London building facade melts cars and real estate
Curved facade of building causing sunlight to be reflected onto a nearby street and damaging property
RELATED ARTICLES: Video: London skyscraper melts car | In Pictures: London’s Heritage Skyline under threat | QIA and Canary Wharf prepares $1.6bn London development It’s often been said that summer temperatures in the Middle East are hot enough to fry eggs on sidewalks, but a bizarre incident in London might just be challenging that stereotype. A 37-storey tower under construction in London’s financial district, has warped a car that was parked across the road. The curved exterior facade of 20 Fenchurch, also known as the ‘Walkie Talkie building’, has caused sunlight to be reflected off the glass and onto a near by street, causing significant damage to cars parked in the area, and nearby shops. The beam lasts for almost two hours each day, and developers have attributed it to to ‘the sun’s current elevation in the sky’. The phenomenon is expected to last for another fortnight or so, developers Land Securities and Canary Wharf said in a statement. The developers also removed three parking bays from service pending a solution, they added. Martin Lindsay, owner of the Jaguar that was severely damaged by the light beam reflected from the structure’s surface told Reuters that, “you can’t believe something like this would happen. They’ve got to do something about it.” Designed by Uruguay-born Rafael Vinoly, the tower is nicknamed ‘Walkie Talkie’ for its peculiar expanded shape. It is expected to open in spring 2014.
