The Vdara (what the fuck does that mean anyway) Hotel at CityCenter is a south-facing tower and reflector of sun rays that can burn people and melt plastic drink cups. Hotel pool employees call the phenomenon the "Vdara death ray", though management have softened the phenomenon, calling it a "hot spot" or "solar convergence". Designers foresaw the issue, and thought they had solved it by installing a high-tech film on south-facing glass panes. The film scatters more than 70% of reflected rays, but the rest is still enough to blast your ass.
Bill Pintas experienced the death ray firsthand recently. The lawyer was sunning on a recliner when he became so uncomfortably hot that he had to run for shade. His sandals were too hot to touch, and he smelled an odor coming from his head, which was where a bit of hair had been scorched. He took a photo of the plastic bag that once held his newspaper that had partially melted, which he sent to the local paper. By the way, plastic shopping bags have a melting point between 120 and 130 degrees, and disposable cups melts at around 160 degrees.
Vdara's curved southern wall basically acts as a parabola to collect and intensify the afternoon rays, and is not the only structure in town to dish out solar punishment. Both the AdventureDome at Circus Circus and the Mandalay Bay have reflection issues, though these older buildings can absorb the critical press better than new buildings. Similarly, the Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles had to tone down its reflectivity by sanding some of its curving exterior metal surfaces after raising temperatures in nearby buildings and impairing the vision of passers-by.
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