In August 2013, Martin Lindsay, a businessman, returned to his Jaguar XJ parked on Eastcheap, a narrow street in London's financial district, only to find it damaged. The car’s panels were dented, its mirror and logo melted. The culprit was 20 Fenchurch Street, a 37-story skyscraper under construction, nicknamed "Walkie Talkie" for its narrow, curved top. The building’s curved design unintentionally acted as a reflector, focusing sunlight onto the street below, creating temperatures over 90°C (194°F). This phenomenon, known as "solar glare," occurs when a building’s surface reflects concentrated sunlight, sometimes causing damage to objects or people nearby. The architect, Rafael Viñoly, had anticipated the risk but underestimated the intensity of the problem. Initial models predicted the issue would last only two to three weeks, but it persisted for months. As a precaution, the developers contacted local businesses and suspended three parking spaces that were most at risk. On the street, the effects were dramatic: a bicycle seat began to smoke, paint bubbled, and floor mats caught fire. A local café even used the concentrated sunlight to fry eggs, drawing media attention. The British press humorously dubbed the building "Walkie Scorchie" due to the heat it generated. Viñoly admitted that while he had identified the risk in the design, he had miscalculated its severity. During an earlier stage of the project, the team estimated the temperature would reach about 36°C (97°F), but it turned out to be nearly 72°C (162°F). This error—double what was expected—was significant for a building meant to house thousands of workers daily. Originally, the design included sunbreakers—horizontal fins meant to scatter the light—but these were removed, likely to cut costs. To address the issue, a temporary two-story covered scaffold was erected to block the concentrated light while a permanent solution was developed. By spring 2014, the developers applied for a permit to install a series of horizontal aluminum fins on the building’s south side, designed to diffuse the sunlight. The project, costing less than £10 million, was considered a small fraction of the overall £200 million construction budget. Although the incident was a public embarrassment, it did not deter future tenants. Land Securities reported that the building still attracted interest, with 200,000 square feet of office space leased in the months following the incident. However, once the fins were installed, a new problem emerged: the building’s design created a strong downdraft, forming a wind corridor at its base, which raised concerns among nearby residents.