The new Walkie Talkie tower is hotting things up in London.
Walkie Talkie Tower Image: Gareth Evans |
Parking in the City of London has always been a challenge, but melting car parts takes things to a whole new level.
The as-yet incomplete 37-storey tower, nicknamed the Walkie Talkie because of its shape, has been beaming concentrated sunlight on to the pavement (and cars) below.
Businessman Martin Lindsay returned to find his luxury Jaguar XJ saloon with warped panels along one side and a melted wing mirror and badge.
A nearby restaurant is sporting its own Walkie Talkie damage, with a scorch mark on its welcome mat, while frying eggs on the pavement outside is lending a whole new meaning to street food.
The building's problems lie in the reflection of the sun on the glass, with the developers blaming the the unfortunate time of current elevation of the sun in the sky in August and September.
Architect Rafael Vinoly claims the problem was spotted early in the design phase but calculations fell far short of the actual temperature reached (72º C). He is blaming the huge number of consultants involved in the £200m project, for the lack of an early resolution.
Meanwhile the tower's developers are trying to find solutions to the problem by putting up cladding and scaffolding to cover the area of pavement on the city street where the Jaguar melted. The City of London has also suspended three car parking bays. Clearly, this is a building with a bright future.