Walkie Scorchie and the risky business of design
From wobbly bridge to Walkie Scorchie: the glare from London’s newest skyscraper has melted a car. But Channel 4 News hears the alternative to risky designs is a skyline full of “boxes”.
The distinctive Walkie Talkie building with its curved glass windows is one of the latest additions to London’s skyline.
But its developers are reconsidering parts of its design after the glare of light reflected from the building’s glass was so intensethat it melted part of a Jaguar car.
Local businessman Martin Lindsay parked his car on Eastcheap and returned a few hours later, only to find warped panels along one side.
The wing mirror and badge on the Jaguar XJ had also melted from the heat of the reflection, he said.
The only way you can get rid of risk, is to build exactly what you’ve done before. Engineer
Mr Lindsay, director of a tiling company, said he first noticed the damage after seeing a photographer taking pictures of his car.
“They’re going to have to think of something. I’m gutted. How can they let this continue?” he told City AM newspaper.
Construction of the 37-storey skyscraper at 20 Fenchurch Street is still underway, but it has now been dubbed the “Walkie Scorchie”. Designed by architect Rafael Vinoly, it is expected to be completed in 2014 and will feature a public “sky garden” on the roof.
Risky business
The Walkie Talkie is not the first building to come across serious problems with design once constructed – but nor will it be the last, an engineer from a leading consultancy told Channel 4 News
“The only way you can get rid of risk, is to build exactly what you’ve done before,” he said. “The BT Tower, the Gherkin, the Shard – they’re all cool because they’re new and different, but they are open to risks.”
Along with other high-profile agencies, he did not want to put his name to any comments, because of the risk of being seen to point out problems in projects that could end up applying to his own consultancy in the future.
Everything on the dashboard has melted, including a bottle of Lucozade that looks like it has been baked. Eddie Cannon
But he said that architects’ opinions can have more weight in particularly innovative designs: “They [potential problems] can be considered beforehand, but someone high up in the project could think its worth taking a risk. In very architectural buildings like this, the engineers may have to end up compromising.”
Even before the melting car, passers-by had complained about the glare of the £200m Walkie Talkie.
But those in the business say that the alternative to taking risks and getting it slightly wrong, is playing it safe with a skyline full of boxes.
The construction of any innovative building is a mammoth team effort between wide-ranging specialists in everything from wind modelling, facade modelling, temperature control – and more. But each construction is like a “prototype that needs to be processed and refined” and will undergo huge amounts of testing, Royal Institute of British Architects President Stephen Hodder told Channel 4 News.
The engineer added: “It’s good to see these projects coming through. No-one builds a ‘box’ in central London any more. It’s the most boring thing, but has the lowest risk – that would be rubbish.”
Parking bays suspended
In a joint statement, building developers Land Securities and Canary Wharf said they are investigating the glare caused by the skyscraper. And they are paying the £1,000 damage costs to Mr Lindsay, which includes the cost of repairing a melted wing-mirror.
“The phenomenon is caused by the current elevation of the sun in the sky. It currently lasts for approximately two hours per day, with initial modelling suggesting that it will be present for approximately two to three weeks,” the statement read.
“As a precautionary measure, the City of London has agreed to suspend three parking bays in the area which may be affected.”
Another vehicle owner, whose van was parked nearby Mr Lindsay’s Jaguar on 29 August, has also complained about heat damage.
Eddie Cannon, a heating and air conditioning engineer, told City A.M.: “The van looks a total mess – every bit of plastic on the left hand side and everything on the dashboard has melted, including a bottle of Lucozade that looks like it has been baked.”