In this Thursday, Sept. 5, 2013, file photo, intense sunlight reflects down towards street level off the 37-storey skyscraper at 20 Fenchurch Street in the City of London.LONDON – A London skyscraper that drew ire for having a glare so strong it melted nearby cars and shops will get a permanent fix.
The offending tower – known as the Walkie-Talkie for its curved, bulging shape – is to have a sunshade attached to its south-facing facade to stop the concave surface from reflecting sunlight and beaming concentrated rays to a nearby street, developers said Thursday.
The 37-story building made headlines in September when a Jaguar owner who parked his car at its foot complained that the solar glare melted part of the vehicle. Local shopkeepers also said the beams – dubbed “death rays” by the British press – blistered paintwork and burnt a hole in a floor mat during the hottest parts of the day.
Developers Land Securities and Canary Wharf had put up a dark netted screen as a temporary measure. They now say they have received permission to erect a permanent sunshade of horizontal aluminum fins, which they say will solve the problem by absorbing and diffusing sunlight.
The sunshade will cover much of the Walkie-Talkie’s southern face, and will inevitably block the Thames views for the tower’s occupants “to a limited extent,” the developers said. But they added that “the extra texture, detail and reduction in reflectivity will make the building a better neighbor.”