“Walkie Talkie” skyscraper at 20 Fenchurch Street. Photograph by Duncan Harris
Focusing the sun’s rays has been used to start fires and create great heat throughout history, but it is how London’s “Walkie Talkie” skyscraper accidentally focused them to melt a Jaguar car on the streets below that is making headlines.
The 160m, £200 million building in the City of London has been dubbed the “Walkie Scorchie” by commentators after its concave face reflected and focused the suns rays on the Jaguar XJ of Martin Lindsay parked on the streets below. He returned to his car after having left it for just two hours yesterday to a smell of burning plastic, a melted wing mirror, and warping body panels – causing nearly £1000 of damage.
Developers of the building at 20 Fenchurch Street have promised to “cover” up some of the reflective surfaces to prevent future occurrences of this, but it is unknown what they plan to do for a long-term solution to prevent creating beams that are believed to be six times hotter than direct sunlight.
The shape of the building was created in part for aesthetics, and partly to maximise the rent from the building, with top floor rents going for notably higher rates than the lowers floors.
