Bill Pintas was vacationing in Las Vegas when he decided to stay at the swank new Vdara hotel, a curvy 57-story tower owned by MGM Resorts. He was sitting at the pool when he encountered something alarming. He recalls, "I'm sitting there in the chair and all of the sudden my hair and the top of my head are burning. I'm rubbing my head and it felt like a chemical burn. I couldn't imagine what it could be." ..
Speaking with employees, he was alarmed to find out that the hotel staff was aware of the situation. He recalls, "They're kind of giggling and say: 'Yeah, we know. We call it the death ray."
The "death ray" appears to be created by the glass surface of the hotel itself -- acting as a concentrating parabolic dish -- similar to those used to heat water to a boil in solar power systems.
The dish concentrates light on a 10-foot by 15-foot hot zone moving across the pool. Temperatures in this area spike 20 degrees Fahrenheit -- or more...
This was reported in
Daily Tech two years ago, so perhaps they have solved the problem by now.
A cousin used to wear a tshirt that read, "It's not a bald spot, it's a solar panel for a sex machine!"
ReplyDeleteThis seems to be a common problem. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/02/arts/design/renzo-pianos-nasher-museum-in-dallas-has-sunburn-problem.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
ReplyDeleteYou'd think by now architects would know better.
Oh, they know about it - they just don't care. Any architect chosen to design such a monstrosity is concerned with one thing only: How to make it as different/eye-catching as possible, so they get more commissions. You think they give a damn about the people who actually have to USE the follies they create? Give your head a shake; you're living in a fantasy world!
DeleteSolar panels are sometimes do this, but they save a lot of energy :)
ReplyDeleteSolar Dock
Solar Rooftop Lease Ontario