The number of skyscrapers and high rise properties being built across London continues to rise to account for the limited space. As the heights increase various factors need to be considered in the designs, ensuring they are capable of dealing with the stresses that will be placed on them.

One of the most important things to consider is sun protection. As buildings get taller they are more exposed to the sun’s rays due to the lack of obstacles. As a result the design needs to consider how to prevent the direct sunlight from damaging materials and putting inhabitants at risk. The impact of these rays being reflected or concentrated must also be considered to ensure harm is not caused.

One of the most famous examples of a failure to consider sun protection was 20 Fenchurch Street, aka the Walkie Talkie. The £200 million, 525 foot tall building has a distinctive concave design. Unfortunately the mirrored glass installed to protect materials and inhabitants from the strong sunlight caused a big problem. It actually focused the rays of light and redirected into the street below. This resulted in the paintwork and plastic components melting on several cars parked in the area. Members of the general public were also exposed to awful sun glare.

To resolve the issue temporary shading was installed before a permanent brise soleil was put in place in 2014. This helps to redirect and dissipate the sunlight, preventing it from being reflected or intensely focused. It also helps to ease heat gain within the building itself. The problem could have been avoided altogether though if it was considered in the original design.

At Coffey Architects we have been doing a lot of research recently into sun protection for properties. It is proving to be a very important area, both for skyscrapers and smaller properties that make use of a lot of glass and modern, highly reflective materials. We hope our work will help us to remain one of the leading choices for an architect in London. It will certainly ensure we consider the affect of the sunlight from early on in projects.