U.K.’s Tallest Building The Shard Ahead Of Public Opening

A bird sits on a street lamp near the Shard tower in London, U.K., on Thursday, Jan. 31, 2013.

The Shard, which stands at 309.6 meters on London’s South Bank, opens to the public on Feb. 1, and is owned by LBQ Ltd., which brings together the State of Qatar (the majority shareholder) and Sellar Property Group Ltd., with non-equity funding by Qatar National Bank.

Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty Images