London Shard to mark opening with laser show visible across London

The 1016ft  Shard will be illuminated up by 12 lasers and 30 search lights beaming across the London skyline.

As part of the show, the building will be fully illuminated and the evening accompanied by classical music.

The building's interior, when finished next year, will house a luxury hotel, offices, residences, a viewing gallery and residences spread over 72 floors.

A further 15 levels make up the "spire", six of which have the potential to be used, with another nine exposed to the elements.

The 1,016ft skyscraper is joint-owned by the state of Qatar and the Sellar Property Group, and it was funded by the Qatar National Bank.