The Walkie- Talkie by Colin licensed under the terms of CC BY-SA 4.0
Officially called “20 Fenchurch Street”, this distinctive skyscraper was dubbed the Walkie Talkie building due to its unusual shape.
Later, though, the Walkie Talkie began to pick up other, even less flattering nicknames: The “Walkie Scorchie” and the “Fryscraper.”
Why the strange monikers? As it turns out, the concave surface of the building acted as a gigantic mirror that focused the sun’s rays at certain spots on the street below. At its hottest, the focal point was measured at 243 degrees Fahrenheit! It was hot enough to damage and even melt parts of nearby cars.
To resolve the issue, the designers plan to add large awnings to the upper floors of the tower, preventing the sun from hitting the building.
Remarkably, this isn’t even the first time this has happened with a building from this particular architect. Rafael Viñoly also designed the Vrada Hotel in Las Vegas, which had a similar “death ray” effect! Apparently, some people just don’t learn from their mistakes.
Check out my posts on The Cheese Grater, The Gherkin, and The Inside-Out Building, and The Shard to discover more of London’s fun oddities.
