Cities are getting hotter. Designing them to be windier could help

Before it was even completed in 2014, the 38-story office tower at 20 Fenchurch Street in London made an unexpected impact on the city. Known as the Walkie-Talkie for its distinctive handset shape, the building’s front facade gradually curves outward as it rises, making one broad side a funhouse mirror of glass. On a sunny day in September 2013, this concave surface reflected a beam of sunlight so intensely that it melted dashboards and warped the side panels of cars parked on the...