The Guardian: The view from the top of the Shard:
London panorama of sights and sounds
In early February, The Guardian published a rich interactive that uses augmented reality to mark the opening of the Shard, London’s newest skyscraper. At 95 stories, The Shard is currently the tallest building in the European Union and the second-tallest in Europe. Construction on The Shard began in March 2009. The Guardian’s interactive, “The view from the top of the Shard: London panorama of sights and sounds,” is a 360-degree panorama of London’s newest view from the building’s public observation deck.
The interactive provides a multi-sensory experience that simulates the experience of actually being on the observation deck. This is a wonderful example of how a well-designed multimedia package can take the reader/viewer/user beyond traditional storytelling. In this graphic, users can zoom in on certain areas, listen to local sounds and music, and read more about people and places seem from the observation deck.