Shard Moments

I love travelling and this happened to be one of those days. It was my first time in London and I was over the moon. Needless to say I definitely will be back.

One of the things I love is architecture because for me building tell a story, it’s someone’s art and that made London even more enjoyable for me cause it doesn’t fail when it comes to architectural history. Both past and present.

Whilst the ancient buildings in London are a great attraction to many, this one stood out to me. The Shard. No it’s not ancient but yes, it is different. London has a history of men who wanted to build big and different. Each one wanting to leave a mark they went to great extents to create their own masterpieces.

The Shard, to me, was a continuation of that desire but in a different century; but unlike most building in London that outdo the others, this one was built to merge the past, present and future. It wasn’t built to fight what history had created, but it celebrates history and marches forth into the future.

I spent hours in this building just going up and down and studying its structure. The view is to die for, what you get when you are on the tallest building in Europe.

I was interested in finding out more about it so I bought the book that told of the story of the visionary behind it. Irvine Sellar, a bonified businessman himself, took on the challenge to defy the odds, be ridiculed to say the least and fight for over 12 years to make sure the building stands as it is today. Couple with a winning team, a can-do attitude and an stubbornness that one needs in his position, he brought the Shard into being, a legacy that remains for years to come should nothing happen.

Renzo Piano, a reknown architect whose desire had always been that a building should never take away from the people and that it should a part of its environment. He drew this on a paper over lunch with Irvine and that began their journey together.

There’s so much more that I could say but I won’t bore you with the details of the book....Maybe my attachment to this building grew more now that I know how it came into being, but I realised something else.

I am at a transition period in my life where I am making my own legacy. Charting waters and creating paths for myself, but also for others to follow. In many ways being in this building made me reflect on that, what it meant for me and what I was going to do to make that a reality.

Wishful thinking is just that; wishful. Every dream becomes a reality by action. Asking yourself questions that will bring that dream to fruition. Knowing wholeheartedly that the journey has been checked, tried and tested. And sometimes you need to see the bigger picture and know that your dream is a part of a bigger dream. Every time you allow yourself to shine, you give permission for others to shine.

The shard was built in the least likeable parts of London, in the midst of a global financial crisis, after years of going back and forth and the fortitude of one man. It stands tall and proud as part of London, and will be for years to come.

I was left asking myself what was it that will make my life count. That when I leave this earth it will live beyond me. Whilst I haven’t completely answered that question, I know it is something I want to fulfil.

This is my story, this is my shard.