Design
An Unusual Proposal to Block Architectural 'Death Rays' in Dallas
It's 400 feet tall, and sunlight-responsive.
"Architectural death rays," responsible for burning hair and melting Jaguars, can be painfully difficult to solve. Just ask Dallas.
The city's Arts District has been embroiled in a drawn-out battle between Renzo Piano's widely acclaimed Nasher Sculpture Center and Museum Tower, a 42-story luxury residential high-rise across the street. The Nasher has a unique aluminum sunscreen filled with thousands of small oculi, meant to draw in natural daylight. But Museum Tower’s curved glass facade shoots death rays into the oculi instead -- scorching the art, burning plants, and blinding visitors.