Skyscraper Melts Car!!1!!!

[Xamonas Chegwé]

This is fucking unbelievable! An under-construction skyscraper managed to focus sunlight on a guy's Jag and melt a lot of the plastic parts, including the wing-mirror and badge. Some architect is about to get their arse sued!!!!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-23930675

[Thinking Aloud]

This is just a cover story for the Death Ray they've actually installed in that building to protect London from alien attack.

[Faithfree]

That’s ridiculous – I mean, who’s ever heard of the sun shining in London?

[Seth]

It's good to know where you can go to get a fag lit...Or warm up your bangers and mash.

[JimC]

That's what happens when you have a concave reflective surface. Given the shape & orientation, it should be possible to calculate the approximate focal point at a given time of day. Install solar cells there!

[klr]

That's what happens when you have a concave reflective surface. Given the shape & orientation, it should be possible to calculate the approximate focal point at a given time of day. Install solar cells there!

Indeed. One look at the offending building reminds me of a solar mirror installation in the Pyrenees (IIRC), used to focus light at very high temperatures.

[JimC]

That's what happens when you have a concave reflective surface. Given the shape & orientation, it should be possible to calculate the approximate focal point at a given time of day. Install solar cells there!

Indeed. One look at the offending building reminds me of a solar mirror installation in the Pyrenees (IIRC), used to focus light at very high temperatures.

If only the architects had asked a physics teacher! Preferably on commission!

[klr]

That's what happens when you have a concave reflective surface. Given the shape & orientation, it should be possible to calculate the approximate focal point at a given time of day. Install solar cells there!

Indeed. One look at the offending building reminds me of a solar mirror installation in the Pyrenees (IIRC), used to focus light at very high temperatures.

If only the architects had asked a physics teacher! Preferably on commission!

I misread that as "on combustion".

[Tyrannical]

This happened again?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Disney_Concert_Hall

After the construction, modifications were made to the Founders Room exterior; while most of the building's exterior was designed with stainless steel given a matte finish, the Founders Room and Children's Amphitheater were designed with highly polished mirror-like panels. The reflective qualities of the surface were amplified by the concave sections of the Founders Room walls. Some residents of the neighboring condominiums suffered glare caused by sunlight that was reflected off these surfaces and concentrated in a manner similar to a parabolic mirror. The resulting heat made some rooms of nearby condominiums unbearably warm, caused the air-conditioning costs of these residents to skyrocket and created hot spots on adjacent sidewalks of as much as 140 °F (60 °C).[8] There was also the increased risk of traffic accidents due to blinding sunlight reflected from the polished surfaces. After complaints from neighboring buildings and residents, the owners asked Gehry Partners to come up with a solution. Their response was a computer analysis of the building's surfaces identifying the offending panels. In 2005 these were dulled by lightly sanding the panels to eliminate unwanted glare

[mistermack]

Could be quite dangerous.
It could damage a baby's eyes, in the wrong circumstances. Or kill dogs left in a car. Or do loads of other stuff I haven't thought of.

[Mysturji]

Was anyone caught trying to sniff it?

[Sean Hayden]

[ronmcd]

Hmm. I'm thinking a cunning series of mirrors positioned on rooftops could divert & intensify the beam .... right onto David Cameron's forehead at PMQ's. Get on it people of London.

(edit: or Clegg. Or Miliband. Not fussy)

[Collector1337]

Ban skyscrapers!

They're too dangerous!

It's for our own good!

[Faithfree]

As just seen on the tellie - someone was trying to cook an egg in the beam!