Now the tallest skyscraper in London, the Shard (also known as Shard London Bridge, the London Bridge Tower, or the Shard of Glass) stands at 309.6 metres (1,016 ft) high. The Shard is also the tallest building in Europe, and is also the second tallest free-standing structure in the United Kingdom. This tower was designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano, best known for creating Paris’s Pompidou Centre, in collaboration with Britain’s Richard Rogers. The Shard was inaugurated on 5 July 2012, and is scheduled to open to the public in February 2013.