'Walkie-Talkie' skyscraper melts Jaguar on London street

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wfgodot

wfgodot

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'Walkie-Talkie' skyscraper melts Jaguar car parts. (BBC News)
A new London skyscraper dubbed the "Walkie Talkie" because of its shape, has been blamed for reflecting light which melted parts of a car parked on a nearby street.

Martin Lindsay parked his Jaguar on Eastcheap, in the City of London, on Thursday afternoon.

When he returned about two hours later, he found parts of his car - including the wing mirror and badge - had melted.

Mr Lindsay said he "could not believe" the damage. The developers have apologised and paid for repairs.

The 37-storey skyscraper at 20 Fenchurch Street is currently under construction.
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In a joint statement, developers Land Securities and Canary Wharf said: "We are aware of concerns regarding the light reflecting from 20 Fenchurch Street and are looking into the matter.

"As a precautionary measure, the City of London has agreed to suspend three parking bays in the area which may be affected while we investigate the situation further."
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Click to expand...
.
more, with pictures of 'Walkie-Talkie,' Jaguar, at link
 
When I get a Jag, someone please remind me not to park there, please!:floorlaugh::floorlaugh:
 
Lol, I read the headline and was horrified and confused because I thought they meant that an actual jaguar had melted. Nope, just a car.

How did not one of the dozens of people working on that building's design not realize that a concave glass building is going to reflect a ton of light and heat on a certain area?? Imagine what that can do to your eyes if it's capable of melting a freaking car...
 
The 'Walkie Scorchie' is not the first building designed by Uruguayan architect Rafael Vinoly which has been linked to intense rays of sunlight.

In September 2010 guests at the Vdara Hotel, in Las Vegas, complained of receiving severe burns from a 'death ray' of sunlight caused by the design of the building.

Due to the concave shape of the building, the strong Nevada sun reflected off its all-glass front and directly onto sections of the swimming pool area below.
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...er-firm-scaffolding-protect-nearby-shops.html
 
Learning from experience has gone out of fashion.
 
The architect's website is here:

http://www.rvapc.com/

And, the section related to the new building is here:

http://www.rvapc.com/works/707-20-fenchurch-street

My personal opinion is the 'deathray' has less to do with the physical design of the buildings and more to do with the type of glass that is being used.

On an episode of 'Ask This Old House' which I have seen previously and just happened to see again recently, a particular area of the vinyl siding on a house was being 'melted'. It was determined that the cause was a 'deathray' reflection coming directly from a nearby window on a bumpout wall. Something about the glass in the window (new, double paned, energy efficient, etc) was causing an extra potent reflection to be so hot as to melt the surface of the vinyl siding it was reflecting on to. Any modifications to the window itself would void the warranty. It was a casement style window which opened outwards and had a screen on the inside.

With the notion being that the screen on the inside was helping to further reflect and disperse the light to the outside, a solution was devised to make a screen to fit the outside frame of the window and to attach it with velcro to avoid voiding the warranty. Thus, with the window closed and the screen material on the outside, it helped to basically eliminate the deathray being produced by the combination of the type of glass and the inside screen.

There have been glass sided buildings for decades, all of which reflect the sun without burning holes in things, or melting things. I really think it has to be about the kinds of glass and the films used within.
 
A description of the Vdara Hotel building says:

"Alternating bands of reflective vision glass and light-diffusing, acid-etched spandrel glass in black and white are set off on different planes to achieve a unique shimmering texture on the façade. Modern, light, and devoid of graphics or ornaments, Vdara presents a distinctive contrast to the themed buildings of the Las Vegas Strip."

I need to learn more about glass, but I suspect it is the key to the problem.
 
These architects need a science refresher before they design mirrored buildings. Concave mirror buildings just can't be built anymore. JMO
 
On Monday, the air temperature in the concentrated beam, reached 69.8C, which in old money is 158F. To put that in context, the world’s hottest temperature was recorded in Death Valley at 56.7C (134F) over a century ago.

Dr Simon Foster, a solar physicist, accidentally left his measuring equipment in a black bag on the pavement for 10 minutes yesterday. The thermometer read 92.6C (198.7F). “It’s insane. It’s just ridiculous. I’ve never felt heat like it,” he says.

Forget frying, you could poach an ostrich egg in that heat.
Click to expand...

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/0...ars-burning-businesses-but-also-cooking-eggs/
 
The developers responsible for 20 Fenchurch Street say that the building’s glass cladding has been in place for months, but only caused problems in the last few days, "caused by the current elevation of the sun in the sky". Er, I think they mean "autumn". They promise they are working on a solution, which in the short-term is likely to be a temporary awning to protect the shops.
Click to expand...

LMAO! They're blaming the sun for this!

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/0...ars-burning-businesses-but-also-cooking-eggs/
 
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