What was the name of the architect of the London landmark known as "The Shard" (pictured)?

The building known as "The Shard" in London, England, is over 300 metres or 1,000 feet tall at its highest point and is the second highest free-standing building in the United Kingdom and the highest habitable one (the tallest building is a radio transmitter). It has 73 storeys that include personal residences and office spaces.

It was designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano (born 1937) who also was responsible for such notable buildings as the Pompidou Centre in Paris (in association with Richard Rogers) and the Whitney Museum of Modern Art in New York.

The idea of the building was first mooted in 1998, and it went through a lengthy planning procedure, eventually successful, with approval granted by the then British Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott.

Construction began in 2009, and the building was opened for practical purposes in 2012. It is built on the site that once housed a 1970s building called Southwark Towers.