Uruguayan architect Rafael Vinoly designed the London skyscraper nicknamed "Walkie-Talkie," which is now better known for casting hot sunlight onto the street below, temporarily blinding passerby and even melting some parts of a Jaguar automobile.
Now, reports indicate this isn't the first time Vinoly has run into an issue with the design of his buildings: the architect reportedly created another "fry-scraper" in Las Vegas in 2010.
According to Business Insider, guests staying at Vinoly's Vdara Hotel and Spa at MGM's Aria started complaining that they'd sustained serious burns from searing glares streaming from the face of the building.
"It felt like I had a chemical burn," one lawyer who stayed at the hotel told the Daily Mail at the time. "I couldn't imagine why my head was burning. Within 30 seconds, the back of my legs were burning. My first through was, 'Jesus, they destroyed the ozone layer!'"
On Vinoly's website, the Vdara is described as having a "slender profile and curvature, which responds to Harmon Circle and the interlocking arcs of the ARIA hotel complex located across the shared circular drive. Three parallel, offset arcs, rising to varying heights comprise the crescent-shaped skyscraper."
Institute of Physics expert Chris Shepard told the BBC that the curved shape of the Walkie-Talkie building, coupled with the mirrored material and the position of the sun, trapped light and beamed spots of heat around the city.
Land Securities and Canary Wharf on 20 Fenchurch Street released a joint statement on their investigation of the damaging light reflection.
"As responsible developers, we are making every effort to keep local businesses informed and we have communicated with them regularly since the issue first appeared," they stated. "While we investigate the situation further, we have liaised with the City of London to suspend three parking bays in the area which may be affected."
© 2025 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
