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Las Vegas condo/hotel Vdara, one of the highrises in the City Center development, was designed by the same architect as the Walkie Talkie -- Rafael Viñoly -- an

Las Vegas condo/hotel Vdara, one of the highrises in the City Center development, was designed by the same architect as the Walkie Talkie -- Rafael Viñoly -- and exhibits the same solar convergence phenomenon; affectionately called the 'Vdara Death Ray' [1][2][3]. In a 2013 interview with the Guardian [4], he claims there was not much he could do about the Vdara, as the customer specifically wanted an arc-shaped building; in fact the the City Center development has several sweeping arc forms, like in the neighboring Aria -- but the concavity of the Aria's highrises aren't oriented south to converge the midday sun [5], whereas the Vdara aims them right at the pool deck [2]. For both Vdara and the Walkie Talkie, he claims to have been aware of the phenomenon going into the design but lacked the ability to correctly calculate the impact. Further, if claims are true, for the Walkie Talkie he said: "(...) the original design of the building had featured horizontal sun louvres on its south-facing facade, but these are believed to have been removed during cost-cutting as the project developed." [4] [1] https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/vdara-visitor-death-ray-scorched-hair/ https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/vdara-visitor-death-ray-s... [2] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1315978/Las-Vegas-hotel-death-ray-leaves-guests-severe-burns.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1315978/Las-Vegas-ho... [3] http://www.businessinsider.com/the-vdara-death-ray-hotel-is-still-burning-people-in-las-vegas-2016-6 http://www.businessinsider.com/the-vdara-death-ray-hotel-is-... [4] https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2013/sep/06/walkie-talkie-architect-predicted-reflection-sun-rays https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2013/sep/06/walkie-... [5] http://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=17/36.10834/-115.17640 http://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=17/36.10834/-115.17640

kwhitefoot 9y ago
> lacked the ability to correctly calculate the impact And didn't bother to get the ability either.
- Declanomous 9y ago
  If you design a building that is literally a threat to public safety, and then you design a second building that poses the exact same threat, you should lose all professional licensure. If you do any work in that field again, you should be charged with criminal negligence or something similar.
  - ouid 9y ago
    Shouldn't you already be charged with criminal negligence for the second building?
  - Animats 9y ago
    "The developers have blamed the problem on "the current elevation of the sun in the sky," a position Viñoly seems inclined to share." Like that was a surprise.
    - Declanomous 9y ago
      I just googled him. He's super famous. So he probably has that Frank Lloyd Wright thing going for him, where his buildings have glaring flaws but they are let off the hook because their work is so acclaimed. On the topic of FLW, I've visited a number of his houses. One of my friends growing up lived in a Wright house. I've visited Wright's personal house, Taliesen. In my opinion, Wright is not really an architect. I consider Wright more of a sculptor or an artist. His designs are terribly impractical, and are not versatile in the least. Additionally, he didn't account for the limitations of the materials he was using to build his structures. So his buildings tend to require a lot of repairs, and many have structural problems, leaks, as well as general safety issues. Wright wasn't the least bit apologetic about any of these things, and it seems like Viñoly shares the same overwhelming egotism. On a somewhat hilarious note, when I went to visit Taliesin, there were several rooms which I thought were poorly designed, but had an element that I considered a saving grace. In literally every single instance, it was something his wife had added/altered after his death. So, point being, I think that when you allow an egotistical architect to design something without any sort of editorial limitation, you probably end up with a worse product overall.
      - Animats 9y ago
        If you're in Silicon Valley, visit the Marin Civic Center, sometimes called the Martian Embassy. That's one of Wright's later projects. It looks vaguely Star Wars. George Lucas, who lives in Marin, got some of his ideas from it.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
hrktb 9y ago
And then London architects took care to reproduce this features religiously: http://uk.businessinsider.com/death-ray-skyscraper-is-wreaking-havoc-on-london-for-a-few-totally-insane-reasons-2015-7 http://uk.businessinsider.com/death-ray-skyscraper-is-wreaki...
- Analemma_ 9y ago
  Actually that building was designed by Viñoly too. He seems to have a personal preference for building death rays.
  - peferron 9y ago
    He seems pretty chill about it: "When it was spotted on a second design iteration, we judged the temperature was going to be about 36 degrees (Celsius). But it's turned out to be more like 72 degrees. They are calling it the 'death ray', because if you go there you might die. It is phenomenal, this thing." [1] [1] https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2013/sep/06/walkie-talkie-architect-predicted-reflection-sun-rays https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2013/sep/06/walkie-...
    - euyyn 9y ago
      That's what happens when a city government doesn't protect what to private owners are externalities. The owners of the building couldn't care less, and the architect gets the benefit of free publicity.
  - yborg 9y ago
    From the original article: 'fryscrapers'. I laughed.
Swizec 9y ago
Naive question, but wouldn't using a hyperbolic arc instead of a parabolic arc completely solve the issue?
- tajen 9y ago
  Or have windows that don't reflect the sun downwards.
  - kijin 9y ago
    Then you're shooting death rays in the sky, endangering aircraft like a thousand laser pointers.
    - firethief 9y ago
      Inverse square law. Any aircraft close enough to be affected are having a bad problem anyway.
      - MertsA 9y ago
        Yeah but that's with respect to the focal point. The focal point could be a good ways up in the air.
willyt 9y ago
Ha Ha! Welcome to the world of Starchitects. For a building like the Walkie Talkie, Vinõly would have been personally involved only at the very beginning. The question of who is actually responsible for removing the mitigation measures from the 'Walkie Talkie' is likely to be very complicated, depending on the procurement route taken by the client. It is quite likely that a 'Design Build' contract was used for the Walkie Talkie, where the concept architect hands over the design to a construction firm who then employs a completely separate team of architects and engineers to do the detailed construction design. The building is documented in the 'employers requirements' by the concept architects and then this package of information is handed over the contractor to fill out the details. I don't know how Vinõly works, but its possible his firm hands over the employers requirements quite early in the process and the problem solved by the fins wasn't clearly communicated to the design build contractor who then removed them to save money once Vinõly was no longer involved. This would explain why he was so blasé about the known problem with the concave design. http://www.pannone.com/media-centre/articles/construction-articles/walkie-talkie-shedding-light-construction-procurement http://www.pannone.com/media-centre/articles/construction-ar...
- emmelaich 9y ago
  > The question of who is actually responsible for removing the mitigation measures Same as the design phase. It is guaranteed that engineers would have foreseen and been able to calculate the heat intensity. They just didn't have enough influence or ownership of the problem.
  - poooogles 9y ago
    >Same as the design phase. It is guaranteed that engineers would have foreseen and been able to calculate the heat intensity. Not the case. For the walkie talkie it was evaluated and the design (including location and it's orientation) were passed by a consultancy for a bunch of environmental items. Seemingly that wasn't the case and they spent £13m retrofitting shutters. AFAIK the main contractor went after the consultancy for the money but I can't for the life of me find any references right now.

kwhitefoot 9y ago

> lacked the ability to correctly calculate the impact And didn't bother to get the ability either.

Declanomous 9y ago
If you design a building that is literally a threat to public safety, and then you design a second building that poses the exact same threat, you should lose all professional licensure. If you do any work in that field again, you should be charged with criminal negligence or something similar.
- ouid 9y ago
  Shouldn't you already be charged with criminal negligence for the second building?
- Animats 9y ago
  "The developers have blamed the problem on "the current elevation of the sun in the sky," a position Viñoly seems inclined to share." Like that was a surprise.
  - Declanomous 9y ago
    I just googled him. He's super famous. So he probably has that Frank Lloyd Wright thing going for him, where his buildings have glaring flaws but they are let off the hook because their work is so acclaimed. On the topic of FLW, I've visited a number of his houses. One of my friends growing up lived in a Wright house. I've visited Wright's personal house, Taliesen. In my opinion, Wright is not really an architect. I consider Wright more of a sculptor or an artist. His designs are terribly impractical, and are not versatile in the least. Additionally, he didn't account for the limitations of the materials he was using to build his structures. So his buildings tend to require a lot of repairs, and many have structural problems, leaks, as well as general safety issues. Wright wasn't the least bit apologetic about any of these things, and it seems like Viñoly shares the same overwhelming egotism. On a somewhat hilarious note, when I went to visit Taliesin, there were several rooms which I thought were poorly designed, but had an element that I considered a saving grace. In literally every single instance, it was something his wife had added/altered after his death. So, point being, I think that when you allow an egotistical architect to design something without any sort of editorial limitation, you probably end up with a worse product overall.
    - Animats 9y ago
      If you're in Silicon Valley, visit the Marin Civic Center, sometimes called the Martian Embassy. That's one of Wright's later projects. It looks vaguely Star Wars. George Lucas, who lives in Marin, got some of his ideas from it.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]

hrktb 9y ago

And then London architects took care to reproduce this features religiously: http://uk.businessinsider.com/death-ray-skyscraper-is-wreaking-havoc-on-london-for-a-few-totally-insane-reasons-2015-7 http://uk.businessinsider.com/death-ray-skyscraper-is-wreaki...

Analemma_ 9y ago
Actually that building was designed by Viñoly too. He seems to have a personal preference for building death rays.
- peferron 9y ago
  He seems pretty chill about it: "When it was spotted on a second design iteration, we judged the temperature was going to be about 36 degrees (Celsius). But it's turned out to be more like 72 degrees. They are calling it the 'death ray', because if you go there you might die. It is phenomenal, this thing." [1] [1] https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2013/sep/06/walkie-talkie-architect-predicted-reflection-sun-rays https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2013/sep/06/walkie-...
  - euyyn 9y ago
    That's what happens when a city government doesn't protect what to private owners are externalities. The owners of the building couldn't care less, and the architect gets the benefit of free publicity.
- yborg 9y ago
  From the original article: 'fryscrapers'. I laughed.

Swizec 9y ago

Naive question, but wouldn't using a hyperbolic arc instead of a parabolic arc completely solve the issue?

tajen 9y ago
Or have windows that don't reflect the sun downwards.
- kijin 9y ago
  Then you're shooting death rays in the sky, endangering aircraft like a thousand laser pointers.
  - firethief 9y ago
    Inverse square law. Any aircraft close enough to be affected are having a bad problem anyway.
    - MertsA 9y ago
      Yeah but that's with respect to the focal point. The focal point could be a good ways up in the air.

willyt 9y ago

Ha Ha! Welcome to the world of Starchitects. For a building like the Walkie Talkie, Vinõly would have been personally involved only at the very beginning. The question of who is actually responsible for removing the mitigation measures from the 'Walkie Talkie' is likely to be very complicated, depending on the procurement route taken by the client. It is quite likely that a 'Design Build' contract was used for the Walkie Talkie, where the concept architect hands over the design to a construction firm who then employs a completely separate team of architects and engineers to do the detailed construction design. The building is documented in the 'employers requirements' by the concept architects and then this package of information is handed over the contractor to fill out the details. I don't know how Vinõly works, but its possible his firm hands over the employers requirements quite early in the process and the problem solved by the fins wasn't clearly communicated to the design build contractor who then removed them to save money once Vinõly was no longer involved. This would explain why he was so blasé about the known problem with the concave design. http://www.pannone.com/media-centre/articles/construction-articles/walkie-talkie-shedding-light-construction-procurement http://www.pannone.com/media-centre/articles/construction-ar...

emmelaich 9y ago
> The question of who is actually responsible for removing the mitigation measures Same as the design phase. It is guaranteed that engineers would have foreseen and been able to calculate the heat intensity. They just didn't have enough influence or ownership of the problem.
- poooogles 9y ago
  >Same as the design phase. It is guaranteed that engineers would have foreseen and been able to calculate the heat intensity. Not the case. For the walkie talkie it was evaluated and the design (including location and it's orientation) were passed by a consultancy for a bunch of environmental items. Seemingly that wasn't the case and they spent £13m retrofitting shutters. AFAIK the main contractor went after the consultancy for the money but I can't for the life of me find any references right now.