All language subtitles for How.Did.They.Build.That.S04E05.Ecobuilds.and.Earthquakes.1080p.FUBO.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-FFG_track3_[eng]

How do you build
a massive airport expansion

with a nine-acre roof

without disrupting
a single flight?

We had to keep
the existing airport

open and operational.

Some people have said it’s like
doing open-heart surgery

while you’re running a marathon.

How do you create
a breathtaking building

in the middle of the desert

that provides its own water
and power?

It was a real
opportunity to show

that you can do something
totally sustainable.

And if you can do it there,
you can do it anywhere.

And an iconic tower
that defines the city skyline,

but is hated when built.

The controversy
was so vitriolic.

And he said, "That’s it,

I’ll never do anything
in San Francisco again."

Welcome to a world
where anything is possible.

The space where innovation
and creativity collide.

This isn’t just impressive,
it’s revolutionary.

Where the only limit
is human imagination.

This wasn’t
just ambitious,

it was audacious.

No one had ever attempted
anything like it.

Unpacking the miracles

and mysteries of construction.

Sometimes buildings
can change the world.

And this is one of them.

To ask,
How Did They Build That?

Whoever said the journey
is more important

than the destination
could have been talking

about this next beauty.

A game-changing airport terminal
so sustainable,

stylish, and inviting,
it’s worth missing your flight

just so you can enjoy it for
an extra three or four hours.

I’m not kidding,

because no matter what type
of ticket you have,

Portland International
is first class all the way.

From Singapore’s Changi

to Abu Dhabi’s dazzling
Zayed International,

there’s no better way
for a city to welcome visitors

than with an incredible airport.

But if you were touching down
in Portland, Oregon, in 2017,

that wasn’t the greeting
you got.

The original airport
was built in 1956.

And it was actually
nine different buildings

that have been kind of stitched
together over the decades.

The small
and outdated terminal

was best known for
its geometric pattern carpet,

which became popular
on social media.

But with passenger numbers

expected to double
to 35 million by 2045,

Portland International needs

to wow them
with more than just carpeting.

We needed more room
for passenger ticketing,

baggage systems,
security checkpoints.

So the airport put out
a call for architects to design

a stunning expansion program.

Local firm ZGF are determined
to be chosen.

This was
hugely important to us.

And we just put everything in it
to ensure that we could win.

After some
serious brainstorming,

they’re ready
to pitch their idea.

They came to us with this
concept of a walk in the forest.

And being
this natural resource state,

it really resonated with us
to have our airport

literally be what we’re about.

We want to create
a building that’s built upon

the materials
that are from our region.

In this case, it was wood.

It’s the twinkle of the light

that it hits the moisture
in the leaves.

It’s the smell of the wood.

It was a chance to redefine what
is the front door to our city.

The new
Portland Airport Terminal

will create one million
square feet of dramatic space.

A new terminal that will welcome
the millions of travelers

passing through it each year.

But first, they’ll have
to find a way

to support the new building on
the soft, sandy soil underneath.

Then, they’ll need
to create a terminal

that’s double the size

while the airport
is still in operation.

And it needs to be
super eco-efficient

so that they can halve
its energy consumption.

Finally, to bring it
all together,

they will have to create
the world’s biggest timber roof.

Installing all 9000 tons of it

without disrupting a single one
of the 400 flights a day.

Oh, and it also has to stand up

to some of the most powerful
earthquakes in America.

This is a very ambitious project
because we had to keep

the existing airport open
and operational 24-7

while we’re building
right on top of it.

You know, some people
have said it’s like doing

open heart surgery while you’re
running a marathon.

Work begins in March 2020.

Installing the new utilities
needed for the expanded airport

means excavating 35 feet
below ground.

And nothing about the site
is going to make it easy.

The challenge
is we’re right next to a river.

We have silty sand.

And the problem
with construction in that soil

is that, when you make
deep excavations,

you’ve got to get men
and equipment

down to place the new materials.

But sandy soil will collapse.

And that’s a safety hazard.

When you’re building
something big,

you typically start
by digging down

and supporting the sides
as you go.

But, here, the soil is sandy
and loose like quicksand.

The minute you dig into it,
it wants to cave right back in.

So getting support
into place fast enough

becomes a real nightmare.

So the team turns
to an ingenious solution.

It was a process
called soil freezing

where we can get
a structural wall

that is a solid sheet of ice.

And then we can dig out
within the center of it.

It works by inserting tubes
into the ground

around the perimeter
of your construction site.

And then you pump in a liquid
that freezes

and, over time, will freeze
the soil.

What it does
is it basically creates

a block wall
around the perimeter.

With the dangerous
soft ground conquered,

work begins dismantling parts of
the old airport in April 2021.

The new terminal will be a hug,
uncluttered open space

if they can work out
how to build it.

The existing terminal had

over 600 columns
supporting the roof.

The new design has
only 34 columns for a footprint

that’s over 50% bigger.

The minimal number
of columns means

the roof beams will span
distances over 80 feet.

The heavier the sections
each column needs to support,

the more force it needs
to transfer into the ground.

The old columns
just won’t be up to the job.

To cope
with all this extra strain,

the engineers design
a special Y-shaped column.

The Y-shape
is quite efficient

for supporting the load
because it keeps the load

as it comes down the legs
of the Y-shape.

And to stop them splaying apart,
we have a tension rod

between the tops of the Ys.

Made in a factory
10 miles away,

the 55-foot columns are shipped
to the site.

In over 17 working days,

each is carefully lifted
into place.

With the 34 columns
all installed,

the team turned its attention
to their next challenge:

creating the enormous
nine-acre roof

that will sit on top.

We wanted to make sure
that this building has

the smallest carbon footprint
in terms of material,

and that is the use of wood.

In many ways,
wood was the perfect choice.

Oregon is almost half-covered
by forest.

So you have all this timber

readily available
right at your fingertips.

All of the timber

came from Oregon
and Southwest Washington

within 300 miles of the airport.

They really wanted to work
with Sustainable Northwest,

tribal communities,
local timber industries,

and capture the essence
of the Pacific Northwest.

But there’s a problem.

Standard timber isn’t available

in beams strong enough
to support the roof.

The only way
to create these spans

with timber is to create what we
call glue laminated beams,

or glulams.

Rather than being
solid timber,

it is made up of a series
of small laminations.

And they are glued together
and built up

to create the larger sections
of the beams.

By using individual lamination,

we can really key in
the strength of the beam,

using different grades
of laminations for where we need

the strongest portions
of the beam.

It requires 3.7 million
feet of wood.

Once completed, it will be
the biggest mass timber project

of its kind in the world.

It is a massive
coordination effort

to get this much timber
processed through the mills,

processed through
the glue laminators,

onto the project site.

To speed things up,
they assemble huge sections

of the roof in an area
at the end of the runways.

The prefabrication
was incredibly complicated.

At times, required over
a thousand workers

working on their various trades.

In August 2022,
they are ready

to install
the first prefabricated section.

Many the size
of an American football field

and weighing 700 tons
have to be moved

half a mile across the airport.

They were lifted on several
of these movers at one time.

These massive wooden sections
had to be installed

during a tiny four-hour window
in the middle of the night

when there were no flights.

Everything had to be precise.

There was no room for mistakes.

Once each module
reaches the terminal,

getting it in place
is an even tougher job.

There was a lot of stress
and tension about,

"Can you do this?"

The fear is the tower
could lean over and fall.

is moving 18 huge wooden panels
into position

to cover the enormous roof.

It takes a long time
because it’s very careful,

very dangerous work.

Those movers were not
in perfect sync.

They could have unseated

or put stresses on the roof
as they moved

and pulled the roof apart.

It takes six nights
to carefully slide

the first module into position.

When the first piece
was finally put into place,

it was a huge relief.

With 17 more pieces
to fit,

there’s no opportunity to relax.

You see that roof come together
and this vision that we’d had

on a piece of paper
was becoming reality.

It takes
another three months

of high anxiety night shifts.

But, finally, the last piece
of the nine acre roof

is put into place.

It was just a phenomenal thing
to see that happen.

The next threat
to the project

comes from deep below ground.

They’re building
in earthquake country.

You can’t skip
seismic precautions here.

This is one of the few places

that can see this size
of an earthquake.

A mega thrust earthquake
with a magnitude

of over seven
could be catastrophic.

So the team has to design a way

for the nine-acre roof
to withstand it.

The Y columns support
double steel girders.

The steel girders sit on top
of what we typically call

base isolation bearings.

What that allowed the roof
to do is essentially float

on top of the Y columns
in a seismic event.

We calculated up to two feet
of movement

where the roof would be moved
independently of the Y columns.

With the beautiful roof
protected from earthquakes,

in November 2023, they can stat

to wrap up the new terminal
in 928 glass panels.

But there’s still
a major hurdle to overcome:

making climate control

in the huge new space
as sustainable as possible.

The primary energy use
was heating.

And it was about half
of the total energy usage

of the entire airport.

The team hopes
the solution

is under their feet.

The airport sits
above a huge aquifer.

Water runs down
through the sandstone

at a constant
63 degrees Fahrenheit,

regardless of the weather
above ground.

We’ve drilled a series
of wells

upwards of 500 feet deep

to reach the aquifers
down below.

We draw the water out.

Then we pump the water
into the mechanical systems

for heating and cooling.

It’s a system
that basically saves energy.

For the finishing touch,

the team crane in 72 trees
to join the 5,000 plants.

They’ll help mediate
the terminal’s climate

and create
the architects’ vision

of a walk in the forest.

In August 2024,

the revolutionized
Portland Airport

proudly opens its doors
to the public,

giving the city an incredible
gateway to greet new arrivals,

as well as a glimpse
of its iconic 1980s carpet.

Watching people
come in the front door,

and kind of look up,

and really have this amazing
response to this building

was pretty special.

This place means a lot to me.

And this is beautiful.

The wood, I mean,
it’s so Oregonian, you know?

Born from Oregon’s forests,

the roof is
a majestic swooping site,

made possible
by the clever columns

and complemented by a forest
of plants and trees.

It’s a source
of immense local pride.

I know that our ancestors
and everybody else

that came before us
are smiling down on us

in a very proud
and honorable way.

As an immigrant,

the Portland
International Airport

was the first doorway
into my new country.

And to have the opportunity
to redefine what it could be,

it shows you great hope
in what America represents.

This was a project
of a lifetime

for me and a lot of us.

And we’ll always remember this
as probably the greatest project

that we’ve ever been part of.

If you saw a museum
in the middle of the desert,

you might think it was a mirage,

unless you’re in the middle
of Dubai,

in which case that museum

is a very real,
state-of-the-art,

100%-energy-efficient
public space called Terra,

which also produces its own
water deep beneath the desert.

Three floors deep, to be exact.

The city of Dubai
in the United Arab Emirates

boasts some
extraordinary architecture,

including the world’s
tallest tower,

the Burj Khalifa.

It also has to deal with one

of the world’s
most extreme environments,

with temperatures reaching
over 125 degrees Fahrenheit.

And climate change
is making that worse.

When the city’s water
has to be desalinated

and you’re dealing with these
sorts of temperatures,

the challenge is being able
to live sustainably.

But in 2013,
it gets the chance

to prove that the city
can do just that.

The city of Dubai won the bid

to host the World Exhibition
here in our city.

It’s the first ever
held in the Middle East,

and they promised the world
something groundbreaking,

an Expo dedicated entirely
to sustainability.

With the world watching,

hosting the Expo
will not only be a great honor,

but a very big challenge.

There have been 34
World Exhibitions

since the first in 1851,

and they are a chance
to showcase

what the host nation
is capable of.

But it means creating something
extraordinary as a centerpiece.

The first World Expo

showcased Crystal Palace
in London,

boasting 293,000 panes of glass,
the greatest area ever seen.

In 1889, Paris built
the Eiffel Tower.

At 1,000 feet,

it was the tallest building
in the world.

Almost 125 years later,
it’s Dubai’s turn

to amaze the world
and open minds.

We wanted to talk about themes
that matter to humanity.

And one of those
most critical themes

were actually sustainability.

The Expo team calls for
ideas

for the show’s centerpieces.

So the brief was simple
but not an easy one.

We wanted to create the space

that remained as a center
that continues to educate,

inspire action
around environmental issues.

Architects Grimshaw,
the firm behind

Britain’s remarkable
eco-attraction,

the Eden Project,
rise to the occasion.

It was a real opportunity
to show that you can do

something that’s
totally net zero,

totally sustainable.

And if you can do it there,
you can do it anywhere.

I remember sitting in the room

where Grimshaw were presenting
their initial sketches.

It just looked like a tree.
It was a building.

And this notion of the structure
being inspired by nature

was precisely one
of the key foundations

of what it is that we wanted
to create.

Called Terra, it will be

an extraordinary
and beautiful building.

Inspired by nature,
it will be net zero,

where any greenhouse gases
released are offset

by those removed,
a beacon to sustainability.

Despite the sun
and the 122-degree heat,

they will look to the natural
world for ways to keep it cool.

A large canopy will harness
the weather

to cool the air underneath,

which, at 400 feet wide, will
need to be super strong

without using materials

that create
a huge carbon footprint.

Somehow,
it will need to power itself,

cool itself,
and make its own water.

It’s massively ambitious.

But it also wins
the competition.

For everyone involved,

the pressure to deliver is huge

because the whole world
is watching.

In September 2017,
work begins on the site.

The single biggest challenge
on this project

was making it net zero.

And they had to look
at every single aspect

of the build to work out
how to pull it off.

In Dubai’s desert heat,

the team behind Terra is looking
for a way to cool

the 240,000-square-foot building

without relying
on air conditioning.

What you do first of all
is think about how design

and ingenuity can solve
the problems before technology.

The solution
is remarkably simple.

We realized, from the beginning,
we could actually sink

half the building below ground.

And that immediately keeps
the building naturally cool.

The team digs 45 feet
under the desert.

Sand is a poor
conductor of heat.

Think of sticking your toes in
at the beach.

The sand is scorching to walk on
and it’s cold underneath.

So you can use that to cool
anything you put underneath.

The remaining part
of the building,

we effectively took
the landscape

over the top of it.

So it’s all underneath
a very heavily insulated garden.

The team has to excavate
three stories down.

Finally, they’re ready
to start the build.

The question is, with what?

Concrete is
an enormous contributor

of the world’s CO2 emissions.

It’s said that, if the cement
industry were a country,

it would be the world’s third
or fourth largest emitter

of carbon dioxide.

Not ideal if you’re trying

to create
an eco-friendly building.

At the moment, it’s impossible

to build a building
without using some concrete,

especially at any scale.

We had to use concrete to
the main foundations and slabs.

The challenge is,
how can they

build something strong enough

using as little concrete
as possible?

Their solution is ingenious.

But we used a new technique
called bubble deck.

By putting spherical balls
throughout the structure,

it actually uses 30%
less concrete and makes

the whole structure lighter
as well,

but yet with the same strength.

Not only that,
these hollow balls

added to the concrete
are made of recycled plastic.

In October 2018,

with the structure
well underway,

the team turns its attention

to the canopy
that’s going to cover it.

We were really inspired
by the gaff tree,

which are these solo trees

that you find in the desert
on their own.

And they provide shade

for everyone
in a very harsh environment.

The plan is to build
a huge gaff tree-like canopy,

400 feet wide and 115 feet above
the ground, to sit on top.

It’s a challenge
straight from the start

because it’s not
perfectly symmetrical.

There’s a slight imbalance
one way and things can buckle.

With winds of up
to around 80 miles per hour,

the gaff tree canopy will need
to be pretty strong.

What they come up with
sounds simple,

but it’s incredibly clever.

It’s like the spokes
on your umbrella.

Each one
is individually engineered

to cope with the forces
that are placed upon it.

So we have 36 ribs,
as we call them,

and they are up to
about 85 meters long

if you unfold them
from their curved shape.

They crane the sections
of the canopy into place,

attaching the ribs one by one.

I’ll never forget
that moment, you know,

watching the first one go in,

the second one go in
very slowly,

and once they got into a flow,

it went a little bit faster
and faster.

But until they’re all
in place, it has no integrity,

so we had to prop them
as they go up.

Because you’ve got
that radial arrangement,

we were able to add a series
of concentric tension rings,

which tied all of those together

and meant that,
as they try to fall,

it creates a tension

which balances them
against one another,

so it’s hugely efficient.

In February 2019,
all 36 are in place.

And then, of course,
it was that beautiful moment

when it was time to "de-prop"
the canopy

and remove the support.

Now they have to hope
what goes up

won’t come crashing down.

It’s a moment where you hold
your breath.

It stands up to the test.

So that was a sigh of relief
when it was all there

and stayed
where we wanted it to be.

With the main structure
complete,

they face their next challenge,
green power.

The challenge can often also be
the solution to change.

And so one thing we do have
is an abundance of sunshine,

albeit very hot.

Before, the team looked
to the ground

for sustainable solutions.

Now they look to the sky.

Over the top of it,
the roof canopy

has over 6,000 square meters

of very highly efficient
monocrystalline photovoltaics.

To you and me,
that’s solar panels.

Over the next few months,

the 86,000 square feet
of roof canopy

slowly transforms into a sea
of energy-producing panels.

But we realized
that wasn’t enough

to meet all
of the power demands,

and particularly
the cooling in the summer.

Although it’ll provide
four gigawatt hours per year,

in the words of Captain Kirk,
Scotty, we need more power.

So we thought,
well, if we create

a series of shading structures,

it can both shade everyone
down below,

but it can also harvest
more energy.

Again, the team looks
to nature for the design.

We were inspired
by these dragon blood trees,

and they have these
beautiful waxy leaves

and a canopy
that shades down below.

The plan is to create 18
of them,

and each will harvest the sun.

Those, of course, also covered

with an additional 4,000
square meters of solar panels,

so an additional
engineered solution.

The genius
doesn’t stop there.

Rather like a sunflower,
they can track the sun.

So they start in the morning
facing east

and, at the end of the day,
face west.

In August 2019,

they start constructing
the energy trees.

They had to keep them
very light and nimble.

So we actually made them
all out of carbon fiber

because it’s extremely
lightweight

but incredibly strong.

Mounted on motors,
each will be capable

of moving to follow the sun.

The rotating nature of
the E trees,

that can increase the production
of the energy trees

by up to 25%.

The panels are bifacial,

which means
they’re collecting sun

directly from the sky
and also the reflected sun

off of our light-colored paving.

That gives us all the energy

that Terra needs
throughout the year.

The team
turns its attention

to the next challenge, water.

Terra will need almost
two million gallons a year

and that’s a problem.

Because water is so precious
in this part of the world,

the water that we get
from our tap

is actually desalinated water
from the ocean.

Salt is removed
by pumping the brackish water

through very fine filters.

But to do this at scale
is super energy intensive.

In Dubai,
the team are building Terra,

the centerpiece
for the 2020 Expo.

In the middle of the desert,

it will somehow have to provide
its own water.

They plan to do it
with morning dew.

It’s seriously clever stuff.

They first make a concrete
tapered column

over 30 feet high.

And, at the top, they put
a massive metal funnel

with sides sloping down
at a 30 degree angle.

The membrane
collects water,

but it doesn’t allow it
to sink in.

It forms little beads.

So it’s exactly the same way
as a Namibian fog beetle works,

and it has the same thing
on its shell.

So in the beetle’s case,

it then collects it on its head
and drinks it.

We basically collect
all of that,

and, of course, bring it back
and bring it into the system.

As well as providing
its own water,

it also reuses it too.

This time, nature is more
than just the inspiration.

This is greenery
that’s doing a job.

It’s not just there
to look nice.

Across the site,
the team plants

over 100 different species,

including some astonishing
grass reeds.

So those reeds
are actually taking

the dirty water
from the building

and they’re cleaning it.

The captured water is
channeled over the bed of root.

It’s not actually
the plants

that do the filtering.

It’s the microbes
and the bacteria that live

on the roots of those plants.

With all
these measures combined,

the team reaches
its net zero target.

The water demand for the project
was reduced

from around 80 cubic meters
a day

down to about 20 cubic meters
a day.

On October 1st,
Expo Dubai 2020

officially opens to the public.

If that building
symbolizes anything,

it’s the idea
of capturing beauty

with ingenuity of thinking.

What we wanted
to complement

the architectural beauty

was with the impact that it had
on people.

Including the hundreds
of thousands of visitors

every year.

And now, it’s become
a permanent inspiration

for energy conservation
around the world.

The most exciting point
was seeing lots of people

going through it and enjoying
interacting with each other.

It’s leaving
a lasting legacy

on the team that built it too.

You felt you were really at
the center of something special

that was not just
for this building,

but was for the region.

The site has won
countless awards

for groundbreaking solutions
to sustainability.

From using eco materials
to copying nature.

But there’s one recognition
that’s right on the money.

I think a moment
of pride for everyone

is when the government decided

to have this icon
of sustainability

on our 500 Dirham note.

And that was a moment
that really solidified

the iconic place
of this structure.

Not every architectural icon
is a hit right off the bat.

When this next tower was built
in the 1970s,

it was one of the most hated
buildings in America.

But having been designed for
earthquake-prone San Francisco,

it could easily survive a bit
of name-calling.

And 50 years later,
this California icon

is finally getting the love
it deserved.

It’s 1969, and San Francisco
is hippie town.

Two years after
the Summer of Love,

San Franciscans are determined
to avoid being taken over

by soaring towers like New York.

Plans to build a skyscraper

for the Transamerica
insurance company

brings them out to protest
in the streets.

When the building
originally was presented,

it was quite controversial.

It was such a,
ahead of its time,

that people
just couldn’t imagine

a building like this
being built.

The building
is the brainchild

of former Hollywood art
and special effects director

William Pereira.

My father moved to Los Angeles,
and he won an Oscar there

but decided he did not like

the people
in the movie industry,

so went back
to what he had actually studied,

which was architecture.

Pereira went on to design

the Geisel Library
at UC San Diego,

and the theme building at Los
Angeles International Airport.

He was really innovative
in the sense

that he was not scared
to take risks.

In 1969, he takes

what’s probably the biggest risk
of his career.

When the CEO of Transamerica
went to Pereira’s office,

Pereira showed them
a bunch of things

and then he saw their--
the model for this building

and he said,
"That is what I want."

He really believed
in it.

And the Transamerica Corporation
always also was in love with it,

was in love about,
you know, this becoming

really a symbol of innovation.

Unfortunately, it was
the last thing

its neighbors wanted.

Why is it a pyramid?

The shape was
what really drove people out

to the streets with signs.

There were emotions against it.

At 1,000 feet,

it’s set to be San Francisco’s
tallest building

and second-tallest in the world.

Although the mayor believes

a modern high-rise city
will entice business and money,

the city council appeases
the protesters.

They had to shrink the tower
from 1,000 feet

down to 853 feet.

And, trust me,
nobody was thrilled about it.

I just know that he
was, I think, angry about it

because he had a vision,

he had his building,
and you want to mess with it?

But it was just enough to get
the project approved.

Ready or not,
the city of San Francisco

is going to get
its futuristic new icon.

But it’s going to take
some serious engineering.

First, they will need to create

a stable base
for the four-sided pyramid,

capable of holding it steady
against a serious earthquake,

while also honoring
the elegant and futuristic

vision of Pereira’s design.

Then, they will have to create
the rest

of the huge,
sloping-sided structure,

rising over 850 feet
into the sky.

I don’t know of any
other building that is that tall

that employs such
an aggressive pyramid shape.

The team breaks ground
in December 1969.

Their first challenge
is to make sure

the city’s tallest tower
is capable

of surviving a potentially
devastating earthquake.

What really worked in its favor
was the pyramid shape.

Think about it.

It’s like standing
with your feet wide apart

versus standing narrow.

Someone pushes you,

you are way more stable
with a wider stance.

It’s also going to need
a solid foundation,

which is far
from straightforward.

The building is located
in an area

that, in the 1700s, was actually
the shoreline of San Francisco.

So the upper 20 feet of soil
is actually pretty poor.

It’s bay mud.

But by excavating
through the bay mud layers,

you’re into really competent,
stiff soil.

The team
excavates 52 feet down

before they reach solid ground.

On that, they pour
a nine-foot-thick concrete mat.

Now they have to make sure

the building itself
will be tough enough.

They look to one of the city’s
worst disasters for a solution.

In 1906, San Francisco had
its worst quake ever.

It leveled 30,000 buildings
and killed 3,000 people.

All the buildings
that survived

the 1906 San Francisco
earthquake

and were still standing were
riveted steel frame buildings.

Pereira uses the
quake-resisting steel frames

as the basis for his tower.

But the height of his building
creates twisting forces,

which means the frame
won’t be enough on its own.

Imagine a simple square frame.

Each beam connects to the column
at a perfect 90-degree angle.

But if you apply force here
at the side,

those right angles
begin to shift,

and the beams then twist
and rotate at the joints.

Engineers call this
twisting action a moment,

and it can tear
a structure apart.

But, thankfully,
there’s a solution.

Reinforce those connections.

At the base,
Pereira comes up with a solution

that’s both functional
and stunning.

On the outside,
you have those, you know,

pyramid-shaped colonnades
all coming together

at points along the fifth floor.

In 1970, the steel frame

covered in concrete
and crushed quartz

climbs towards the sky.

However, it will take

more than a sparkling finish
to win over the locals.

The controversy was so vitriolic
that he said, "That’s it,

I’ll never do anything
in San Francisco again."

Protests against
the building

of San Francisco’s
Transamerica Pyramid

aren’t the only problem
the team is facing.

Theoretically, a pyramid is
a very sound structural shape.

Why I say theoretically
is because, in practice,

every single floor plate
is different.

You also get smaller floor
plates as go up the building,

which means you have
less usable space,

because, you know, you need,
you still need

your elevators and your stairs
and all the main elements.

Pereira’s solution
is to add two wings.

The east wing contains
the two elevators

that go all the way
to the 48th floor.

The west wing is actually stairs

that people would walk down
if there is a fire.

In spring 1972,

the Transamerica Pyramid
is complete.

Its office spaces
welcome workers

with the latest
in cutting-edge technology

and the trendiest decor
for the 1970s.

But that’s not
where the story ends.

Fast forward 50 years,

and while the building
is now loved by the city,

it’s also down on its luck.

In 2020, Developer Michael Shvo
buys the building,

intending to change that.

People want amazing

historically important
buildings.

But they want them to feel
and operate

like a brand-new building

with all
the architectural details

as they were designed
in the ’70s.

He appoints

internationally acclaimed
Architects

Foster + Partners.

That building
is a monument from the past.

Like any building any period,

you get additions.

Things get covered up.

Mostly, those changes

tend to compromise
the original fabrics.

So with this kind of project,
there’s always the unknown.

What they do know
is that the top of the pyramid

is going to require
some serious work.

I was brought on to come look
at the spire,

and I was warned
that it was corroded.

And I think we recorded
over 500 locations of corrosion

and ended up
with about 144 total repairs.

One was a full element
that had to be repaired.

The restoration is fraught
with challenges,

some from unexpected places.

And then it rains.

So on a foggy day, if you’re
standing on the 50th floor,

it is raining on you,
quite literally.

I mean, I wore a rain jacket
most days

when I was up there, working.

Meanwhile, at the bottom,

the building has been closed of
to the public.

Lord Foster and his team
are determined to change that.

We opened it up.

You can come off the sidewalk

and walk
directly into the lobby,

and there’s easy seating.

It’s all a series
of individual moves,

but, cumulatively,
the site becomes accessible.

On September 13th, 2024,
the renovation is complete.

The results speaks
for themselves.

In many cases, when architects
present work,

they show you renderings.

The renderings
are always the best product

because they’re machine-made.

This is the first project
I’ve ever built

that the reality is better
than the renderings.

I don’t know,
it just felt so different.

You know, it’s kind of
your neon lights,

your low ceilings,

and now it’s just
this incredible,

open, tall, beautiful,
light space.

The wood and the stone,

it’s really, really amazing
what they’ve done.

For the first time,
the public gets to enjoy

the inside
as well as the outside.

With access to a new cafe

shops, and a rejuvenated park
at its base.

It was like a new world.

So many things different,

so many things
more convenient than before

and, matter of fact,
were more beautiful.

And I’m glad to be a part of it.

And anyone who wants

can step through
the seamless divide

between outside and in

to enjoy the newly opened up
lobby and exposed ceiling.

So we discovered this K brace,

and this was actually on
the cover of a magazine,

believe it or not, as a marvel
of engineering and architecture.

To the citizens
in San Francisco,

instead of a private ivory
tower, it’s a people’s tower.

Above,
the refurbished offices

have been brought
into the 21st century.

Taking down partitions,

taking down ceilings
that had been added,

and revealing the structure

that was holding up
the building.

There’s a spiritual uplift
when you go into these spaces.

And beneath the glitz,
the fabric of a structure

that has gone
from the city’s most hated

to one of its most
beloved buildings

has been safeguarded
for decades to come.

What Dad did was unique enough
at the time

to maintain its individuality
up until today.

In a way, Transamerica Tower
is a symbol of San Francisco.

♪ MTV ♪