New London Skyscraper Melts Nearby Parked Cars with Reflected Sunlight

The top-heavy shape of 20 Fenchurch Street, a skyscraper currently under construction in London, has earned the building the nickname, “The Walkie Talkie.” Unfortunately, the building’s shape also acts as a giant concave mirror, blasting a nearby street with intense reflected sunlight that recently melted a parked Jaguar. Developers are working to resolve the problem (and repair the Jaguar). The building’s architect Rafael Viñoly has made the mistake before—his curved design for the Vdara Hotel & Spa in Las Vegas acts as a parabolic reflector, searing a nearby pool deck with what employees call the “Vdara Death Ray.”

Thanks Lori Dorn!