London’s Shard skyscraper’s observation deck will open for public viewing shortly as, at 09:00 GMT, Mayor Boris Johnson will cut a ribbon to the ‘viewing platform’. London’s Shard skyscraper, which is western Europe’s loftiest building, has a ‘viewing platform’ that is positioned 243m (800ft) up the skyscraper. The Shard’s observation deck, The View from the Shard, is being advertised as a tourist attraction for the purpose of benefiting the London economy.

The Shard, which is positioned next to London Bridge station, is 310m (1016ft) tall, consisting of 87 storeys. The Shard skyscraper’s observation deck’s inauguration is to be done by the Mayor, who will be accompanied by its architect, Renzo Piano, for the opening of the tourist attraction. The reason, behind the marketing of the observation deck as a tourist spot, is that, on a lucid day, the sightseers are guaranteed a marvelous 40-mile panoramic vista of London from the observation deck.

However, weather could play spoilsport as gloomy and wet weather has been forecast for Friday, which could extremely hinder the visibility for the 4800 persons, who have already paid for admission on Friday. The website of The View from the Shard has expressed that there would be no refunds for these persons even if the inclement weather hampers their viewing experience. Nonetheless, the compromise, which is being offered by the Shard, is that the sightseers would be able to come back at another time if the bad weather fails to become good.

The ticket costs are £24.95 for adults and £18.95 for kids. The visitors to the Shard’s observation deck will be taken to the area in two high-speed lifts within 60 seconds. The deck is located on floors 68,69 and 72. The viewing experience will be enhanced through special telescopes.

The triangular building includes 600,000 sq ft of offices, three floors of restaurants as well as 10 luxury apartments, each of the value of £50m.