A temporary screen is being put up at street level to try to stop a skyscraper apparently burning and blistering property below by concentrating the sun's rays on a nearby street. The 37-storey tower in the City of London was originally dubbed the "Walkie Talkie" due to its distinctive look but is now being called the "Walkie Scorchie" and the "Fryscraper". It is wider at the top than the bottom and the concave shape effectively makes it like a curved mirror. Angry business owners in Eastcheap say the £200m project has blistered paintwork, caused tiles to smash and singed fabric, and a motorist said the intense heat melted part of his Jaguar. But a screen measuring about four metres high and 15 metres long will now be set up to shield the public and nearby businesses, said Colette O'Shea, head of Land Securities, the building's co-developer. She told Sky's Jeff Randall it was a "very strange phenomenon and certainly not something we were expecting to happen" but the developers "will not have to fundamentally change" the structure. Ms O'Shea added: "We did all the testing, the computer analysis and this has just occurred. We knew there would be some sort of reflection but never did we anticipate this." She went on: "The glass is designed to reflect heat outwards to stop heat inside the building so it's a really efficient green building." She said they were looking at a couple of solutions - they may use shading or a chemical film on the outside of the glass that will effectively diffuse the rays of the sun. For a couple of hours a day, the angle of the sun is such that when the rays hit the building the light is reflected and concentrated into a hotspot below. Harry Wallop investigates the unfinished the 'Walkie-Talkie' skyscraper in central London which is being blamed for reflecting intense beams of sunlight that superheat parts of the pavement below, melting cars and causing paintwork to blister. The developers behind a skyscraper blamed for starting fires and causing damage by reflecting the sun's rays have said they will erect a temporary scaffold screen in an attempt to stop the "phenomenon". The half-finished 37-storey tower at 20 Fenchurch Street in central London, dubbed the "Walkie Talkie" due to its distinctive shape, is now being called the "Walkie Scorchie" because of its apparent ability to bounce heat from the sun onto buildings in the next street. Angry business owners in Eastcheap say the £200 million project has blistered paintwork, caused tiles to smash and singed fabric. A motorist has also said the intense heat melted part of his Jaguar. The carpet in a barbershop facing the building started to smoulder yesterday under the reflected light, and smoke also started coming out of the top of the salon's front door. Local business workers even managed to fry an egg on a window sill below the building. London skyscraper's 'deathray' reflection is melting cars, burning businesses, but also cooking eggs Walkie-Talkie Skyscraper Beam 'Melts Cars' Walkie Talkie City skyscraper renamed Walkie Scorchie after beam Who, what, why: How does a skyscraper melt a car? 'Walkie Talkie' building melts car by reflecting sunlight Walkie Talkie melted my Jag! London's Fenchurch Street skyscraper London's 'Walkie-Talkie' skyscraper melts cars Bright light from Walkie Talkie skyscraper melts man's Jaguar car London Walkie Talkie Owners Probe Tower's Car-Melting Walkie-Talkie Building - Business Insider London's Walkie Talkie Skyscraper Blamed for Car-Melting Sunbeams 'It is hotter than anywhere I've ever been': London skyscraper melts Glare from 'Walkie Talkie' Skyscraper Melts Parked Cars in London London skyscraper's 'deathray' reflection is melting cars, burning New skyscraper in London blamed for melting cars 'Death Ray II?' London Building Reportedly Roasts Cars Walkie Scorchie! Light reflecting from London's 'Walkie Talkie Walkie-Talkie Skyscraper Beam 'Melts Cars' The London skyscraper that's melting cars with ultra-bright reflected Rafael Viñoly's Walkie Talkie skyscraper "melts cars" New skyscraper in London's financial district is casting light beams Reuters, Walkie Talkie Tower, London Skyscraper Melts Car, London Skyscraper Jaguar, London Skyscraper Fries Car, London, London Skyscraper Melts Jaguar, World News

• published: 05 Sep 2013
• views: 1154