It’s an iconic monument to architectural innovation but the Shard’s 575,000 square feet of office space is, surprisingly, mostly empty.
Costing £1.5bn to build, the Shard’s majesty is no longer financially sound so it needs some money-spinning tenants - and fast.
Traditionally, developers pre-let at least a third of a commercial property prior to opening, but back in 2006, the Shard's developer, Irvine Sellar, had an offer from Transport for London to populate the entire office space.
However, four years later Mr Sellar worried that he had offered the floor space too cheaply and withdrew. Now in 2014, finding good value and interesting tenants for the Shard’s Qatari investors is proving difficult.
The Shard isn’t entirely empty. Currently home to restaurants Duck & Waffle and Hutong, investment bankers Duff & Phelps are the only office tenants. They must be lonely, if not hungry.
The Guardian reports that media group Al-Jazeera (also from Qatar) and Hospital Corporation of America will be moving in shortly. So who should join them? Here are our top picks.
Topshop/Topman
Why it would work:
Sir Philip Green is a paragon of modern British business success.
If the flagship Topshop store at Oxford Circus is any indication, large exciting shop windows filled with attractive mannequins are the secret to retail sales, suiting the Shard’s glass makeup perfectly. Topshop is makes a profit in retail fashion year on year.
Possible problems:
The office space available on any one of the 24 available floors will be pretty high up, far too high for passing trade to see from the ground. Shoppers would have to be taking the Shard tour (currently priced at £30 per person) to get closer, and may not wish to spend any more cash on clothes.
With two Westfield stores and a huge number of outlets, perhaps this would constitute retail overkill.
Artisan coffee shop
Why it would work:
Artisan coffee is a recent break-out businesses in metropolitan cities, and the UK as a whole saw a 15% rise in independent coffee shop openings in 2013, according to Cloudzync.
Perpetually strung-out office workers have a penchant for caffeine and the Shard’s London Bridge location would make it an ideal stop-off point.
Nothing quite clears the head like a 360 degree view of London. Coffee shops offering a variety of beverage options like strong coffee for business meetings and afternoon tea for tourists would be onto a winner.
Possible problems:
Modern workers want their coffee on the go, so the additional walking and minutes spent in the great glass elevator might deter commuters not wanting to waste precious time.
Solar power plant
Why it would work:
Energy is constantly under debate in the UK, from the soaring cost of heating homes and businesses to the potential implications of fracking.
One power source that could be harnessed extremely effectively within the Shard is solar power, especially as 2014 is predicted to host the hottest English summer on record.
American energy providers, Ivanpah, would be ripe for the task, after launching a gigantic solar facility powering California’s electric grid last year.
They generate enough clean power to annually heat 140,000 homes and remove 400,000 tons of carbon dioxide.
Fit the Shard with reflective heliostats and it can focus its energy towards boilers creating steam to power turbines.
Possible problems:
It is blindingly obvious that city buildings aren’t designed to be solar power stations. Even in the desert solar power can kill wildlife if it is not correctly directed.
Flora and fauna won’t be a problem for the Shard, but in 2013 London residents saw the ‘Walkie Talkie’ building in Fenchurch Street burn cars and pedestrians with its powerful reflections during hot weather, so safety could be an issue.
The world’s highest crèche
Why it would work:
The rising cost of childcare is an issue that panics city-working parents.
From spending thousands on paying for professional nannies to long commutes that cut down time spent with little ones, parents are constantly looking for a solution.
Why not use the Shard to house the world’s largest, fanciest and highest crèche? The Day Care Trust reports that London parents requiring 50 hours of childcare per week will pay £14,000 per year.
This business is lucrative and necessary: a crèche so close to work is clearly a money-spinner.
Possible problems:
It is a fanciful suggestion for a serious problem. Asking parents to take fractious children on public transport to deliver them to a crèche that’s nearer work, may be a no-go.
However, employees working within the Shard and wealthy local residents may well go for it.
Laser quest arena
Why it would work:
Wouldn’t the Shard be an amazing venue for urban combat?
City boys and girls could now have somewhere to release their pent up energy after hunching over their desks all day, and what better venue than this to house an active gaming venture?
Laser quest forms part of the ‘space games market’ and the latest Laser Tag equipment can be provided for team-building and fun for all ages.
Surprisingly, there are plenty of laser quest locations all over the UK, but none in central London.
Possible problems:
We suspect that laser quest is not a business that makes its money from 9-5 on weekdays.
The Shard would be an attractive weekend and evening prospect, but this business might not make enough to justify the expensive rental costs.
However, a clever entrepreneur could obtain a franchise on a short lease and set up their laser quest in the Shard right now.
Let’s hope Irvine Sellar is taking note.