Architect Rafael Viñoly died – Culture

Architect Rafael Viñoly has died in New York at the age of 78. Born in Montevideo, Uruguay had lived in the United States since 1978, and most of his buildings are in South and North America. In Europe, Viñoly’s skyscraper at 20 Fenchurch Street in London gained some notoriety. First when it was nicknamed “Walkie Talkie” because of its striking shape reminiscent of ergonomically intended handheld phones, but then also because of the dangerous effects the design had on the environment: the downdrafts created by the shape of the skyscraper lifted in one An elderly lady fell roughly into the air as the sun’s rays, focused by the concave glass façade, melted the plastic of cars parked in front of it. There were repeated complaints in America about such burning glass effects of the glass facades that Viñoly particularly likes to use.