With external work on the Shard - a mixed-use 95-storey building, with offices, private residences, a five-star Shangri-La hotel and spa, restaurants and the capital’s highest viewing galleries – now complete, the controversial development has reached its complete height of 1016ft (309.6m) and the structure’s current silhouette will loom over London unaltered. In advance of its official inauguration today and a citywide laser show scheduled to celebrate the building tonight, its backers and lead architect Renzo Piano gathered at a press conference to discuss its development and their hopes for its future.

The focus of today’s inauguration celebrations is to be a sprawling five-minute laser display that begins at approximately at 10.10pm. At around that time some 12 lasers and 30 search lights will beam out from the Shard towards other established London landmarks, as a classical-music soundtrack booms out. It all ends with the illumination of the Shard itself, which will be lit from all sides by giant searchlights.