1 00:00:01,201 --> 00:00:04,080 [Male Narrator] How do you build an airport so futuristic 2 00:00:04,104 --> 00:00:07,550 that it's more rainforest than runway? 3 00:00:07,574 --> 00:00:10,453 There is no other airport terminal building like this 4 00:00:10,477 --> 00:00:12,688 anywhere. 5 00:00:12,712 --> 00:00:14,623 [Narrator] Why does a New York skyscraper 6 00:00:14,647 --> 00:00:18,627 take 80 years to finish? 7 00:00:18,651 --> 00:00:21,931 [Norman] It was open, published speculation, 8 00:00:21,955 --> 00:00:25,301 that was the end of the tall building. 9 00:00:25,325 --> 00:00:27,570 [Narrator] And how do you build a gallery as extraordinary 10 00:00:27,594 --> 00:00:32,174 as the art it holds in the middle of a hurricane hotspot? 11 00:00:32,198 --> 00:00:34,977 We've got 150-mph winds 12 00:00:35,001 --> 00:00:36,912 and we've got huge pieces of debris 13 00:00:36,936 --> 00:00:38,638 flying right at our building. 14 00:00:42,375 --> 00:00:45,645 [Narrator] This is the age of the extraordinary. 15 00:00:47,480 --> 00:00:50,126 [Hayley] It's like one of those insect-eating plants, 16 00:00:50,150 --> 00:00:52,995 only enormous and white. 17 00:00:53,019 --> 00:00:54,163 [Narrator] Where ingenious engineers have 18 00:00:54,187 --> 00:00:57,900 unleashed unchecked creativity. 19 00:00:57,924 --> 00:01:01,537 Now their secrets are revealed. 20 00:01:01,561 --> 00:01:05,131 As we discover the inside stories of their construction. 21 00:01:05,799 --> 00:01:09,135 This is an incredible feat of planning and engineering. 22 00:01:11,638 --> 00:01:14,073 [Narrator] To try and understand, 23 00:01:14,908 --> 00:01:17,277 "How Did They Build That?" 24 00:01:19,179 --> 00:01:22,124 It takes a lot of money, materials, and brains 25 00:01:22,148 --> 00:01:25,494 to transform the craziest most ambitious designs 26 00:01:25,518 --> 00:01:28,030 into extraordinary buildings. 27 00:01:28,054 --> 00:01:29,498 It also takes time, 28 00:01:29,522 --> 00:01:32,868 sometimes an unbelievable amount of time. 29 00:01:32,892 --> 00:01:34,570 When the world's tallest building, 30 00:01:34,594 --> 00:01:38,307 the 2,700 foot Burj Khalifa in Dubai opened in 2010, 31 00:01:38,331 --> 00:01:41,210 it had been under construction for six years. 32 00:01:41,234 --> 00:01:43,879 But that's nothing compared to this next project. 33 00:01:43,903 --> 00:01:48,417 A Manhattan landmark that's sat unfinished since 1928. 34 00:01:48,441 --> 00:01:52,655 Some 80 years later, it finally emerged. 35 00:01:52,679 --> 00:01:54,681 That's a heck of wait for a new office. 36 00:01:56,649 --> 00:01:58,761 [Narrator] A New York's Manhattan Island, 37 00:01:58,785 --> 00:02:00,830 the home of the high rise. 38 00:02:00,854 --> 00:02:04,066 The constant competition to redefine the skyline with 39 00:02:04,090 --> 00:02:08,628 ever more incredible buildings is reaching dizzying heights. 40 00:02:10,096 --> 00:02:13,108 But in the middle sits what should have been a skyscraper 41 00:02:13,132 --> 00:02:15,235 of a bygone era. 42 00:02:17,837 --> 00:02:21,450 Instead the vision of a newspaper magnate was stopped 43 00:02:21,474 --> 00:02:26,145 at a mere six floors by the Great Depression of the 1930s. 44 00:02:27,480 --> 00:02:29,816 And had been sitting there ever since. 45 00:02:32,185 --> 00:02:34,597 But at a moment in time when it looked as though New York 46 00:02:34,621 --> 00:02:37,624 might never build another of its towers, 47 00:02:38,658 --> 00:02:42,838 a world-famous architect had a radical redesign in mind 48 00:02:42,862 --> 00:02:45,131 and he wouldn't take no for an answer. 49 00:02:46,065 --> 00:02:49,445 [Norman] As I was told, you would never, ever be able 50 00:02:49,469 --> 00:02:52,715 to do that in New York, which of course, 51 00:02:52,739 --> 00:02:56,276 was the greatest incentive to do just that. 52 00:02:57,310 --> 00:03:00,623 [Narrator] It would prove to be a monumental feat of engineering 53 00:03:00,647 --> 00:03:03,483 rising from the ashes of catastrophe. 54 00:03:03,850 --> 00:03:06,729 [Norman] There was open, published speculation, 55 00:03:06,753 --> 00:03:09,398 that was the end of the tall building. 56 00:03:09,422 --> 00:03:11,000 [Narrator] It had become a beacon for strength 57 00:03:11,024 --> 00:03:14,837 and resilience as well as the first of its kind in the city. 58 00:03:14,861 --> 00:03:18,307 New York is skyscraper city, so to pioneer it here, 59 00:03:18,331 --> 00:03:21,076 it's truly amazing. 60 00:03:21,100 --> 00:03:22,711 [Narrator] A radical new skyscraper 61 00:03:22,735 --> 00:03:26,515 rising out of the center of an important old building. 62 00:03:26,539 --> 00:03:29,251 A cutting-edge design borrowed from nature that would push 63 00:03:29,275 --> 00:03:32,054 engineers to their limits. 64 00:03:32,078 --> 00:03:35,882 And require the city to change its way of thinking. 65 00:03:37,216 --> 00:03:39,352 This is the Hearst Tower. 66 00:03:40,186 --> 00:03:42,455 So how did they build it? 67 00:03:45,858 --> 00:03:47,469 New York, in the 1920s 68 00:03:47,493 --> 00:03:49,996 was at the heart of the country's thriving economy. 69 00:03:52,098 --> 00:03:55,435 It was boom time for the city that never sleeps. 70 00:03:57,470 --> 00:03:59,949 People had flooded in from around the world to make 71 00:03:59,973 --> 00:04:02,709 their names and their fortunes. 72 00:04:03,843 --> 00:04:06,555 Land prices had shot through the roof. 73 00:04:06,579 --> 00:04:09,024 And a generation of newly-minted multi-millionaires 74 00:04:09,048 --> 00:04:12,719 decide it's their opportunity to make a mark on the Big Apple. 75 00:04:14,787 --> 00:04:18,200 Harnessing new technology to build bigger and higher 76 00:04:18,224 --> 00:04:20,760 than ever before. 77 00:04:22,829 --> 00:04:24,173 30 years earlier, 78 00:04:24,197 --> 00:04:27,634 Andrew Carnegie finished his landmark Carnegie Hall. 79 00:04:29,068 --> 00:04:32,181 Walter P. Chrysler, the automotive tycoon was 80 00:04:32,205 --> 00:04:35,551 planning on building what would be the world's tallest tower, 81 00:04:35,575 --> 00:04:37,377 the Chrysler Building. 82 00:04:38,177 --> 00:04:40,956 While another gilded-aged billionaire, newspaper man 83 00:04:40,980 --> 00:04:44,059 and politician, William Randolph Hearst 84 00:04:44,083 --> 00:04:46,352 didn't want to be left out. 85 00:04:47,687 --> 00:04:50,733 Widely regarded as the first media mogul. 86 00:04:50,757 --> 00:04:52,768 At its peak, Hearst's newspapers 87 00:04:52,792 --> 00:04:56,295 had a daily circulation of 20 million people. 88 00:04:57,530 --> 00:05:00,576 His life is so successful, he becomes the inspiration 89 00:05:00,600 --> 00:05:03,379 for the lead character for an Orson Wells' film, 90 00:05:03,403 --> 00:05:05,271 Citizen Kane. 91 00:05:05,872 --> 00:05:07,783 But he wanted to make a mark that would stand tall above 92 00:05:07,807 --> 00:05:12,645 the city for 100 years, rising from a corner of midtown. 93 00:05:14,647 --> 00:05:17,192 [Peter] He really envisioned this whole area being 94 00:05:17,216 --> 00:05:20,629 the cultural center of New York 95 00:05:20,653 --> 00:05:23,032 and there was Carnegie Hall a block down. 96 00:05:23,056 --> 00:05:25,367 He had a site next door, which he wanted to build 97 00:05:25,391 --> 00:05:27,002 an opera house. 98 00:05:27,026 --> 00:05:30,763 And he saw his new headquarters in the middle of all of that. 99 00:05:32,632 --> 00:05:35,611 [Narrator] Construction began on his dream tower. 100 00:05:35,635 --> 00:05:40,683 By 1928, the six-story base was complete. 101 00:05:40,707 --> 00:05:43,519 But hit by the Great Depression of the 1930s, 102 00:05:43,543 --> 00:05:46,221 Hearst found himself so deeply in debt that 103 00:05:46,245 --> 00:05:49,982 he had to stop construction and liquidate most of his assets. 104 00:05:51,651 --> 00:05:54,430 Another attempt at reviving his dream of the 1940s 105 00:05:54,454 --> 00:05:56,923 was stopped by the second World War. 106 00:05:58,925 --> 00:06:03,896 Hearst died in 1951, not living to see his towering glory built. 107 00:06:06,599 --> 00:06:08,143 By the end of the century though, 108 00:06:08,167 --> 00:06:11,814 the Hearst organization is in robust health. 109 00:06:11,838 --> 00:06:15,250 And it decides the time is right to bring its businesses together 110 00:06:15,274 --> 00:06:18,010 under one very tall roof. 111 00:06:18,611 --> 00:06:21,390 It's time for Randolph's vision for a Hearst skyscraper 112 00:06:21,414 --> 00:06:23,216 to become a reality. 113 00:06:24,016 --> 00:06:25,994 To pull it off, they turn to one of the world's 114 00:06:26,018 --> 00:06:30,623 most influential architectural practices led by Norman Foster. 115 00:06:32,658 --> 00:06:36,271 We came without any preconceptions 116 00:06:36,295 --> 00:06:41,000 and we challenged a lot of the things that we were told. 117 00:06:42,034 --> 00:06:44,113 [Narrator] Foster has created extraordinary buildings 118 00:06:44,137 --> 00:06:48,007 from scratch like 30 St. Mary Axe in London. 119 00:06:48,841 --> 00:06:51,577 More affectionately known as the gherkin. 120 00:06:52,779 --> 00:06:54,723 But he's also radically reinvented some of the world's 121 00:06:54,747 --> 00:06:58,594 most iconic historic buildings, 122 00:06:58,618 --> 00:07:01,087 including the British Museum in London. 123 00:07:02,755 --> 00:07:05,491 And the roof of the Reichstag in Berlin, Germany. 124 00:07:07,059 --> 00:07:09,772 But Lord Foster's idea for the Hearst Tower 125 00:07:09,796 --> 00:07:12,865 takes reimagining old buildings to a whole new level. 126 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:15,677 When you're dealing with historic buildings, 127 00:07:15,701 --> 00:07:17,603 there's a lot to consider. 128 00:07:18,671 --> 00:07:21,583 For one, you don't want to damage the existing structure. 129 00:07:21,607 --> 00:07:24,443 The Hearst building is nearly 100 years old. 130 00:07:25,211 --> 00:07:28,490 [Norman] It was apparently always intended to have a tower, 131 00:07:28,514 --> 00:07:31,426 but there were no evidence, no drawings of it. 132 00:07:31,450 --> 00:07:33,328 As I was told, 133 00:07:33,352 --> 00:07:38,233 the one thing you cannot do is take away everything inside. 134 00:07:38,257 --> 00:07:41,570 Now that's called facadism. You would never, ever 135 00:07:41,594 --> 00:07:45,040 be able to do that in New York, which of course, 136 00:07:45,064 --> 00:07:48,534 was the greatest incentive to do just that. 137 00:07:50,002 --> 00:07:53,982 [Narrator] True to form, Lord Foster tears up the rule book. 138 00:07:54,006 --> 00:07:56,151 He's supposed to keep the interior as well as 139 00:07:56,175 --> 00:07:58,187 the exterior intact. 140 00:07:58,211 --> 00:08:01,113 Instead, he plans to scoop out the inside. 141 00:08:03,649 --> 00:08:06,028 Lord Foster plans to remove the roof 142 00:08:06,052 --> 00:08:09,222 and hollow out the insides of the original six-floor building. 143 00:08:09,856 --> 00:08:12,100 All without damaging the historic facade, 144 00:08:12,124 --> 00:08:15,971 so he can create an enormous new atrium. 145 00:08:15,995 --> 00:08:19,541 Steel megacolumns will then rise from the foundations all the way 146 00:08:19,565 --> 00:08:21,977 up to the base of the new 10th floor 147 00:08:22,001 --> 00:08:24,203 where the brand new tower begins. 148 00:08:25,471 --> 00:08:28,617 With beauty and strength, and mind, the diagonal grid 149 00:08:28,641 --> 00:08:32,754 of four-story-long steel trusses will interlock 150 00:08:32,778 --> 00:08:35,591 to create a series of triangles, 151 00:08:35,615 --> 00:08:38,660 the strongest shape which will resist movement 152 00:08:38,684 --> 00:08:41,187 all the way up the 46th floor. 153 00:08:46,859 --> 00:08:49,705 The design is ready to present to their clients, 154 00:08:49,729 --> 00:08:52,331 so Foster and his team travel to New York. 155 00:08:53,266 --> 00:08:55,210 The presentation meeting at the Hearst building 156 00:08:55,234 --> 00:08:57,169 is scheduled for 9:30 AM. 157 00:08:58,337 --> 00:09:02,742 The year is 2001. The date is September the 11th. 158 00:09:04,844 --> 00:09:10,158 I was walking that morning for the meeting. 159 00:09:10,182 --> 00:09:14,730 And I realized as people were gathering and talking 160 00:09:14,754 --> 00:09:19,158 that there was something, something strange going on. 161 00:09:19,792 --> 00:09:23,405 And there were a group of truck drivers talking animatedly 162 00:09:23,429 --> 00:09:25,674 and I was curious and joined them. 163 00:09:25,698 --> 00:09:30,579 Ended up in the cab of a truck listening to the event 164 00:09:30,603 --> 00:09:33,272 unfolding on the radio. 165 00:09:35,274 --> 00:09:37,953 [Narrator] As the Twin Towers collapse in the most deadly 166 00:09:37,977 --> 00:09:42,381 terrorist attack on US soil, the world is changed forever. 167 00:09:43,649 --> 00:09:47,930 It also calls into question the very future of the skyscraper. 168 00:09:47,954 --> 00:09:52,134 At that time there was open, published speculation 169 00:09:52,158 --> 00:09:55,594 that was the end of the tall building. 170 00:09:58,664 --> 00:10:03,378 [music] 171 00:10:03,402 --> 00:10:06,672 [Narrator] Next, will the Hearst Tower ever be finished? 172 00:10:08,101 --> 00:10:10,479 [Narrator] In the weeks after the 911 attacks, 173 00:10:10,503 --> 00:10:13,716 New York City slowly regains its buzz. 174 00:10:13,740 --> 00:10:18,354 Shock has become resilience and resilience is sparking action. 175 00:10:18,378 --> 00:10:20,680 The Hearst Tower remains on the table. 176 00:10:21,314 --> 00:10:23,726 There's a brief moment of pause 177 00:10:23,750 --> 00:10:26,219 for people to process what just happened. 178 00:10:28,187 --> 00:10:31,367 The project went on hold for about a month while Hearst 179 00:10:31,391 --> 00:10:34,336 decided whether or not to proceed with the project. 180 00:10:34,360 --> 00:10:37,473 They realize to not build would signal defeat 181 00:10:37,497 --> 00:10:40,909 and they wanted to show that the city's resilient 182 00:10:40,933 --> 00:10:45,047 and it became one of the first commercial office towers 183 00:10:45,071 --> 00:10:47,340 post 911 to be built in New York City. 184 00:10:49,575 --> 00:10:52,521 [Narrator] With Lord Foster's radical vision signed off, 185 00:10:52,545 --> 00:10:55,491 the engineering team gets to work. 186 00:10:55,515 --> 00:10:56,992 The first challenge is to safely 187 00:10:57,016 --> 00:11:00,396 strip the old building back to facade 188 00:11:00,420 --> 00:11:02,998 while getting it ready for the 40-story tower, 189 00:11:03,022 --> 00:11:05,892 which is about to be built above it. 190 00:11:06,692 --> 00:11:08,971 Because of the enormous weight of the tower, 191 00:11:08,995 --> 00:11:10,572 there's no way it can be supported 192 00:11:10,596 --> 00:11:14,066 by the existing outer walls and original foundations below. 193 00:11:16,736 --> 00:11:19,948 Instead the plan is to create a completely new structure 194 00:11:19,972 --> 00:11:22,918 that doesn't rely on the old building for strength. 195 00:11:22,942 --> 00:11:27,547 Starting with brand new, super strong foundations. 196 00:11:28,281 --> 00:11:30,692 Luckily, there is a reason Manhattan is 197 00:11:30,716 --> 00:11:32,661 home of the skyscraper. 198 00:11:32,685 --> 00:11:35,597 Manhattan's well-known for its granite base and you don't have 199 00:11:35,621 --> 00:11:40,002 to go down far to hit bedrock unlike other cities. 200 00:11:40,026 --> 00:11:42,638 And there was no exception here as well. 201 00:11:42,662 --> 00:11:44,540 [Narrator] Constructing solid foundations is often one 202 00:11:44,564 --> 00:11:48,076 of the unknown costs in the construction world. 203 00:11:48,100 --> 00:11:50,712 But here, they are in luck. 204 00:11:50,736 --> 00:11:53,782 With shallow foundations you don't have to dig as deep, 205 00:11:53,806 --> 00:11:57,719 so it's usually easier to construct and it costs less. 206 00:11:57,743 --> 00:11:59,721 [Peter] The original building had a basement and 207 00:11:59,745 --> 00:12:03,725 not far from the basement is pretty solid bedrock, 208 00:12:03,749 --> 00:12:06,719 so we didn't have to excavate too much. 209 00:12:08,521 --> 00:12:11,433 [Narrator] The engineers start work on the megacolumns, 210 00:12:11,457 --> 00:12:14,102 attaching them to the newly constructed foundation 211 00:12:14,126 --> 00:12:16,863 sunk into the bedrock below. 212 00:12:17,563 --> 00:12:20,409 These huge structural legs will literally hold the tower 213 00:12:20,433 --> 00:12:22,268 above the old Hearst building. 214 00:12:23,236 --> 00:12:26,482 We wanted to limit the amount of columns that would touch the 215 00:12:26,506 --> 00:12:31,186 ground because that meant a lot of excavation and demolition. 216 00:12:31,210 --> 00:12:33,021 [Narrator] The problem facing the engineers 217 00:12:33,045 --> 00:12:36,425 is how to do this while protecting the old building. 218 00:12:36,449 --> 00:12:37,960 [Hayley] In a traditional building, 219 00:12:37,984 --> 00:12:40,395 the floors inside brace the walls 220 00:12:40,419 --> 00:12:43,765 interconnecting everything. This creates a strong box. 221 00:12:43,789 --> 00:12:47,627 Take those away and everything becomes weak and unstable. 222 00:12:49,128 --> 00:12:52,608 [Narrator] Lord Foster's design requires taking out all the old 223 00:12:52,632 --> 00:12:56,845 internal walls and floors from the original six-story building 224 00:12:56,869 --> 00:13:00,706 to create a show-stopping atrium underneath the new tower. 225 00:13:02,575 --> 00:13:06,154 Ahmad Rahimian is the engineer charged with doing this 226 00:13:06,178 --> 00:13:08,724 without it all falling down. 227 00:13:08,748 --> 00:13:11,527 [Ahmad] In order to provide lateral bracing, 228 00:13:11,551 --> 00:13:15,631 in absence of the original floors for the facade, 229 00:13:15,655 --> 00:13:19,268 we devised a new set of framing, 230 00:13:19,292 --> 00:13:23,930 a grid system behind the existing facade. 231 00:13:24,931 --> 00:13:28,143 [Hayley] Building a super strong skeleton inside the old walls 232 00:13:28,167 --> 00:13:30,546 and tying these into the new megacolumns 233 00:13:30,570 --> 00:13:33,815 means you can safely take away the floors. 234 00:13:33,839 --> 00:13:37,452 [Peter] Once we inserted the columns and the tie beams, 235 00:13:37,476 --> 00:13:42,691 they were ready to be cleared out of all the supporting slabs. 236 00:13:42,715 --> 00:13:43,626 [Narrator] The construction crews 237 00:13:43,650 --> 00:13:45,794 demolish the interior floors 238 00:13:45,818 --> 00:13:51,066 creating a giant hole they soon hope becomes a stunning atrium. 239 00:13:51,090 --> 00:13:53,835 The megacolumns extend another four floors above 240 00:13:53,859 --> 00:13:55,704 to the 10th floor, 241 00:13:55,728 --> 00:13:58,564 the structural heart of the new tower. 242 00:13:58,864 --> 00:14:01,577 The 10th floor is our major support floor. 243 00:14:01,601 --> 00:14:05,547 Its job is to transfer the load from the diagrid system above 244 00:14:05,571 --> 00:14:09,551 into the perimeter megacolumns in the base below. 245 00:14:09,575 --> 00:14:12,788 All whilst incorporating the visual trick of appearing 246 00:14:12,812 --> 00:14:15,815 to float above the original building. 247 00:14:17,149 --> 00:14:19,761 [Narrator] Now the engineers face their biggest challenge, 248 00:14:19,785 --> 00:14:22,564 constructing the new glass tower that's going to 249 00:14:22,588 --> 00:14:25,734 sit over the old building. 250 00:14:25,758 --> 00:14:28,937 Lord Foster goes for a structure that borrows its design 251 00:14:28,961 --> 00:14:31,073 from the natural world. 252 00:14:31,097 --> 00:14:36,278 If you want to track that down through structures in nature, 253 00:14:36,302 --> 00:14:37,679 spider's webs, whatever. 254 00:14:37,703 --> 00:14:41,273 You'll see the principle of triangulation. 255 00:14:42,508 --> 00:14:44,486 [Narrator] It's called a diagrid. 256 00:14:44,510 --> 00:14:47,956 An exoskeleton of steel that takes the load 257 00:14:47,980 --> 00:14:52,361 instead of the internal columns found in most buildings. 258 00:14:52,385 --> 00:14:54,896 So in the event of any catastrophe 259 00:14:54,920 --> 00:14:57,566 where you take away part of that structure, 260 00:14:57,590 --> 00:15:01,336 there are more parts that the load can take. 261 00:15:01,360 --> 00:15:04,530 So it's more resilient. It's stronger. 262 00:15:05,464 --> 00:15:07,442 [Hayley] It basically works like a web of triangles 263 00:15:07,466 --> 00:15:10,012 all pushing together at their points. 264 00:15:10,036 --> 00:15:11,246 And pushing against each other, 265 00:15:11,270 --> 00:15:13,539 they essentially support each other. 266 00:15:15,241 --> 00:15:17,886 The diagrid essentially became a solution to the problem 267 00:15:17,910 --> 00:15:20,279 with the building being destabilized. 268 00:15:20,813 --> 00:15:23,592 But it also turned out, there are many other benefits. 269 00:15:23,616 --> 00:15:27,053 Less materials are used and it looks pretty cool, too. 270 00:15:28,087 --> 00:15:30,265 [Norman] The triangulated structure in Hearst 271 00:15:30,289 --> 00:15:34,269 uses 20% less steel, 272 00:15:34,293 --> 00:15:39,598 2,000 tons for a structure, which is actually more rigid. 273 00:15:42,802 --> 00:15:44,479 [Narrator] The engineers and construction crews 274 00:15:44,503 --> 00:15:48,016 get to work erecting the tower. 275 00:15:48,040 --> 00:15:51,043 New York has never seen anything like it. 276 00:15:54,647 --> 00:15:56,725 [Corina] New York is skyscraper city, 277 00:15:56,749 --> 00:15:59,728 yet the diagrid system had never been used in one. 278 00:15:59,752 --> 00:16:02,822 So to pioneer it here, it's truly amazing. 279 00:16:04,190 --> 00:16:06,968 [Narrator] The tower grows and the diagrid structure 280 00:16:06,992 --> 00:16:09,337 is tied into the core of the building 281 00:16:09,361 --> 00:16:11,940 making it even stronger. 282 00:16:11,964 --> 00:16:13,875 [Ahmad] There is a symbiotic relationship 283 00:16:13,899 --> 00:16:16,978 between the external diagrid with that internal-core 284 00:16:17,002 --> 00:16:21,116 structure with both supporting each other in an elegant way. 285 00:16:21,140 --> 00:16:24,386 [Peter] It's not just vertical gravity that we're dealing with. 286 00:16:24,410 --> 00:16:26,755 We also have to work with lateral movement 287 00:16:26,779 --> 00:16:30,759 because of wind and seismic, so the diagrid takes all those 288 00:16:30,783 --> 00:16:35,430 complicated forces, interconnects amongst itself 289 00:16:35,454 --> 00:16:38,224 and then ties it back at every floor. 290 00:16:39,525 --> 00:16:42,738 [Narrator] In most skyscrapers, the ironwork that gives strength 291 00:16:42,762 --> 00:16:46,165 is hidden away in the structure, so none of it can be seen. 292 00:16:47,266 --> 00:16:48,810 In the Hearst Tower, 293 00:16:48,834 --> 00:16:52,037 Lord Foster decides to celebrate the framework instead. 294 00:16:54,273 --> 00:16:59,387 The structure is very much part and parcel of the architecture, 295 00:16:59,411 --> 00:17:02,124 which is holding it aloft. 296 00:17:02,148 --> 00:17:06,161 To clad that in stainless steel with the sharp angles 297 00:17:06,185 --> 00:17:10,766 means that it's forever changing its appearance 298 00:17:10,790 --> 00:17:12,534 depending on the weather. 299 00:17:12,558 --> 00:17:16,571 Subliminally that choice of polished stainless steel 300 00:17:16,595 --> 00:17:19,908 is evocative of other buildings, 301 00:17:19,932 --> 00:17:22,611 which are symbolic like the Chrysler Tower, 302 00:17:22,635 --> 00:17:25,971 which is one of my personal favorites. 303 00:17:27,673 --> 00:17:29,518 [Narrator] In 2005, 304 00:17:29,542 --> 00:17:32,821 the Hearst Tower is finally complete 305 00:17:32,845 --> 00:17:35,791 reenergizing and redefining the beating heart 306 00:17:35,815 --> 00:17:38,517 of the Hearst Corporation. 307 00:17:41,453 --> 00:17:43,398 [Norman] I go back to Hearst. 308 00:17:43,422 --> 00:17:46,535 New York is the city of skyscrapers. 309 00:17:46,559 --> 00:17:50,262 Amazing we've got a skyscraper in New York. 310 00:17:51,130 --> 00:17:53,475 [Peter] The joy of not only designing the building, 311 00:17:53,499 --> 00:17:56,244 but then to have our office in the building 312 00:17:56,268 --> 00:18:00,081 is that you're able to see how the people use it. 313 00:18:00,105 --> 00:18:03,676 Basically, this has been our home for the past 15 years. 314 00:18:05,077 --> 00:18:07,422 [Narrator] The Hearst Tower is the perfect marriage 315 00:18:07,446 --> 00:18:10,225 of the old and the new. 316 00:18:10,249 --> 00:18:12,961 Foster's rebellious act of scooping out the building's 317 00:18:12,985 --> 00:18:18,023 inside has created an enormous, exciting and welcoming space. 318 00:18:18,657 --> 00:18:21,870 While outside, New York's first diagrid skyscraper 319 00:18:21,894 --> 00:18:25,473 reinvigorates one of the city's historic landmarks, 320 00:18:25,497 --> 00:18:28,610 redefining what's possible. 321 00:18:28,634 --> 00:18:32,047 Visionary design and groundbreaking engineering 322 00:18:32,071 --> 00:18:36,609 puts the Hearst Tower on the map after 80 years of waiting. 323 00:18:38,410 --> 00:18:44,550 [music] 324 00:18:47,553 --> 00:18:49,197 How do you like hanging out in an airport? 325 00:18:49,221 --> 00:18:51,233 No? Me neither. 326 00:18:51,257 --> 00:18:53,668 We got to airports only to get somewhere else. 327 00:18:53,692 --> 00:18:56,238 The musty air, the impossible to find bathrooms 328 00:18:56,262 --> 00:18:58,573 and a cup of coffee the price of molten gold, 329 00:18:58,597 --> 00:19:00,008 no thank you. 330 00:19:00,032 --> 00:19:02,744 But in Singapore, they do things differently. 331 00:19:02,768 --> 00:19:05,680 Forget squeaky baggage carousels and security lines 332 00:19:05,704 --> 00:19:08,750 longer than your holiday and think tropical rainforest 333 00:19:08,774 --> 00:19:12,053 with infinity waterfall falling from the sky. 334 00:19:12,077 --> 00:19:15,957 At last, an airport that is a destination itself. 335 00:19:15,981 --> 00:19:18,093 As for the overpriced coffee, 336 00:19:18,117 --> 00:19:20,286 yeah, I'm afraid that's just an airport law. 337 00:19:22,087 --> 00:19:24,633 [Narrator] With a population of close to six million, 338 00:19:24,657 --> 00:19:28,036 Singapore is a small country with a big economy 339 00:19:28,060 --> 00:19:31,973 and a determination to create a world-class impression. 340 00:19:31,997 --> 00:19:33,608 So in 2013, 341 00:19:33,632 --> 00:19:37,646 as the city state is growing in economic power and stature, 342 00:19:37,670 --> 00:19:40,482 it wants the new airport to reflect its vision. 343 00:19:40,506 --> 00:19:44,977 Somewhere that will blow away anyone who sees it. 344 00:19:45,844 --> 00:19:47,455 [Cristobal] There is no other airport terminal building 345 00:19:47,479 --> 00:19:50,358 like this anywhere. 346 00:19:50,382 --> 00:19:53,161 [Narrator] It has the world's largest gridshell roof 347 00:19:53,185 --> 00:19:56,865 with a huge cylinder of water pouring through it. 348 00:19:56,889 --> 00:20:01,603 Becoming the tallest indoor waterfall on the planet. 349 00:20:01,627 --> 00:20:04,697 This is Jewel Changi in Singapore. 350 00:20:06,498 --> 00:20:08,343 The engineers that made this happen 351 00:20:08,367 --> 00:20:11,136 are pure magicians, period. 352 00:20:12,171 --> 00:20:14,516 [Narrator] It's a place where lucky passengers wander 353 00:20:14,540 --> 00:20:18,920 through a huge indoor garden that's among, you guessed it, 354 00:20:18,944 --> 00:20:22,023 the largest on the planet. 355 00:20:22,047 --> 00:20:24,125 Between them, architects and engineers 356 00:20:24,149 --> 00:20:29,497 created a 10-story tall, 1,460,000 square foot 357 00:20:29,521 --> 00:20:31,323 man-made paradise. 358 00:20:33,325 --> 00:20:36,171 And all of this happened while one of the world's busiest 359 00:20:36,195 --> 00:20:41,266 airports stayed open and a train ran right through the site. 360 00:20:42,668 --> 00:20:45,000 Next find out how they built it. 361 00:20:50,138 --> 00:20:52,049 [Narrator] It's 2012. 362 00:20:52,073 --> 00:20:54,018 Singapore Airport is handling around 363 00:20:54,042 --> 00:20:56,487 50 million passengers a year. 364 00:20:56,511 --> 00:21:00,091 And come second in the world airport awards. 365 00:21:00,115 --> 00:21:02,526 Good, but not good enough. 366 00:21:02,550 --> 00:21:05,162 In a country that wants its already successful economy 367 00:21:05,186 --> 00:21:08,366 to really take off. 368 00:21:08,390 --> 00:21:11,769 Hoping it will increase capacity and attract new business, 369 00:21:11,793 --> 00:21:15,239 they decide to create a brand new departure's hub 370 00:21:15,263 --> 00:21:17,208 and invite some of the world's leading architects 371 00:21:17,232 --> 00:21:19,234 to come up with a startling design. 372 00:21:21,403 --> 00:21:26,851 Boston-based Safdie architects are invited to bid for the job. 373 00:21:26,875 --> 00:21:31,455 The bid document that we received requested an expansion 374 00:21:31,479 --> 00:21:33,924 of the retail facilities at Changi Airport, 375 00:21:33,948 --> 00:21:39,230 but also a major attraction of unknown design and program. 376 00:21:39,254 --> 00:21:42,266 And so our task was to conceive of some kind of 377 00:21:42,290 --> 00:21:43,501 unknown attraction. 378 00:21:43,525 --> 00:21:45,770 Together, it is something that would be 379 00:21:45,794 --> 00:21:50,398 a destination for Singaporeans and visitors alike. 380 00:21:51,733 --> 00:21:54,712 [Narrator] The team that wins the bid will get a huge prize, 381 00:21:54,736 --> 00:21:59,040 a project with a budget of 1.6 billion dollars. 382 00:21:59,741 --> 00:22:02,086 Even though airport structures are big, 383 00:22:02,110 --> 00:22:04,121 with a budget of over a billion bucks, 384 00:22:04,145 --> 00:22:06,690 you can make something really special. 385 00:22:06,714 --> 00:22:10,795 And that's exactly what Singapore Airport wanted to do. 386 00:22:10,819 --> 00:22:12,997 [Narrator] Home to some of the world's most 387 00:22:13,021 --> 00:22:14,598 groundbreaking pieces of architecture 388 00:22:14,622 --> 00:22:18,502 like the Sky Gardens and Gardens By The Bay, 389 00:22:18,526 --> 00:22:22,497 the bar is already set pretty high in Singapore. 390 00:22:22,964 --> 00:22:26,000 But it also gives the Safdie team inspiration. 391 00:22:26,734 --> 00:22:29,146 [Jaron] Singapore's a place that is the Garden City. 392 00:22:29,170 --> 00:22:31,148 And we said, well, the garden is the attraction. 393 00:22:31,172 --> 00:22:33,250 A garden is a timeless destination 394 00:22:33,274 --> 00:22:35,252 that would draw people from near and far. 395 00:22:35,276 --> 00:22:37,922 Something so spectacular and the scale of which 396 00:22:37,946 --> 00:22:41,616 has never been done before. 397 00:22:42,917 --> 00:22:45,129 [Narrator] They come up with a truly extraordinary design 398 00:22:45,153 --> 00:22:47,288 for the new airport. 399 00:22:49,457 --> 00:22:52,303 Part shopping mall, part urban forest. 400 00:22:52,327 --> 00:22:54,839 They will create a valley that climbs up steeply 401 00:22:54,863 --> 00:22:56,474 over five floors 402 00:22:56,498 --> 00:23:00,811 hiding over 300 places to eat and shop. 403 00:23:00,835 --> 00:23:04,849 All of this will be covered by over 9,000 panels of glass 404 00:23:04,873 --> 00:23:07,809 with practically no support from underneath. 405 00:23:09,143 --> 00:23:13,390 In the center, there will an oculus or hole to the outside. 406 00:23:13,414 --> 00:23:15,025 Through it, every minute, 407 00:23:15,049 --> 00:23:20,788 10,000 gallons of water will fall into a pool 130 feet below. 408 00:23:22,156 --> 00:23:25,636 The experience of being within this transport-hub wonderland 409 00:23:25,660 --> 00:23:27,862 is expected to be completely unique. 410 00:23:31,633 --> 00:23:35,412 But before anyone can enjoy it, engineers have to figure out 411 00:23:35,436 --> 00:23:38,673 how on earth they're going to build it. 412 00:23:39,274 --> 00:23:45,346 Starting with the enormous roof, all 325,000 square feet of it. 413 00:23:46,681 --> 00:23:49,026 The first time I saw the design from the Safdies, I was like, 414 00:23:49,050 --> 00:23:50,828 wow, what a great space. 415 00:23:50,852 --> 00:23:52,429 They, of course, they had drawn things without 416 00:23:52,453 --> 00:23:54,632 having a very good idea of the engineering behind it, 417 00:23:54,656 --> 00:23:57,568 but I sensed that it had a logic that I could work with. 418 00:23:57,592 --> 00:24:00,004 [Jaron] The test was how do you make it as light 419 00:24:00,028 --> 00:24:01,739 and as elegant as possible? 420 00:24:01,763 --> 00:24:05,276 We were trying to create as visible impression of the sky 421 00:24:05,300 --> 00:24:07,077 as possible. 422 00:24:07,101 --> 00:24:09,880 [Narrator] The solution is to create a super-strong structure 423 00:24:09,904 --> 00:24:11,715 known as a gridshell. 424 00:24:11,739 --> 00:24:15,185 Gridshells are awesome. They're strong and light, 425 00:24:15,209 --> 00:24:19,557 which means you can create huge spans of unsupported roof area. 426 00:24:19,581 --> 00:24:21,725 But ideally, they need to be symmetrical. 427 00:24:21,749 --> 00:24:24,895 This means that the load can be evenly distributed. 428 00:24:24,919 --> 00:24:27,355 And it's also just a lot easier to build. 429 00:24:29,157 --> 00:24:31,535 [Narrator] Here though, it can't be. 430 00:24:31,559 --> 00:24:34,471 A sky train runs through the middle of the site, 431 00:24:34,495 --> 00:24:36,707 which would put it right underneath thousands of tons 432 00:24:36,731 --> 00:24:40,744 of water cascading down onto the tracks. 433 00:24:40,768 --> 00:24:42,780 We couldn't have the water over the airport train. 434 00:24:42,804 --> 00:24:44,348 We couldn't shift the airport train, 435 00:24:44,372 --> 00:24:46,850 but we had to shift the waterfall over to the side. 436 00:24:46,874 --> 00:24:48,819 [Jaron] Of course, it would have been interesting 437 00:24:48,843 --> 00:24:50,387 to go through the waterfall on the train, 438 00:24:50,411 --> 00:24:53,591 but the engineers didn't really like that. 439 00:24:53,615 --> 00:24:55,993 [Narrator] Moving the waterfall from the center of the roof 440 00:24:56,017 --> 00:24:57,728 has big consequences. 441 00:24:57,752 --> 00:25:00,264 It means that each panel and every connection is 442 00:25:00,288 --> 00:25:02,666 different from the next. 443 00:25:02,690 --> 00:25:04,969 [Cristobal] You have thousands of different elements 444 00:25:04,993 --> 00:25:07,137 and only one element belongs in one place. 445 00:25:07,161 --> 00:25:08,505 They're not like, interchangeable. 446 00:25:08,529 --> 00:25:10,007 And so basically what you're gonna do is you're gonna 447 00:25:10,031 --> 00:25:12,409 manufacture all these pieces that are all different, 448 00:25:12,433 --> 00:25:15,879 all customized using computers and milling machines. 449 00:25:15,903 --> 00:25:21,085 We digitally milled these steel surfaces in Germany 450 00:25:21,109 --> 00:25:22,886 and places like Malaysia. 451 00:25:22,910 --> 00:25:25,322 And they were all shipped to site in containers 452 00:25:25,346 --> 00:25:28,292 and then bolted in place in the exact position 453 00:25:28,316 --> 00:25:30,427 that they needed to be. 454 00:25:30,451 --> 00:25:31,795 [Cristobal] I think this building showcases 455 00:25:31,819 --> 00:25:34,098 what you can do now with computer-aided design 456 00:25:34,122 --> 00:25:37,291 because it allows you to sort of mass customize something. 457 00:25:38,693 --> 00:25:43,574 [Narrator] Next, 9,304 unique triangular panes of glass 458 00:25:43,598 --> 00:25:46,877 are fitted to complete the roof. 459 00:25:46,901 --> 00:25:49,680 Although the dome weighs 4,000 tons, 460 00:25:49,704 --> 00:25:52,583 it's so strong and has been engineered so precisely 461 00:25:52,607 --> 00:25:56,320 that it needs minimal support inside. 462 00:25:56,344 --> 00:25:59,590 [Cristobal] There's 14 columns. We call them tree columns that 463 00:25:59,614 --> 00:26:02,717 support the gridshell between the perimeter and the waterfall. 464 00:26:04,452 --> 00:26:06,764 [Narrator] Incredibly, all through construction 465 00:26:06,788 --> 00:26:09,733 the airport keeps functioning as normal. 466 00:26:09,757 --> 00:26:13,103 Even the sky train runs through the site 467 00:26:13,127 --> 00:26:15,205 shielded from potential damage 468 00:26:15,229 --> 00:26:17,965 by a temporary protective tunnel. 469 00:26:21,169 --> 00:26:24,548 The next challenge for the engineers is creating a system 470 00:26:24,572 --> 00:26:27,951 for getting 10,000 gallons of water up onto the roof 471 00:26:27,975 --> 00:26:29,787 to feed the waterfall 472 00:26:29,811 --> 00:26:32,714 without ruining the look of the beautiful design. 473 00:26:33,681 --> 00:26:35,025 [Cristobal] We are doing something that we hadn't 474 00:26:35,049 --> 00:26:37,027 done before and we're going to make something beautiful, 475 00:26:37,051 --> 00:26:40,464 but you know, there's always a little level of fear um, 476 00:26:40,488 --> 00:26:42,356 that we have to control. 477 00:26:43,558 --> 00:26:45,235 [Narrator] Although the team had created waterfalls 478 00:26:45,259 --> 00:26:47,705 inside buildings before, 479 00:26:47,729 --> 00:26:50,665 they'd not done anything on this scale. 480 00:26:51,265 --> 00:26:53,444 In fact, no one had. 481 00:26:53,468 --> 00:26:55,012 [Jaron] It wasn't our first rodeo in a sense 482 00:26:55,036 --> 00:26:57,681 in terms of creating a waterfall inside a building, 483 00:26:57,705 --> 00:26:59,983 but in order to deliver this, 484 00:27:00,007 --> 00:27:03,053 we had to do two and a half years of research. 485 00:27:03,077 --> 00:27:05,823 We built full-scale mockups. 486 00:27:05,847 --> 00:27:07,858 [Narrator] The extensive testing yields a system 487 00:27:07,882 --> 00:27:12,129 that is efficient, ecological and invisible to the public. 488 00:27:12,153 --> 00:27:14,231 You want to do it in a way you can't really tell 489 00:27:14,255 --> 00:27:15,966 where the water is coming from. 490 00:27:15,990 --> 00:27:18,902 [Narrator] And that's exactly what they achieve. 491 00:27:18,926 --> 00:27:23,540 The water starts its journey in a 115,000 gallon holding tank 492 00:27:23,564 --> 00:27:25,175 built in the basement. 493 00:27:25,199 --> 00:27:28,011 From thre it's pumped in eight pipes up four floors 494 00:27:28,035 --> 00:27:29,747 to ground level. 495 00:27:29,771 --> 00:27:33,083 This is where the roof becomes visible to anyone inside. 496 00:27:33,107 --> 00:27:36,720 And the water needs to be moved in secret. 497 00:27:36,744 --> 00:27:38,489 [Cristobal] So the pipes that feed the waterfall 498 00:27:38,513 --> 00:27:39,990 come out at level five 499 00:27:40,014 --> 00:27:42,092 and they actually go through the fins 500 00:27:42,116 --> 00:27:45,262 that are on the outside of the gridshell. 501 00:27:45,286 --> 00:27:46,897 And there the water all collects 502 00:27:46,921 --> 00:27:49,123 and then it all gets directed downward. 503 00:27:53,060 --> 00:27:55,038 [Narrator] With the water on the roof, 504 00:27:55,062 --> 00:27:57,941 the next challenge is how to deal with the deafening noise 505 00:27:57,965 --> 00:28:00,744 created by five tons of water per minute 506 00:28:00,768 --> 00:28:03,871 crashing down into the pool below. 507 00:28:04,739 --> 00:28:06,316 But the specialist water featured team 508 00:28:06,340 --> 00:28:09,811 comes up with a slick solution to turn the volume down. 509 00:28:11,412 --> 00:28:14,158 They install a huge dished acrylic funnel, 510 00:28:14,182 --> 00:28:15,692 which reduces impact, 511 00:28:15,716 --> 00:28:18,796 so the water slides quietly down the four floors below. 512 00:28:18,820 --> 00:28:22,633 This also creates an incredible visual feature to see 513 00:28:22,657 --> 00:28:24,802 in the basement shopping mall below. 514 00:28:24,826 --> 00:28:26,870 And in addition, the waterfall creates 515 00:28:26,894 --> 00:28:29,907 air currents that cool the building and cool the garden, 516 00:28:29,931 --> 00:28:32,242 and help temper the air for the people 517 00:28:32,266 --> 00:28:34,168 who are enjoying the gardens below. 518 00:28:35,970 --> 00:28:38,415 [Narrator] The next challenge is working out how to create 519 00:28:38,439 --> 00:28:43,177 a healthy 5.6 acres of forest garden in the cooled valley. 520 00:28:44,912 --> 00:28:47,491 Many of Singapore's tropical, indigenous plants 521 00:28:47,515 --> 00:28:50,194 will struggle to survive. 522 00:28:50,218 --> 00:28:53,096 So the five stories of steep terraces are planted 523 00:28:53,120 --> 00:28:57,701 with 120 species normally found in high-altitude forests 524 00:28:57,725 --> 00:29:00,270 around the world. 525 00:29:00,294 --> 00:29:04,741 The team have to plant 60,000 shrubs, ferns and flowers. 526 00:29:04,765 --> 00:29:07,644 Plus 3,000 mature trees, 527 00:29:07,668 --> 00:29:10,414 including 40-foot palms so heavy, 528 00:29:10,438 --> 00:29:13,116 they have to be winched into position. 529 00:29:13,140 --> 00:29:17,044 And a 120-year-old tree from Spain. 530 00:29:18,379 --> 00:29:19,990 It's taken six years. 531 00:29:20,014 --> 00:29:24,394 It cost 1.25 billion dollars to complete. 532 00:29:24,418 --> 00:29:25,796 The question now 533 00:29:25,820 --> 00:29:27,555 is will anyone like it? 534 00:29:32,337 --> 00:29:33,715 [Narrator] Most of the world's airports 535 00:29:33,739 --> 00:29:37,819 are 21st century bus stations, drab and gray, 536 00:29:37,843 --> 00:29:40,154 shaped more by the mechanics of transit 537 00:29:40,178 --> 00:29:42,114 than the beauty of design. 538 00:29:43,548 --> 00:29:46,761 But on Easter Sunday in 2019, 539 00:29:46,785 --> 00:29:51,332 the boldest most spectacular airport terminal in the world 540 00:29:51,356 --> 00:29:54,593 opens its doors. 541 00:29:57,496 --> 00:30:01,876 And 600,000 people rush in to see it, 542 00:30:01,900 --> 00:30:06,138 10% of Singapore's entire population. 543 00:30:08,039 --> 00:30:11,686 [Jaron] It was almost like a festival had arrived at Jewel. 544 00:30:11,710 --> 00:30:15,289 There were so many smiling faces upon the opening of this project 545 00:30:15,313 --> 00:30:17,558 and it was just heart-warming. 546 00:30:17,582 --> 00:30:19,584 It was a proud moment for the whole team. 547 00:30:24,022 --> 00:30:26,134 [Narrator] Underneath seven acres of steel 548 00:30:26,158 --> 00:30:27,935 and glass gridshell, 549 00:30:27,959 --> 00:30:32,931 visitors can enjoy sky nets, crystal clouds and mazes. 550 00:30:35,400 --> 00:30:38,279 Or they can brave the 165-foot long, 551 00:30:38,303 --> 00:30:42,808 glass-bottomed canopy bridge suspended 75 feet in the air. 552 00:30:43,909 --> 00:30:45,353 While below it, 553 00:30:45,377 --> 00:30:49,014 travelers enjoy the spray wafting from the rain vortex. 554 00:30:52,250 --> 00:30:54,128 When you see people arriving with their suitcases, 555 00:30:54,152 --> 00:30:57,198 they're just kinda, they're like, a little bit dumbstruck. 556 00:30:57,222 --> 00:30:58,499 They can hear the waterfall. 557 00:30:58,523 --> 00:31:00,468 They can feel the wetness from the waterfall. 558 00:31:00,492 --> 00:31:02,570 They can see the green. 559 00:31:02,594 --> 00:31:05,139 And it think it's just like, kind of overwhelming. 560 00:31:05,163 --> 00:31:06,965 It's a very inspiring space. 561 00:31:08,033 --> 00:31:10,077 [Narrator] And nighttime brings an even more 562 00:31:10,101 --> 00:31:11,837 show-stopping spectacle. 563 00:31:13,872 --> 00:31:16,942 With light projections dancing off the cascade. 564 00:31:18,310 --> 00:31:22,223 This airport is no longer a way station to other destinations. 565 00:31:22,247 --> 00:31:24,916 It is a destination itself. 566 00:31:25,951 --> 00:31:29,397 No surprise that Jewel Changi surpassed its annual target 567 00:31:29,421 --> 00:31:33,734 of 50 million visitors just six months after opening. 568 00:31:33,758 --> 00:31:35,970 I don't know any other airport where people say, 569 00:31:35,994 --> 00:31:39,240 I want to have a stopover, because that way I can see it. 570 00:31:39,264 --> 00:31:42,601 In that sense, I think it really put Changi Airport on the map. 571 00:31:44,369 --> 00:31:47,281 [Narrator] In 2019 and 2020, 572 00:31:47,305 --> 00:31:51,152 Singapore Airport is ranked the world's best. 573 00:31:51,176 --> 00:31:54,355 It also gains an unbeatable platinum award 574 00:31:54,379 --> 00:31:57,391 for sustainability. 575 00:31:57,415 --> 00:32:00,027 [Jaron] I don't think I'm alone in saying that Jewel was one 576 00:32:00,051 --> 00:32:03,898 of the most complex projects that I've ever worked on. 577 00:32:03,922 --> 00:32:07,435 And I'm very proud that we were able to deliver what we promised 578 00:32:07,459 --> 00:32:11,596 if not more than what we promised. 579 00:32:15,200 --> 00:32:21,139 [music] 580 00:32:23,875 --> 00:32:26,254 Now if you were asked to design a museum 581 00:32:26,278 --> 00:32:27,855 inspired by Salvador Dali, 582 00:32:27,879 --> 00:32:30,658 one of the greatest surrealist artists who ever lived, 583 00:32:30,682 --> 00:32:32,226 how tempting would it be to shape it 584 00:32:32,250 --> 00:32:33,828 like a huge melting clock? 585 00:32:33,852 --> 00:32:35,630 Or like a lobster telephone? 586 00:32:35,654 --> 00:32:37,231 That would be crazy. 587 00:32:37,255 --> 00:32:39,000 Almost as crazy as say, 588 00:32:39,024 --> 00:32:42,069 building a museum around an endless helical staircase. 589 00:32:42,093 --> 00:32:46,340 No one would ever be crazy enough to do that, right? 590 00:32:46,364 --> 00:32:47,732 Wrong. 591 00:32:51,403 --> 00:32:53,605 [Narrator] St. Petersburg, Florida. 592 00:32:55,173 --> 00:32:57,175 Locals call it St. Pete. 593 00:32:58,009 --> 00:33:02,857 Tourists attracted by an average of 361 sunny days per year, 594 00:33:02,881 --> 00:33:05,250 call it Sunshine City. 595 00:33:07,252 --> 00:33:12,123 Home to around 270,000 people who came for that sun and water. 596 00:33:14,025 --> 00:33:16,003 St. Pete has another attraction 597 00:33:16,027 --> 00:33:18,263 that might broaden the city's appeal. 598 00:33:21,266 --> 00:33:24,645 Because it's also home to one of only two major museums in the 599 00:33:24,669 --> 00:33:30,151 world dedicated to the works of Spanish artist, Salvador Dali. 600 00:33:30,175 --> 00:33:32,920 A building that's almost as strange and arresting 601 00:33:32,944 --> 00:33:36,924 as the paintings that hang inside. 602 00:33:36,948 --> 00:33:41,162 The result is a mind-bending building to look at. 603 00:33:41,186 --> 00:33:44,098 [Narrator] A building as tough as it is good looking. 604 00:33:44,122 --> 00:33:45,700 It can stand up to a two by four being 605 00:33:45,724 --> 00:33:47,425 shot out of a cannon at it. 606 00:33:48,727 --> 00:33:51,639 [Narrator] It's protected from the worst of Florida's weather. 607 00:33:51,663 --> 00:33:54,699 This is the Dali Museum, St. Petersburg. 608 00:33:55,700 --> 00:33:58,169 So how did they build it? 609 00:34:00,972 --> 00:34:03,150 St. Petersburg may not immediately seem 610 00:34:03,174 --> 00:34:07,788 the most obvious place to find a collection of over 2,400 pieces 611 00:34:07,812 --> 00:34:10,215 by the Spanish artist, Salvador Dali. 612 00:34:11,683 --> 00:34:15,186 A man whose paintings sell for tens of millions of dollars. 613 00:34:17,255 --> 00:34:20,267 The story behind the museum and the artwork in it 614 00:34:20,291 --> 00:34:24,105 begins with a love affair started some 80 years ago. 615 00:34:24,129 --> 00:34:25,473 This collection, 616 00:34:25,497 --> 00:34:28,009 which is the preeminent collection of Dali in the world 617 00:34:28,033 --> 00:34:32,070 was formed by Reynolds and Eleanor Morse. 618 00:34:32,837 --> 00:34:35,316 They had collected Dali from the first days of 619 00:34:35,340 --> 00:34:37,985 their romantic engagement. 620 00:34:38,009 --> 00:34:40,488 They actually bought each other a Dali painting 621 00:34:40,512 --> 00:34:42,414 as a wedding present. 622 00:34:42,881 --> 00:34:44,959 [Narrator] That was in 1942. 623 00:34:44,983 --> 00:34:48,963 And over the next 25 years, they added to their collection 624 00:34:48,987 --> 00:34:53,234 becoming both Dali's patrons and friends. 625 00:34:53,258 --> 00:34:56,937 In 1971, they decided to open their first Dali museum 626 00:34:56,961 --> 00:34:58,797 in Cleveland, Ohio. 627 00:34:59,464 --> 00:35:02,767 With Dali attending the opening in person. 628 00:35:04,202 --> 00:35:07,648 Ten years later, they decided to move the collection. 629 00:35:07,672 --> 00:35:10,909 And eventually, they found a location in St. Petersburg. 630 00:35:12,644 --> 00:35:16,514 The museum opened in 1981 in a downtown marine warehouse. 631 00:35:17,348 --> 00:35:19,884 And here it stayed for another 28 years. 632 00:35:25,990 --> 00:35:28,193 But there was a problem. 633 00:35:30,261 --> 00:35:33,974 Florida's six-month hurricane season wreaks yearly destruction 634 00:35:33,998 --> 00:35:36,367 up and down the coast. 635 00:35:38,970 --> 00:35:41,615 And every time a major storm threatened the area, 636 00:35:41,639 --> 00:35:44,418 the incredible collection of paintings and rare books 637 00:35:44,442 --> 00:35:46,220 worth millions of dollars 638 00:35:46,244 --> 00:35:49,180 had to be moved in case the worst was to happen. 639 00:35:54,452 --> 00:35:59,734 In 2008, the museum decides it wants to redesign the building. 640 00:35:59,758 --> 00:36:02,536 To do it, they bring in Yann Weymouth. 641 00:36:02,560 --> 00:36:05,506 Who'd been involved in creating the glass pyramid 642 00:36:05,530 --> 00:36:07,298 at the Louvre in Paris. 643 00:36:09,367 --> 00:36:12,046 Yann has bigger and bolder ideas than simply 644 00:36:12,070 --> 00:36:15,082 redesigning the existing space. 645 00:36:15,106 --> 00:36:17,518 [Yann] The museum was right on the water 646 00:36:17,542 --> 00:36:21,146 and it was very vulnerable to potential storms. 647 00:36:22,013 --> 00:36:24,258 The first goal was protect it 648 00:36:24,282 --> 00:36:28,729 from any potential climate events. 649 00:36:28,753 --> 00:36:32,533 The second goal was, oh, and by the way, 650 00:36:32,557 --> 00:36:35,803 we would like the museum to be unlike any museum 651 00:36:35,827 --> 00:36:38,863 we've ever seen, and iconic. 652 00:36:41,032 --> 00:36:42,610 [Narrator] Having convinced the foundation that this 653 00:36:42,634 --> 00:36:46,447 irreplaceable collection needs a completely new building, 654 00:36:46,471 --> 00:36:49,183 Yann gets to work designing somewhere strong enough 655 00:36:49,207 --> 00:36:53,053 to protect it from Florida's most violent hurricanes. 656 00:36:53,077 --> 00:36:56,390 [Ellie] We've got 150-mph winds. 657 00:36:56,414 --> 00:36:58,692 We've got storm surges. We've got floods. 658 00:36:58,716 --> 00:37:00,661 And we've got huge pieces of debris 659 00:37:00,685 --> 00:37:03,063 flying right at our building. 660 00:37:03,087 --> 00:37:07,768 Protect the collection is making this place a fort. 661 00:37:07,792 --> 00:37:09,236 [Narrator] At the heart of the design 662 00:37:09,260 --> 00:37:11,572 is a box that will be so strong 663 00:37:11,596 --> 00:37:15,209 that it will fend off anything the weather throws at it. 664 00:37:15,233 --> 00:37:18,579 The walls are 18-inches thick. 665 00:37:18,603 --> 00:37:21,048 And they are laced with 666 00:37:21,072 --> 00:37:23,608 hundreds of kilometers of steel bars. 667 00:37:25,310 --> 00:37:26,854 [Narrator] The engineer charged with building 668 00:37:26,878 --> 00:37:30,658 this impregnable gallery is Scott Martin. 669 00:37:30,682 --> 00:37:33,928 [Scott] We wanted to make the building to protect the artwork. 670 00:37:33,952 --> 00:37:35,496 That's what really drove me to and got me excited 671 00:37:35,520 --> 00:37:38,399 to protect the artwork no matter what elements 672 00:37:38,423 --> 00:37:40,634 mother nature had to throw at it. 673 00:37:40,658 --> 00:37:43,404 [Narrator] Although concrete and steel is a tried and tested 674 00:37:43,428 --> 00:37:45,039 construction method, 675 00:37:45,063 --> 00:37:47,174 building in Sunshine City 676 00:37:47,198 --> 00:37:50,644 gave the engineering team its first headache. 677 00:37:50,668 --> 00:37:53,113 [Hayley] When poured in hot weather, concrete sets faster, 678 00:37:53,137 --> 00:37:55,416 so you must work quicker. 679 00:37:55,440 --> 00:37:58,552 Moisture evaporation is accelerated making cracking 680 00:37:58,576 --> 00:38:02,313 more likely reducing the overall strength of the concrete. 681 00:38:02,881 --> 00:38:06,927 [music] 682 00:38:06,951 --> 00:38:08,729 [Narrator] Next, 683 00:38:08,753 --> 00:38:10,588 can they pour it fast enough? 684 00:38:13,202 --> 00:38:14,746 [Narrator] In Florida, 685 00:38:14,770 --> 00:38:17,982 the new Salvador Dali Museum is under construction. 686 00:38:18,006 --> 00:38:23,088 And the massive job of pouring the concrete is underway. 687 00:38:23,112 --> 00:38:25,223 Because so much concrete would be visible 688 00:38:25,247 --> 00:38:26,891 in the finished building, 689 00:38:26,915 --> 00:38:30,762 the design spec also requires minimal joints. 690 00:38:30,786 --> 00:38:32,931 The engineer's solution to both challenges 691 00:38:32,955 --> 00:38:35,967 is to use a system of form work or molds, 692 00:38:35,991 --> 00:38:40,138 which they then fill with huge batches of concrete. 693 00:38:40,162 --> 00:38:42,874 But that creates another problem, wood, 694 00:38:42,898 --> 00:38:45,510 the material traditionally used to build the molds 695 00:38:45,534 --> 00:38:47,946 isn't going to be up to the job. 696 00:38:47,970 --> 00:38:50,148 [Scott] There's a lot of outward forces exerted on the form work, 697 00:38:50,172 --> 00:38:53,551 so they use steel form work here and with strong ties going 698 00:38:53,575 --> 00:38:56,688 between the two, so when they pour the concrete inside of it 699 00:38:56,712 --> 00:38:59,257 and the concrete wanted to force the forms apart, 700 00:38:59,281 --> 00:39:00,792 the forms kept it together and were able to 701 00:39:00,816 --> 00:39:03,161 because they were made out of steel. 702 00:39:03,185 --> 00:39:07,665 [Narrator] It takes seven months and 20,000 tons of concrete, 703 00:39:07,689 --> 00:39:12,404 but in October 2009, the cube is complete. 704 00:39:12,428 --> 00:39:16,241 That was the first part of the concept, strong box. 705 00:39:16,265 --> 00:39:19,611 The problem with a strong box is the gold of the United States 706 00:39:19,635 --> 00:39:21,946 is kept in Fort Knox in Texas. 707 00:39:21,970 --> 00:39:25,817 And fortresses are not terribly inviting to come in. 708 00:39:25,841 --> 00:39:28,520 A challenge that engineers and architects face 709 00:39:28,544 --> 00:39:31,923 is that balance between form and function. 710 00:39:31,947 --> 00:39:34,893 The easiest way to protect the art would have been to lock it 711 00:39:34,917 --> 00:39:38,897 in a big concrete box, but where's the fun in that? 712 00:39:38,921 --> 00:39:42,434 This building is not only about keeping something safe, 713 00:39:42,458 --> 00:39:44,469 it's also about showing it off. 714 00:39:44,493 --> 00:39:48,740 How do you make a museum that people will want to be in 715 00:39:48,764 --> 00:39:52,544 and how do you make that museum not claustrophobic? 716 00:39:52,568 --> 00:39:54,579 Well, that's very simple. 717 00:39:54,603 --> 00:39:58,149 You give them light. You give them space. 718 00:39:58,173 --> 00:40:00,185 You give it volume. 719 00:40:00,209 --> 00:40:05,924 The box needs to be somewhat disrupted by something in glass. 720 00:40:05,948 --> 00:40:08,092 [Narrator] Yann's solution is to leave open part of the 721 00:40:08,116 --> 00:40:11,863 concrete box in order to bring light into the huge atrium 722 00:40:11,887 --> 00:40:13,555 and the galleries. 723 00:40:15,190 --> 00:40:20,038 They'll then create a futuristic glass dome worthy of Dali 724 00:40:20,062 --> 00:40:21,673 nicknamed The Enigma. 725 00:40:21,697 --> 00:40:26,401 It will be made up of 1,062 triangular panes of glass. 726 00:40:27,469 --> 00:40:29,981 Although the idea comes from Yann and the team, 727 00:40:30,005 --> 00:40:32,808 the final design isn't down to any human. 728 00:40:33,308 --> 00:40:35,353 This structure is possible 729 00:40:35,377 --> 00:40:37,655 because of computer-aided design. 730 00:40:37,679 --> 00:40:40,158 By using computer software, we can create 731 00:40:40,182 --> 00:40:43,495 really complex designs allowing us to push the limits 732 00:40:43,519 --> 00:40:44,953 like never before. 733 00:40:46,054 --> 00:40:48,600 [Narrator] Despite being largely made from glass, 734 00:40:48,624 --> 00:40:52,070 Enigma has to be super tough. 735 00:40:52,094 --> 00:40:55,940 Fabricated in triangular panes, the strongest shape. 736 00:40:55,964 --> 00:41:00,278 It is also made from reinforced structural glass. 737 00:41:00,302 --> 00:41:04,573 Then it needs testing to make sure it is tough enough. 738 00:41:05,507 --> 00:41:07,452 Because we're in a large missile-impact region 739 00:41:07,476 --> 00:41:09,087 or a windborne debris region, 740 00:41:09,111 --> 00:41:11,022 um, and that's anywhere in Florida where the winds 741 00:41:11,046 --> 00:41:13,091 can go over 140 mph. 742 00:41:13,115 --> 00:41:15,627 Any kind of glass needs to be impact resistant, 743 00:41:15,651 --> 00:41:17,562 which means it can stand up to a two by four 744 00:41:17,586 --> 00:41:19,831 being shot out of a cannon at it. 745 00:41:19,855 --> 00:41:22,100 So all the glass panels have been designed and tested 746 00:41:22,124 --> 00:41:24,602 at a wind tunnel test in Miami. 747 00:41:24,626 --> 00:41:26,070 They've got a two by four cannon. 748 00:41:26,094 --> 00:41:27,605 They shoot it at glass panels to make sure 749 00:41:27,629 --> 00:41:29,498 it can stand up to large missile impact tests. 750 00:41:31,333 --> 00:41:32,644 [Narrator] With the artwork safe 751 00:41:32,668 --> 00:41:34,879 and the outside of the building solid, 752 00:41:34,903 --> 00:41:38,616 Yann has one very large surrealist twist in mind 753 00:41:38,640 --> 00:41:42,253 for the center of the museum. 754 00:41:42,277 --> 00:41:47,125 Something that would have made Dali himself smile. 755 00:41:47,149 --> 00:41:50,728 [Yann] We have three high-speed, very efficient, energy-conscious 756 00:41:50,752 --> 00:41:53,765 elevators to take people up, 757 00:41:53,789 --> 00:41:57,635 but how do you signal to people that there's a way up? 758 00:41:57,659 --> 00:42:00,471 A spiral staircase seemed a natural. 759 00:42:00,495 --> 00:42:01,973 Dali loved spirals. 760 00:42:01,997 --> 00:42:06,177 He loved DNA. It's a structural tour de force. 761 00:42:06,201 --> 00:42:09,614 [Narrator] The enormous spiral staircase is to be made entirely 762 00:42:09,638 --> 00:42:11,749 out of steel and concrete 763 00:42:11,773 --> 00:42:15,653 touching the building at two points. 764 00:42:15,677 --> 00:42:19,290 The engineers pour the concrete in eight-foot sections 765 00:42:19,314 --> 00:42:21,859 and have to support it as they go 766 00:42:21,883 --> 00:42:24,162 because it won't be able to stand by itself 767 00:42:24,186 --> 00:42:26,030 until it's finished. 768 00:42:26,054 --> 00:42:30,001 And even then, only if they get it right. 769 00:42:30,025 --> 00:42:31,603 [Scott] We'd never done a stair like this before 770 00:42:31,627 --> 00:42:33,037 that was free standing like this. 771 00:42:33,061 --> 00:42:34,973 So when using shoring on something like this 772 00:42:34,997 --> 00:42:37,642 and the concrete has to stand on its own. 773 00:42:37,666 --> 00:42:39,611 [Narrator] The moment of truth comes. 774 00:42:39,635 --> 00:42:41,779 And the engineers remove the form work to see 775 00:42:41,803 --> 00:42:44,849 if their calculations are correct. 776 00:42:44,873 --> 00:42:49,011 One mistake and they will be left with a pile of rubble. 777 00:42:50,245 --> 00:42:52,790 [Scott] It's always a little nerve-racking and um, maybe 778 00:42:52,814 --> 00:42:55,827 get a couple of sleepless nights out of it, but at the end it all 779 00:42:55,851 --> 00:42:59,230 came out like we designed it to. 780 00:42:59,254 --> 00:43:02,467 [Narrator] It may have taken three years in the making, 781 00:43:02,491 --> 00:43:05,336 10,000 yards of concrete, 782 00:43:05,360 --> 00:43:07,839 220 miles of rebar, 783 00:43:07,863 --> 00:43:11,800 and 1,062 triangles of glass, 784 00:43:12,968 --> 00:43:16,948 but in 2011, the Dali Museum is finally complete 785 00:43:16,972 --> 00:43:21,152 and ready to throw open its doors to the public. 786 00:43:21,176 --> 00:43:23,521 [Yann] They were astonished. 787 00:43:23,545 --> 00:43:26,524 I'm sure some of them thought it was strange. 788 00:43:26,548 --> 00:43:29,060 There's a sense of life to it. 789 00:43:29,084 --> 00:43:30,528 [Scott] I think Dali would have been impressed. 790 00:43:30,552 --> 00:43:31,996 It's something that's outside the box. 791 00:43:32,020 --> 00:43:34,799 It's surreal, that's unique, that's completely atypical 792 00:43:34,823 --> 00:43:37,068 to anything else around here or in the country. 793 00:43:37,092 --> 00:43:38,803 Uh, I think he would have been proud of, 794 00:43:38,827 --> 00:43:40,505 of the building that we built. 795 00:43:40,529 --> 00:43:44,542 [Narrator] Designed to survive the worst hurricanes imaginable, 796 00:43:44,566 --> 00:43:46,411 the Dali Museum will continue 797 00:43:46,435 --> 00:43:48,680 to keep this quiet corner of Florida, 798 00:43:48,704 --> 00:43:51,506 weird, for years to come.