The Shard Half Full; Six New Tenants for Skyscraper

---

London's The Shard, western Europe's tallest skyscraper, is now half full a year after its opening. 

The building secured six new tenants, equating to 30 percent of its office space, according to an announcement from its real estate managers. 

Four of the six tenants include New York-based investment bank Duff & Phelps, an intellectual property law firm, a venture capital group, and an energy company. 

The skyscraper is occupied by Qatar-based media group Al Jazeera, which covers 28,400 square feet of studio and office space, as well as the world's largest hospital group, Hospital Corporation of America. 

The five-star Shangri-La Hotel will occupy floors 34 to 52 of the building. 

News Corp. has taken a 30-year lease in neighboring The Place, designed by Shard-architect Renzo Piano. The Place will also host media brands such as The Times, The Sunday Times, the Sun, Dow Jones Wall Street Journal and HarperCollins, according to the announcement. 

The Shard competes for tenants with other skyscrapers such as the "Walkie Talkie" and the "Cheese Grater" which also highlight London's skyline.