The London Tower is too hot for the surrounding area.

After light reflected from the building's façade appeared to melt cars parking in front of it, developers of one of London's most recognizable modern skyscrapers are considering improvements to the design. مواضيع نقاش

Several car owners have expressed their dissatisfaction with the state of their vehicles. Light bouncing off the house, dubbed the "Walkie Talkie," warped the panels of Martin Lindsay's Jaguar, he said.

In a joint statement, Land Securities and Canary Wharf said, "We are taking the issue of light reflecting from 20 Fenchurch Street seriously and are looking into the matter as a priority."

The danger of skyscraper reflections is not a new issue. The developers of Museum Tower in Dallas have been in a long-running feud with nearby residents, including the Nasher Sculpture Center, over glare from the skyscraper.

Visitors to the Vdara hotel in Las Vegas complained in 2010 that the tower's "death ray" was strong enough to melt plastic bags.

Rafael Violy designed the Walkie Talkie, which has a glass façade and a distinctive top-heavy shape that reflects sunlight downward.

"The present elevation of the sun in the sky causes the phenomenon," Land Securities and Canary Wharf explained. "This currently lasts for around two hours a day, with preliminary modeling indicating that it will last for two to three weeks."

The developers have said that parking in many areas has been suspended while they investigate the problem. One choice is to apply a glare-reducing coating to the windows.

"As responsible developers, we are doing everything we can to keep local businesses updated, and we have spoken with them on a regular basis since the problem first arose," the developers said.

The developers declared in July that the building was half-leased.

In Europe, the hostel brand grows.

Generator Hostels, a European hostel chain, is expanding its European portfolio with new properties in Paris and Rome set to open in 2014.

The brand, which bills itself as "not your ordinary, run-of-the-mill, everyday kind of hostel," caters to travelers looking to visit Europe's major cities for a fraction of the price. Generator, headquartered in London, has expanded from two to ten properties in less than three years.

According to a company statement, the Paris location will be the company's biggest to date, with 950 beds.

In a statement, Carl Michel, executive chairman of Generator, said, "We passionately believe that Generator's design-inspired vision is raising the bar for the hostel industry and making style more available and affordable for the young traveler."

With an additional €150 million investment from Patron Capital, the pan-European private equity firm that backs the hostel brand, Generator expects to expand to 15 locations by 2015.

Generator Paris will feature The Design Agency-designed dorms, private offices, and luxurious penthouse apartments.

The 80-room Generator Rome will be a seven-story, 3,900-square-meter property with a 405-square-meter rooftop terrace for up to 264 guests.

For an in-suite dorm, prices will start at €12 per person per night in both locations. Private in-suite rooms will start at €25 per person per night for two people sharing.

Barcelona, Berlin, Copenhagen, Dublin, Hamburg, London, and Venice are among Generator's latest hostel locations.