How This Skyscraper’s ‘Death Ray’ Melts Cars, Sidewalks, Plastic

In the past decade, London has enjoyed giving quirky names to a crop of futuristic, strange-shaped skyscrapers springing up in the heart of the city. First came the Gherkin (that’s a pickle to Americans). Last year it was joined by the Shard, the tallest building in Europe. And now there’s the Walkie-Talkie, a 37-story building set to be completed next year

But Londoners have already given that one a new name: the Walkie-Scorchie, creator of a “death ray” that is wreaking havoc on a nearby street.

The glass-fronted building bulges out at the top — not particularly for any architectural reason, but more for the fact that it creates more upper-floor office space that can be leased at a higher price. That decision, however, made the building a concave mirror, an effective parabolic reflector. In other words, it’s a giant magnifying glass Read more…

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