Gehry Fries Pedestrians, Eggs with Solar Death Ray

[Guy Berger]

link

Gehry fries pedestrians, eggs with solar death ray

Sunlight reflected from the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles has "roasted the sidewalk to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, enough to melt plastic and cause serious sunburn to people standing on the street". The fix: dull the building's highly reflective surface.

Also:

Residents as well as office workers who stroll past the hall cheered the Board of Supervisors' unanimous approval of the project today.

"I will just appreciate not having the glare," said condo resident Jacqueline LaGrone, who said her air conditioning bill doubled during summer months since the Disney Hall opened and that she can't use her patio.

Edited March 2, 2005 by Guy Berger

[AfricaBrass]

YIKES!

Reminds me of the CHiPs episode where the mirrors on the hill caused one of those nasty, cars flying through the air like acrobats, accidents...

You have to be careful with your reflective surfaces...

[ejp626]

Well, it's just another case of architects living so firmly inside their heads, they don't always interface with the real world that well. Many of Wright's homes leaked. Mies insisted on marble inside and out of his buildings (with the breaks lining up perfectly). This became a hazzard in Chicago when it rained or snowed and most of the sidewalks have been replaced with rougher surfaces. But there are still many sidewalk treatments that are a total hazzard.

[BruceH]

In other words: Architects are pinheads.

[DTMX]

"You knew I always wanted to pretend to be an architect!"

[Rooster_Ties]

Many of Wright's homes leaked.

From what I've heard, it's more like only a few of Wright's homes never leaked.

[ejp626]

I was being generous. Actually, I think the very expensive FLW houses in Oak Park, IL don't leak, but they also aren't particularly representative of Wright's later work, i.e. they have pitched roofs and the ceilings are taller than 7 feet high.

By the way, I used to live in Rogers Park in the far north part of Chicago, and there is a FLW house there I used to walk by. It is up for auction (again). If anyone wants details, I can probably dig some up.