The 570,000 sq ft of office space at the Shard will be let by the end of 2014, developer Irvine Sellar has predicted.
Speaking at a press briefing ahead of the landmark building’s inauguration today, Sellar said talks were ongoing with “a number of parties who are in discussions for a number of floors”.
Asked when he expected the 1,016ft tall tower to be fully occupied, Sellar said: “I would think by the end of 2014.”
He added: “We are being extremely selective, and our intention is not to have one single overpowering occupier.”
Qatari owned broadcaster Al Jazeera is under offer to take 30,000 sq ft, with others including US management consultant AT Kearney understood to be seriously considering the Shard.
Western Europe’s tallest building will be formally inaugurated today by Qatari prime minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassem Bin Jabor Al Thani and HRH the Duke of York.
The event marks the physical completion of the exterior of the building, and will be followed by a laser show this evening.
Speaking alongside Sellar, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Saoud Al Thani, governor of Qatar Central Bank and chairman of the board of directors of the Shard Funding Limited, said the vast funds ploughed into the project should be seen as part of Qatar’s long-standing relationship with the UK and “my confidence in London”.
Asked when he expected to recover the gulf state’s investment in the project, he said the returns were a “minor thing for us at the moment”.
The inauguration marks the end of a 12-year struggle to develop the Shard, designed by architect Renzo Piano.
It will house flats, restaurants and a Shangri-La Hotel, as well as the 570,000 sq ft of offices.
The building’s public gallery, the View from the Shard, will open on 1 February.
jack.sidders@estatesgazette.com
