Last week in discussion we came across the topic of what happens when things that creates energy go wrong. Such as the dam video or the wind turbine video. But when we think solar panels, what could possibly go wrong? The Vdara Hotel Building at CityCenter in Las Vegas was actually given the name "Vdara Death Ray" because if someone was to stand in a certain spot during a certain time of the day near the hotel, they could be scorched and burned. It turns out that the building's curvy architecture and glass panels reflects sunlight and causes a big amount of sunlight to converge in one single spot, magnifying the power and causing temperature to rise. In this article, the employees even claim that the sun rays could melt disposable plastic cups made of polypropylene, which melts at about 160 degrees. What could happen if someone installed a solar panel that caused something similar? I think it is definitely an issue that may cause more regulations and precautions to take when installing solar panels.
Article Source: http://www.lvrj.com/news/vdara-visitor---death-ray--scorched-hair-103777559.html
Oh lord. I can just imagine our garage-top solar panels turning into death rays that destroy and mutilate the people of Austin!! I also feel that the people that engineered that building should have known better...or someone should have figured out that it was terribly hot long before it started destroying hotel property! I guess this just stands as an example to architects and engineers around the globe to take everything into account before constructing buildings, statues, etc.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to highlight a different aspect of this "death ray". People being hurt and property being damaged is obviously something that cannot be good, but maybe if some scientific analysis can be done on the reasons why the solar rays are being concentrated to a point, maybe this "accident" can be turned into a potential source of energy for the hotel. Not to suggest that this is a good thing, but if the Vdara Hotel is going to have to deal with the "death ray", they might as well find a way to use the concentrated solar energy to heat their pools or spas. But this brings this idea to another point. I think green architecture will be a field that changes dramatically, but will it develop to the point where alternative energy sources are integrated into the design of the building itself? I don't know, but it would be very interesting if things like the "Vdara Death Ray" were designed on purpose. This idea could redefine architecture in the future.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Neil when he says this should be looked into as a tool. I'm an Architecture major, and something that is brought up in class often is what to do when something goes wrong. All over the world architects pour hours and hours into developing a plan for a building. Something my professors have made clear though is that no matter how much you analyze and test your models and drawings, there will ALWAYS be surprises. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. In the case of The Vdara Hotel, I'm sure the death ray came as a huge surprise as it was finishing construction. I read that there was a lot of discussion over the death ray as it was finishing construction among the architects and subcontractors in late 2008. But what do you do at this point? Tear down the building? Probably not. Build it anyway and let tourists fry like ants under a magnifying glass? Doesn't seem like the best solution to me. When a problem arises in architecture you have a few options. Tear it down, put up with it, OR adapt to it. The Vdara Hotel would do very well to adapt to this "problem" and make it something extraordinary. If they were to utilize this concentrated heat in a green way, they would get publicity, and more importantly, they wouldn't have to worry about running all their customers off. Now, it would be an enormous project to correct this mistake. They are currently looking at a way to balance shade and sunlight at the pool. Shading the whole areas would solve the death ray issue, but people want sunshine at the pool. They are in a very difficult situation. The sun is constantly moving, so utilizing this concentrated heat would take some crazy engineering. Best of luck to you, Vdara.
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