How This Skyscraper's 'Death Ray' Melts Cars, Sidewalks, Plastic

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By Chris Taylor2013-09-03 22:22:39 UTC

In the past decade, London has enjoyed giving quirky names to a crop of futuristic, strange-shaped skyscrapers springing up in the heart of the city. First came the Gherkin (that's a pickle to Americans). Last year it was joined by the Shard, the tallest building in Europe. And now there's the Walkie-Talkie, a 37-story building set to be completed next year.

But Londoners have already given that one a new name: the Walkie-Scorchie, creator of a "death ray" that is wreaking havoc on a nearby street.

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The glass-fronted building bulges out at the top — not particularly for any architectural reason, but more for the fact that it creates more upper-floor office space that can be leased at a higher price. That decision, however, made the building a concave mirror, an effective parabolic reflector. In other words, it's a giant magnifying glass.

The "death ray" made headlines this weekend when it melted the side mirror on one man's Jaguar, parked in a street several blocks away for just a few hours. The building's managers paid for the damage, which came to roughly $1,500. But it turns out that's not the only effect of the Walkie-Scorchie.

As this BBC video report shows, portions of slate on the sidewalk — sorry, pavement — have already cracked. There are burn marks on one store's welcome mat. Its paint is bubbling, and plastic objects in its windows are starting to melt.

So the building's initial solution — close down the parking bay where the Jaguar was — won't solve the problem entirely. And the worst thing about it is that its architect has done the same thing before.

Rafael Vinoly also designed the Vidara hotel and spa near Las Vegas. In 2010, it was discovered that the hotel created what its staff also called a death ray — aimed in this case at the hotel pool.

Guests had their hair singed, and plastic melted, before the hotel was forced to add a layer of nonreflective film to its windows.

Image: Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images

Topics: Dev & Design, london, Tech