'Walkie-Talkie' skyscraper melts Jaguar car parts

[muriel_volestrangler]

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, which has been nicknamed the "Walkie Talkie" because of its shape, is currently under construction.



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-23930675

Nice going, architect ...

[yourout]

1. Nice little parabolic lense they have there....oops.

[Junkdrawer]

2. Call Mythbusters. Revisit the Archimedes Mirrors Myth....

The one Obama asked to be revisited.

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. I've seen a British programme about the Archimedes mirror myth

Their conclusion was that it couldn't be a practical weapon, not that a mirror could never focus enough sunlight to get high temperatures. In this case, the 'target' was stationary, and the area reflecting the sunlight was probably a lot bigger than anything Archimedes could have built.

[hunter]

4. 2010: "Vegas Hotel Pool 'Death Ray' Burns Tourists"

Forget sunscreen. At one Las Vegas pool, you might want to consider full-body armor to protect you from the sun's powerful rays.

Guests at the new Vdara hotel have been complaining that because of an architectural flaw on the glass skyscraper, the sun's rays are being magnified and reflected onto an area of the pool, causing severe burns. There have been reports that even plastic has melted from the heat.

http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/las-vegas-hotel-pool-sunlight-swimming-tourists/story?id=11739234

[Igel]

5. Eh. It just fries cars. Imagine one that fries sunbathers poolside.

Oh, wait. You don't have to imagine it. You can go to Las Vegas and feel the heat.

http://www.today.com/id/39403349/ns/today-today_travel/t/death-ray-vegas-hotel-pool-heats-guests/

You think they'd learn the first time, wouldn't you?

"Mr. Igel, I want to be an architect. Why do I need physics?"

"So you don't kill your customers' clients, little one, either by giving them 3rd degree tans or having the building collapse on them."

"Why would that be bad?"

[JimDandy]

6. Siding frequently bubbles and 'melts' on residential houses

from sunlight concentrated and bounced off reflective windows in a 'negative corner' area of the structure. Had that happen in a rental building I lived in.