1 00:00:00,734 --> 00:00:03,446 [music] 2 00:00:03,470 --> 00:00:05,181 [Male narrator]: How do you build a glass bridge 3 00:00:05,205 --> 00:00:07,283 out over the Grand Canyon? 4 00:00:07,307 --> 00:00:09,142 We all thought it was an April Fool's joke. 5 00:00:10,777 --> 00:00:13,089 [Narrator]: What engineering secret makes a library 6 00:00:13,113 --> 00:00:15,191 defy the laws of gravity? 7 00:00:15,215 --> 00:00:16,559 [Ellie]: It's just completely bonkers. 8 00:00:16,583 --> 00:00:19,152 It looks like it's gonna fall down at any moment. 9 00:00:20,420 --> 00:00:22,598 [Narrator]: And how do you build a museum tough enough 10 00:00:22,622 --> 00:00:26,569 to survive anything Mother Nature throws at it? 11 00:00:26,593 --> 00:00:28,304 [Eric]: We had to design inside the piers 12 00:00:28,328 --> 00:00:29,538 for the impact of a car 13 00:00:29,562 --> 00:00:31,431 travelling at 2 metres per second 14 00:00:38,304 --> 00:00:41,241 [Narrator]: This is the age of the extraordinary. 15 00:00:43,777 --> 00:00:46,622 [Hayley]: It's like one of those insect-eating plants, 16 00:00:46,646 --> 00:00:48,824 only enormous and white. 17 00:00:48,848 --> 00:00:51,193 [Narrator]: Where ingenious engineers have unleashed 18 00:00:51,217 --> 00:00:54,330 unchecked creativity. 19 00:00:54,354 --> 00:00:57,800 Now their secrets are revealed 20 00:00:57,824 --> 00:01:01,871 as we discover the amazing stories of their construction. 21 00:01:01,895 --> 00:01:05,365 This is an incredible feat of planning and engineering. 22 00:01:07,534 --> 00:01:10,312 [Narrator]: To try and understand... 23 00:01:10,336 --> 00:01:12,505 how did they build that? 24 00:01:15,442 --> 00:01:17,620 How to take the most breath-taking selfie 25 00:01:17,644 --> 00:01:19,355 at the Grand Canyon is a question 26 00:01:19,379 --> 00:01:22,291 that's been troubling minds since... 27 00:01:22,315 --> 00:01:24,593 Well, since selfies began, really. 28 00:01:24,617 --> 00:01:27,997 We've gone up in a helicopter. We've tried the VR simulator. 29 00:01:28,021 --> 00:01:30,266 But to really get the heart pumping, 30 00:01:30,290 --> 00:01:34,203 how about walking out over the canyon and staring down, 31 00:01:34,227 --> 00:01:39,208 past your shoes, into the gaping 4000-foot abyss? 32 00:01:39,232 --> 00:01:41,377 "Come on, Jay, that's impossible!" 33 00:01:41,401 --> 00:01:42,945 I know that's what you're saying. 34 00:01:42,969 --> 00:01:45,438 Impossible? Says who? 35 00:01:46,806 --> 00:01:49,576 [Narrator]: The Grand Canyon in northern Arizona. 36 00:01:50,677 --> 00:01:53,346 One of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. 37 00:01:55,215 --> 00:01:57,092 Created by nature, its stunning beauty 38 00:01:57,116 --> 00:02:00,863 has made it one of the most famous and most visited places 39 00:02:00,887 --> 00:02:02,522 in the United States. 40 00:02:05,291 --> 00:02:08,737 Back in 1903, President Teddy Roosevelt declared, 41 00:02:08,761 --> 00:02:10,206 "Leave it as it is." 42 00:02:10,230 --> 00:02:13,142 He said, "You cannot improve on it. 43 00:02:13,166 --> 00:02:16,870 The ages have been at work on it and man can only mar it." 44 00:02:19,472 --> 00:02:21,283 And for more than a century, 45 00:02:21,307 --> 00:02:23,018 the spirit of that idea held true 46 00:02:23,042 --> 00:02:27,056 with the millions of visitors taking a peak over the edge, 47 00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:29,492 white water rafting through it, 48 00:02:29,516 --> 00:02:33,319 or for the lucky few, taking it all in from the air 49 00:02:35,388 --> 00:02:37,366 That is, until in 2003, 50 00:02:37,390 --> 00:02:39,602 when the Hualapai tribe decided to build 51 00:02:39,626 --> 00:02:42,204 a very special viewing platform 52 00:02:42,228 --> 00:02:45,741 that's anything but run of the mill. 53 00:02:45,765 --> 00:02:47,443 [Hayley]: When you're building in a landscape 54 00:02:47,467 --> 00:02:50,537 as beautiful as this, everything has to be perfect. 55 00:02:53,406 --> 00:02:56,385 [Narrator]: So they created a glass-bottomed walkway 56 00:02:56,409 --> 00:02:59,679 that stretches 70 feet out over the edge. 57 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:02,858 It's just really cool how you can look down 58 00:03:02,882 --> 00:03:04,593 and see straight down. 59 00:03:04,617 --> 00:03:06,362 Oh my goodness, this is scary. 60 00:03:06,386 --> 00:03:09,965 I've seen the sign that says, "I chickened out." 61 00:03:09,989 --> 00:03:13,168 Well, it pushes you out into the canyon itself. 62 00:03:13,192 --> 00:03:15,838 So it's a very nice feeling. 63 00:03:15,862 --> 00:03:17,940 [Narrator]: Without visible supports, 64 00:03:17,964 --> 00:03:19,608 the structure appears to float 65 00:03:19,632 --> 00:03:23,779 4000 feet above the canyon floor. 66 00:03:23,803 --> 00:03:26,506 It's a dizzying engineering achievement 67 00:03:27,707 --> 00:03:30,085 [Corina]: The skywalk is not really for those 68 00:03:30,109 --> 00:03:32,021 with a distrust in engineering. 69 00:03:32,045 --> 00:03:35,281 In fact, it's an act of faith just to walk out there. 70 00:03:38,351 --> 00:03:41,997 [Narrator]: This is the Grand Canyon Skywalk, 71 00:03:42,021 --> 00:03:45,401 a big dream that almost pushed designers and engineers 72 00:03:45,425 --> 00:03:48,237 over the edge. 73 00:03:48,261 --> 00:03:50,663 So how did they build it? 74 00:03:58,671 --> 00:04:04,119 Carved 6 million years ago by the mighty Colorado River, 75 00:04:04,143 --> 00:04:08,691 the Grand Canyon is 277 miles long, 76 00:04:08,715 --> 00:04:11,927 18 miles across at its widest, 77 00:04:11,951 --> 00:04:14,863 and over a mile deep. 78 00:04:14,887 --> 00:04:18,324 It's so large, it creates its own weather. 79 00:04:20,927 --> 00:04:23,639 It's also home to the Hualapai tribe, 80 00:04:23,663 --> 00:04:27,000 which owns over a million acres in northwest Arizona. 81 00:04:28,368 --> 00:04:31,013 In 2003, they seize the opportunity 82 00:04:31,037 --> 00:04:32,581 to share their culture 83 00:04:32,605 --> 00:04:35,651 and raise funds for the local community 84 00:04:35,675 --> 00:04:38,420 by creating somewhere special for visitors to enjoy 85 00:04:38,444 --> 00:04:40,990 an unparalleled view of the canyon 86 00:04:41,014 --> 00:04:43,449 at an important tribal landmark. 87 00:04:46,719 --> 00:04:51,000 This spot, Eagle Point, is very sacred to our Hualapai people. 88 00:04:51,024 --> 00:04:55,170 As you can see, there's a rock formation of Eagle Point. 89 00:04:55,194 --> 00:04:59,708 Historically, what our forefathers and our medicine men 90 00:04:59,732 --> 00:05:02,911 would do was come here to this specific spot 91 00:05:02,935 --> 00:05:06,849 to pray for the wellness and well-being of our people. 92 00:05:06,873 --> 00:05:11,644 And from here, the Eagle carries the prayers up to our creator. 93 00:05:12,945 --> 00:05:15,190 [Narrator]: It is an extraordinary place 94 00:05:15,214 --> 00:05:17,459 with an incredible view. 95 00:05:17,483 --> 00:05:19,662 Simply perfect 96 00:05:19,686 --> 00:05:23,022 and deserving of something completely out of the ordinary. 97 00:05:24,157 --> 00:05:25,801 Together with a developer, 98 00:05:25,825 --> 00:05:29,038 they hatch a ground-breaking plan to build a glass bridge 99 00:05:29,062 --> 00:05:31,573 out over the canyon. 100 00:05:31,597 --> 00:05:33,642 [Ruby]: We knew that the skywalk 101 00:05:33,666 --> 00:05:36,311 was definitely the first in the world. 102 00:05:36,335 --> 00:05:38,781 And we knew that it would put 103 00:05:38,805 --> 00:05:41,974 Hualapai Grand Canyon West on the map. 104 00:05:43,109 --> 00:05:45,087 [Corina]: Many grand designs are built simply to serve 105 00:05:45,111 --> 00:05:46,722 the egos of billionaires. 106 00:05:46,746 --> 00:05:51,451 But this bridge will bring real benefit to the local community. 107 00:05:53,219 --> 00:05:56,665 [Narrator]: That's if they can actually build it, 108 00:05:56,689 --> 00:05:59,134 because besides the brand-new cultural centre, 109 00:05:59,158 --> 00:06:02,337 the design calls for a 150-foot steel bridge 110 00:06:02,361 --> 00:06:04,640 that extends 70 feet out 111 00:06:04,664 --> 00:06:07,209 before curving back in a huge horseshoe 112 00:06:07,233 --> 00:06:08,801 and re-joining land. 113 00:06:10,803 --> 00:06:12,781 It will appear unsupported, 114 00:06:12,805 --> 00:06:16,075 hovering 4000 feet above the river below. 115 00:06:18,211 --> 00:06:22,582 Its floor will be made from 46 panels of super-strong glass. 116 00:06:23,883 --> 00:06:27,162 Taking the walkway will be like walking on air, 117 00:06:27,186 --> 00:06:31,124 giving visitors a hair-raising view down into the valley below. 118 00:06:32,792 --> 00:06:34,937 But designing is one thing. 119 00:06:34,961 --> 00:06:38,307 Constructing is something else entirely. 120 00:06:38,331 --> 00:06:40,542 [Hayley]: With a structure that's never been built before, 121 00:06:40,566 --> 00:06:43,479 you're heading into the unknown. But with this structure, 122 00:06:43,503 --> 00:06:46,072 the unknown happens to be at the edge of a cliff. 123 00:06:47,173 --> 00:06:49,051 [Narrator]: This monumental task 124 00:06:49,075 --> 00:06:52,245 falls to engineer Scott Klempke and his team. 125 00:06:53,279 --> 00:06:56,859 A friend of a friend brought in a set of plans, a new project, 126 00:06:56,883 --> 00:06:59,862 and said, uh, "Bridge over the Grand Canyon." 127 00:06:59,886 --> 00:07:02,197 And we all thought it was an April Fool's joke. 128 00:07:02,221 --> 00:07:03,665 And we started paging through it 129 00:07:03,689 --> 00:07:06,902 and saw that it was literally a horseshoe bridge. 130 00:07:06,926 --> 00:07:08,303 We started looking at it seriously 131 00:07:08,327 --> 00:07:10,773 and thought it was something we could perform well on. 132 00:07:10,797 --> 00:07:13,266 And we focused all of our attention to this project. 133 00:07:14,233 --> 00:07:15,644 [Narrator]: The first challenge Scott and the team 134 00:07:15,668 --> 00:07:19,214 have to overcome is creating foundations on land 135 00:07:19,238 --> 00:07:23,018 that will be strong enough to support a 600-ton bridge 136 00:07:23,042 --> 00:07:26,989 that only touches the ground at two points. 137 00:07:27,013 --> 00:07:29,658 They turn to a piece of engineering magic 138 00:07:29,682 --> 00:07:31,860 called a cantilever. 139 00:07:31,884 --> 00:07:34,730 The skywalk is cantilever engineering 140 00:07:34,754 --> 00:07:36,899 at its absolute purest. 141 00:07:36,923 --> 00:07:39,935 Only its integral strength allows it to extend 142 00:07:39,959 --> 00:07:44,673 that breath-taking 70 feet clear of the cliff edge. 143 00:07:44,697 --> 00:07:46,408 But it's a heavy structure, 144 00:07:46,432 --> 00:07:50,036 so it's gonna need some serious anchoring to its host rock. 145 00:07:52,238 --> 00:07:54,216 [Narrator]: Thankfully, the site's geology 146 00:07:54,240 --> 00:07:56,852 makes it perfect for the job. 147 00:07:56,876 --> 00:07:58,921 [Ruby]: The rock within the area 148 00:07:58,945 --> 00:08:01,890 was the strongest here at Grand Canyon West 149 00:08:01,914 --> 00:08:05,184 to hold a building of this magnitude. 150 00:08:07,053 --> 00:08:09,398 [Narrator]: In 2004, seven years of 151 00:08:09,422 --> 00:08:11,900 planning and wondering is over. 152 00:08:11,924 --> 00:08:13,902 It's time to bring in the equipment 153 00:08:13,926 --> 00:08:17,072 and see if they can translate the design on paper 154 00:08:17,096 --> 00:08:20,042 to reality in the rock. 155 00:08:20,066 --> 00:08:23,545 Work begins on the foundations, which involves the engineers 156 00:08:23,569 --> 00:08:26,639 drilling down 50 feet into the cliff face. 157 00:08:27,607 --> 00:08:30,018 They then fill each hole with concrete 158 00:08:30,042 --> 00:08:33,322 that's reinforced with tons of heavy-duty steel rods 159 00:08:33,346 --> 00:08:35,524 known as rebar. 160 00:08:35,548 --> 00:08:37,826 It will create a series of micropiles 161 00:08:37,850 --> 00:08:39,862 anchoring the bridge to the cliff 162 00:08:39,886 --> 00:08:43,565 and stopping it from toppling over the edge. 163 00:08:43,589 --> 00:08:45,467 [Scott]: There's a cluster of micropiles... 164 00:08:45,491 --> 00:08:50,305 Dozens, maybe, maybe 30 of them going down about 50 feet. 165 00:08:50,329 --> 00:08:51,473 [Narrator]: The team then pours 166 00:08:51,497 --> 00:08:53,842 a huge slab of reinforced concrete 167 00:08:53,866 --> 00:08:56,078 which connects all the micropiles, 168 00:08:56,102 --> 00:09:00,082 and onto which the sky bridge will eventually fix. 169 00:09:00,106 --> 00:09:03,776 So that's a massive footing up top here, connecting all those. 170 00:09:07,079 --> 00:09:08,991 [Narrator]: With the foundations in place, 171 00:09:09,015 --> 00:09:11,293 the plan is to transport the 50-feet-long 172 00:09:11,317 --> 00:09:12,928 steel sections of bridge 173 00:09:12,952 --> 00:09:15,397 that have been fabricated in Salt Lake City 174 00:09:15,421 --> 00:09:18,567 to the site by truck. 175 00:09:18,591 --> 00:09:20,469 But the remoteness of the location 176 00:09:20,493 --> 00:09:22,170 and rough road to get there 177 00:09:22,194 --> 00:09:25,774 mean drivers will only come partway. 178 00:09:25,798 --> 00:09:27,910 We had, you know, $100,000 rigs sitting there, 179 00:09:27,934 --> 00:09:30,779 and they would stop, and they wanted to be offloaded. 180 00:09:30,803 --> 00:09:32,581 And we had to put them on short-load trucks 181 00:09:32,605 --> 00:09:34,006 and haul them in. 182 00:09:35,708 --> 00:09:37,552 [Narrator]: One by one, the pieces of the bridge 183 00:09:37,576 --> 00:09:40,188 are hauled to Eagle's Point. 184 00:09:40,212 --> 00:09:42,691 The next challenge is figuring out exactly 185 00:09:42,715 --> 00:09:43,992 how they're going to fix 186 00:09:44,016 --> 00:09:46,919 the 600-ton bridge of steel together. 187 00:09:48,521 --> 00:09:51,199 They decide that instead of building off the foundations 188 00:09:51,223 --> 00:09:53,201 and out into thin air, 189 00:09:53,225 --> 00:09:55,070 they're going to assemble the entire bridge 190 00:09:55,094 --> 00:09:57,906 50 feet back from the cliff's edge. 191 00:09:57,930 --> 00:10:00,542 It would be with cranes and cages and safety nets 192 00:10:00,566 --> 00:10:01,843 and all kinds of things. 193 00:10:01,867 --> 00:10:04,212 So much faster, simpler, cleaner. 194 00:10:04,236 --> 00:10:05,914 Corrective work could be done easier 195 00:10:05,938 --> 00:10:07,783 when it's on property here like this. 196 00:10:07,807 --> 00:10:10,452 Pre-assembling the skywalk on solid ground 197 00:10:10,476 --> 00:10:12,821 definitely have its benefits, 198 00:10:12,845 --> 00:10:15,724 Construction workers are not exposed to the sheer drop 199 00:10:15,748 --> 00:10:17,693 to the rocks below. 200 00:10:17,717 --> 00:10:20,429 Plus, it's just way easier to inspect the structure 201 00:10:20,453 --> 00:10:22,688 and, if needed, make any changes. 202 00:10:23,923 --> 00:10:25,801 [Narrator]: Easier to build, yes. 203 00:10:25,825 --> 00:10:28,203 But will it be easier to install? 204 00:10:28,227 --> 00:10:30,572 [Hayley]: Then you've got this huge problem 205 00:10:30,596 --> 00:10:33,408 of moving this structure into position. 206 00:10:33,432 --> 00:10:35,067 I'm glad that's not my job. 207 00:10:37,634 --> 00:10:39,612 [Narrator]: On the edge of the Grand Canyon, 208 00:10:39,636 --> 00:10:43,350 a massive project is underway to build a sky bridge 209 00:10:43,374 --> 00:10:47,187 which will float over the 4000-foot drop. 210 00:10:47,211 --> 00:10:51,358 It's an enormous job and fraught with difficulty. 211 00:10:51,382 --> 00:10:54,427 Now, having built it 50 feet back from the edge, 212 00:10:54,451 --> 00:10:57,697 they have to work out how to move the 600-ton bridge 213 00:10:57,721 --> 00:10:59,866 out over the canyon. 214 00:10:59,890 --> 00:11:01,368 With no instruction manual, 215 00:11:01,392 --> 00:11:04,571 they look to the past for inspiration. 216 00:11:04,595 --> 00:11:06,339 The only thing I've ever heard it used for 217 00:11:06,363 --> 00:11:08,174 is the Egyptians and the pyramids. 218 00:11:08,198 --> 00:11:10,410 I have never seen anything like that. 219 00:11:10,434 --> 00:11:13,012 Typically, you can use cranes in cantilever. 220 00:11:13,036 --> 00:11:14,514 This is such a heavy structure 221 00:11:14,538 --> 00:11:16,349 that we couldn't have enough crane work out here 222 00:11:16,373 --> 00:11:18,442 to lift it up and set it in place. 223 00:11:19,843 --> 00:11:22,555 [Narrator]: The plan is to lift the 600-ton bridge 224 00:11:22,579 --> 00:11:27,227 with hydraulic jacks up onto multiple 2-inch rollers. 225 00:11:27,251 --> 00:11:30,397 It's a system very similar to the way the ancient Egyptians 226 00:11:30,421 --> 00:11:33,833 moved the sone blocks to build the pyramids. 227 00:11:33,857 --> 00:11:36,336 As the bridge edges out over the drop, 228 00:11:36,360 --> 00:11:39,305 huge steel plates placed onto the back 229 00:11:39,329 --> 00:11:43,510 act as a counterweight to stop it tipping over. 230 00:11:43,534 --> 00:11:45,178 Then, a winch cable will be attached 231 00:11:45,202 --> 00:11:47,580 to the front of the bridge. 232 00:11:47,604 --> 00:11:49,249 As the cable is tensioned, 233 00:11:49,273 --> 00:11:53,420 the bridge will start to move towards its final resting place. 234 00:11:53,444 --> 00:11:56,489 Get it wrong, that's going to be 4000 feet down 235 00:11:56,513 --> 00:11:58,782 at the bottom of Grand Canyon. 236 00:12:01,218 --> 00:12:03,830 It took two full days, very slowly, 237 00:12:03,854 --> 00:12:06,266 to move the structure out in place. 238 00:12:06,290 --> 00:12:08,601 We dropped it down onto these plates. 239 00:12:08,625 --> 00:12:10,069 And over the course of that night, 240 00:12:10,093 --> 00:12:11,304 we had welders out here 241 00:12:11,328 --> 00:12:12,808 constantly welding the structure down. 242 00:12:14,832 --> 00:12:16,910 [Narrator]: The bridge is in place. 243 00:12:16,934 --> 00:12:19,470 But the challenges are far from over. 244 00:12:21,271 --> 00:12:24,617 The next step is to create a walkway that's strong enough 245 00:12:24,641 --> 00:12:28,955 to safely handle over 1 million visitors every year, 246 00:12:28,979 --> 00:12:32,125 but clear enough to appear that when you look down, 247 00:12:32,149 --> 00:12:34,627 you're walking on air. 248 00:12:34,651 --> 00:12:36,429 [Hayley]: But this isn't ordinary glazing. 249 00:12:36,453 --> 00:12:38,431 This is structural, laminated glass, 250 00:12:38,455 --> 00:12:41,100 which can be incredibly strong. 251 00:12:41,124 --> 00:12:42,735 To create the strength, 252 00:12:42,759 --> 00:12:45,472 engineers layer the glass with different polymers and plastics 253 00:12:45,496 --> 00:12:47,540 to make it less like the windows in your house 254 00:12:47,564 --> 00:12:49,600 and more like bulletproof glass. 255 00:12:51,235 --> 00:12:54,447 [Narrator]: Manufactured by a specialist company in Germany, 256 00:12:54,471 --> 00:12:57,550 the glass is almost 3 inches thick 257 00:12:57,574 --> 00:13:00,677 and made up of five separate layers bonded together. 258 00:13:01,578 --> 00:13:03,590 On top, it has one final sheet of glass 259 00:13:03,614 --> 00:13:06,159 that can be replaced if damaged 260 00:13:06,183 --> 00:13:09,319 and a layer of plastic film to protect it from scratching. 261 00:13:10,754 --> 00:13:15,034 Altogether it weighs in at over 80,000 pounds 262 00:13:15,058 --> 00:13:18,529 and takes around three weeks to be lifted into place. 263 00:13:21,265 --> 00:13:25,945 In September 2006, the bridge structure is in place. 264 00:13:25,969 --> 00:13:30,283 But there is one last challenge the engineers have to overcome. 265 00:13:30,307 --> 00:13:32,886 It's called positive feedback. 266 00:13:32,910 --> 00:13:36,422 It happens where a small disturbance is amplified, 267 00:13:36,446 --> 00:13:40,460 and it can result in disaster. 268 00:13:40,484 --> 00:13:41,861 [Hayley]: Once a bridge moves a little, 269 00:13:41,885 --> 00:13:44,898 everyone on it moves in sync to compensate, 270 00:13:44,922 --> 00:13:48,468 and this is like adding fuel to the fire. 271 00:13:48,492 --> 00:13:50,370 [Narrator]: Pedestrians unconsciously start moving 272 00:13:50,394 --> 00:13:53,540 in time with the natural sway of the bridge. 273 00:13:53,564 --> 00:13:57,610 And that amplifies it, making it worse and worse. 274 00:13:57,634 --> 00:13:59,178 [Hayley]: The Millennium Bridge in London 275 00:13:59,202 --> 00:14:02,482 had to close 2 days after it opened. 276 00:14:02,506 --> 00:14:04,517 [Narrator]: Afraid the same thing could happen here, 277 00:14:04,541 --> 00:14:08,421 the team tests out their secret weapon... 278 00:14:08,445 --> 00:14:10,256 Kevin. 279 00:14:10,280 --> 00:14:12,325 All right, so my colleague, Kevin, 280 00:14:12,349 --> 00:14:15,552 is out bouncing on the bridge. 281 00:14:19,456 --> 00:14:22,569 You can see the motions being picked up here. 282 00:14:22,593 --> 00:14:24,504 So what I'm doing right now is trying to bounce 283 00:14:24,528 --> 00:14:27,240 at the natural frequency of the bridge. 284 00:14:27,264 --> 00:14:30,076 So it's kind of hard to tell when you're bouncing like this, 285 00:14:30,100 --> 00:14:32,812 how it's moving, but if I stop for a second, 286 00:14:32,836 --> 00:14:34,905 you can really feel it start to go. 287 00:14:36,273 --> 00:14:38,751 [Narrator]: Inside the anchored base of the skywalk, 288 00:14:38,775 --> 00:14:41,254 they've fitted a damper system. 289 00:14:41,278 --> 00:14:42,855 Once it's properly calibrated, 290 00:14:42,879 --> 00:14:45,858 this should reduce any bounce in the bridge. 291 00:14:45,882 --> 00:14:48,595 [Andy]: So the graph is showing here how much amplitude 292 00:14:48,619 --> 00:14:51,130 we're getting, acceleration in G's. 293 00:14:51,154 --> 00:14:53,633 So we're hitting about 0.1 G's acceleration, 294 00:14:53,657 --> 00:14:55,626 so a tenth the force of gravity. 295 00:14:59,763 --> 00:15:02,442 [Narrator]: Now they turn on the mass dampeners 296 00:15:02,466 --> 00:15:04,143 to see how much of an effect they have 297 00:15:04,167 --> 00:15:06,913 on the bridge's movement. 298 00:15:06,937 --> 00:15:09,482 [Andy]: So this is the big mass block, all this. 299 00:15:09,506 --> 00:15:12,018 That's 1450 kilograms. 300 00:15:12,042 --> 00:15:15,655 And then in behind here, you can see on the other side, 301 00:15:15,679 --> 00:15:17,223 is there are viscous dampers. 302 00:15:17,247 --> 00:15:21,027 It's like a shock absorber to draw the energy of the system. 303 00:15:21,051 --> 00:15:23,129 [Narrator]: Like the shock absorbers in your car, 304 00:15:23,153 --> 00:15:25,331 these should absorb the movement in the bridge 305 00:15:25,355 --> 00:15:29,068 created by Kevin jumping. 306 00:15:29,092 --> 00:15:32,271 In fact, they should enable the bridge to withstand 800 people, 307 00:15:32,295 --> 00:15:34,073 each weighing 200 pounds, 308 00:15:34,097 --> 00:15:37,143 and all jumping up and down at the same time. 309 00:15:37,167 --> 00:15:38,511 [Andy]: Ultimately, we don't want them to know 310 00:15:38,535 --> 00:15:40,079 this is even here. 311 00:15:40,103 --> 00:15:43,549 They want to think the bridge is perfectly stable, smooth. 312 00:15:43,573 --> 00:15:45,642 As long as that happens, we've done our job. 313 00:15:47,310 --> 00:15:54,193 [music] 314 00:15:54,217 --> 00:15:57,897 [Narrator]: In 2007, with the build finally complete, 315 00:15:57,921 --> 00:16:00,767 the bridge opens to the public, 316 00:16:00,791 --> 00:16:04,337 sharing the Hualapai tribe's rich cultural heritage 317 00:16:04,361 --> 00:16:08,675 and an awe-inspiring view. 318 00:16:08,699 --> 00:16:10,543 [Ruby]: The first time you're a little scared, 319 00:16:10,567 --> 00:16:12,945 but definitely it's never the same. 320 00:16:12,969 --> 00:16:16,849 Every time you walk on the skywalk, it's never the same. 321 00:16:16,873 --> 00:16:21,954 I'm a little scared just cos it's a far way down. 322 00:16:21,978 --> 00:16:26,492 [chatter] 323 00:16:26,516 --> 00:16:29,796 It gives a bit of us as Hualapai 324 00:16:29,820 --> 00:16:31,364 that the tourists and the visitors 325 00:16:31,388 --> 00:16:33,499 will come and take with them 326 00:16:33,523 --> 00:16:38,371 to feel that they shared that aha moment. 327 00:16:38,395 --> 00:16:40,206 That's... that's a real [unintelligible]. 328 00:16:40,230 --> 00:16:41,507 [laughing] 329 00:16:41,531 --> 00:16:42,942 [RoseMarie]: And they really took 330 00:16:42,966 --> 00:16:45,945 that step of faith, of courage, and they got it here, 331 00:16:45,969 --> 00:16:48,581 and kind of made you feel that backbone of, you know, 332 00:16:48,605 --> 00:16:51,708 being Hualapai. It's a proud sense. 333 00:16:54,244 --> 00:16:56,856 [Narrator]: This leg-shaking engineering marvel 334 00:16:56,880 --> 00:16:58,991 gives tourists an unbeatable view 335 00:16:59,015 --> 00:17:02,628 over one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, 336 00:17:02,652 --> 00:17:05,689 while also helping the Hualapai tribe thrive. 337 00:17:06,890 --> 00:17:10,694 This is truly a bridge like no other. 338 00:17:16,566 --> 00:17:24,307 [music] 339 00:17:25,442 --> 00:17:27,086 Now, if I were lucky enough to own 340 00:17:27,110 --> 00:17:29,856 a large and priceless art collection, 341 00:17:29,880 --> 00:17:32,458 my absolute number-one priority would be to find 342 00:17:32,482 --> 00:17:35,862 the safest possible environment in which to have it stored 343 00:17:35,886 --> 00:17:38,564 and displayed for future generations. 344 00:17:38,588 --> 00:17:39,966 You know the kind of place... 345 00:17:39,990 --> 00:17:42,068 A blizzard-prone Canadian forest, 346 00:17:42,092 --> 00:17:44,170 middle of a major flood plain which, 347 00:17:44,194 --> 00:17:47,907 when it's not under water, gets 15 feet of snow. 348 00:17:47,931 --> 00:17:50,100 Now, that's where I'm building my gallery! 349 00:17:56,673 --> 00:17:59,452 [Narrator]: In 2012, a wealthy entrepreneur 350 00:17:59,476 --> 00:18:02,655 gives an internationally renowned firm of architects 351 00:18:02,679 --> 00:18:04,047 a challenge. 352 00:18:05,148 --> 00:18:07,894 He wants to create an extraordinary building 353 00:18:07,918 --> 00:18:11,188 which will be as beautiful as the art it's designed to show. 354 00:18:13,089 --> 00:18:16,202 It has to fit perfectly into the environment, 355 00:18:16,226 --> 00:18:19,362 but be tough enough to survive whatever's thrown at it. 356 00:18:20,997 --> 00:18:24,911 Which in this case, is going to be quite a lot, 357 00:18:24,935 --> 00:18:27,613 given that the area is prone to... 358 00:18:27,637 --> 00:18:32,285 raging blizzards... 359 00:18:32,309 --> 00:18:35,354 severe flooding... 360 00:18:35,378 --> 00:18:37,247 and serious earthquakes. 361 00:18:39,015 --> 00:18:40,526 This building has to endure 362 00:18:40,550 --> 00:18:43,029 one of the most inhospitable locations 363 00:18:43,053 --> 00:18:44,988 in the whole of North America. 364 00:18:46,556 --> 00:18:47,867 [Narrator]: Defying the challenges, 365 00:18:47,891 --> 00:18:49,368 the architects and engineers 366 00:18:49,392 --> 00:18:53,330 create an award-winning building that does exactly that. 367 00:18:55,765 --> 00:18:58,635 This is the Audain Museum in Whistler. 368 00:19:01,004 --> 00:19:03,740 So how did they built it? 369 00:19:07,634 --> 00:19:09,312 [Narrator]: British Columbia. 370 00:19:09,336 --> 00:19:12,682 Home to the Canadian Rocky Mountains... 371 00:19:12,706 --> 00:19:15,418 stunning coastlines... 372 00:19:15,442 --> 00:19:19,422 dense rainforests... 373 00:19:19,446 --> 00:19:22,616 and to developer and philanthropist Michael Audain. 374 00:19:24,351 --> 00:19:27,731 By 2012, Michael has spent over 60 years building up 375 00:19:27,755 --> 00:19:32,702 an irreplaceable collection of art, 376 00:19:32,726 --> 00:19:35,972 including one of the largest of First Nations masks 377 00:19:35,996 --> 00:19:37,464 in the world. 378 00:19:40,200 --> 00:19:41,511 [Michael]: We began to think, well, what? 379 00:19:41,535 --> 00:19:44,280 What shall we do with it, with the collection? 380 00:19:44,304 --> 00:19:48,651 Rather selfish just to keep it to ourselves. 381 00:19:48,675 --> 00:19:52,889 I grew up in a town that lacked a public art gallery. 382 00:19:52,913 --> 00:19:54,824 It's very important for me 383 00:19:54,848 --> 00:19:58,995 that children have access to art museums. 384 00:19:59,019 --> 00:20:01,155 It may change their lives forever. 385 00:20:05,392 --> 00:20:07,103 [Narrator]: Michael decides that the answer 386 00:20:07,127 --> 00:20:10,073 is to build a very special gallery 387 00:20:10,097 --> 00:20:11,932 that will be open to the public. 388 00:20:13,400 --> 00:20:16,479 The first challenge is choosing where. 389 00:20:16,503 --> 00:20:19,416 What he was looking for was a site with trees. 390 00:20:19,440 --> 00:20:21,484 And for him, it was very important that the context 391 00:20:21,508 --> 00:20:25,555 of the museum be a forest like natural British Columbia 392 00:20:25,579 --> 00:20:29,993 [Narrator]: In 2012, the team finds just the spot... 393 00:20:30,017 --> 00:20:32,429 7000 feet above sea level, 394 00:20:32,453 --> 00:20:37,400 in the middle of a forest in the town of Whistler. 395 00:20:37,424 --> 00:20:40,127 It was a perfect site, as far as we're concerned. 396 00:20:41,662 --> 00:20:43,306 [Narrator]: It's a small site in a clearing 397 00:20:43,330 --> 00:20:46,476 in a pristine piece of forest. 398 00:20:46,500 --> 00:20:49,512 But it's not the easiest place to build. 399 00:20:49,536 --> 00:20:52,415 Michael's determined not to fell any trees. 400 00:20:52,439 --> 00:20:55,008 And the clearing isn't big enough for the museum. 401 00:20:55,909 --> 00:20:59,222 The problems don't end there. 402 00:20:59,246 --> 00:21:01,724 Building on a river flood plain in Whistler? 403 00:21:01,748 --> 00:21:04,127 Your building better be ready. 404 00:21:04,151 --> 00:21:06,296 [John]: Outside of the protection of the dyke 405 00:21:06,320 --> 00:21:08,198 that protects Whistler Village from 406 00:21:08,222 --> 00:21:11,067 the really torrential floods that are possible 407 00:21:11,091 --> 00:21:12,502 with Fitzsimmons Creek. 408 00:21:12,526 --> 00:21:15,505 And building on this side of the dyke within the forest 409 00:21:15,529 --> 00:21:18,775 was beautiful, but we were vulnerable to 410 00:21:18,799 --> 00:21:21,878 very severe flooding. 411 00:21:21,902 --> 00:21:24,414 [Narrator]: Add to that, it will also have to deal with 412 00:21:24,438 --> 00:21:28,952 an annual snowfall of more than 15 feet. 413 00:21:28,976 --> 00:21:32,222 And it will need to be earthquake proof. 414 00:21:32,246 --> 00:21:35,391 But Michael has set his heart on the site. 415 00:21:35,415 --> 00:21:37,227 So it falls to the architects and engineers 416 00:21:37,251 --> 00:21:39,128 to create something that will work here 417 00:21:39,152 --> 00:21:40,754 despite the challenges. 418 00:21:44,892 --> 00:21:46,236 They come up with an awe-inspiring 419 00:21:46,260 --> 00:21:47,770 two-storey structure 420 00:21:47,794 --> 00:21:51,331 that will rise 65 feet from the forest floor. 421 00:21:52,432 --> 00:21:54,978 To overcome the problems of the size of the plot 422 00:21:55,002 --> 00:21:56,479 and create enough space, 423 00:21:56,503 --> 00:22:01,417 it will bend around the mature trees. 424 00:22:01,441 --> 00:22:04,587 The galleries and walkways will be lined wall to wall 425 00:22:04,611 --> 00:22:07,891 with thousands of feet of triple-glazed windows 426 00:22:07,915 --> 00:22:13,463 to make the most of its stunning location and keep out the cold, 427 00:22:13,487 --> 00:22:16,299 while the rest of the building will be clad in local wood, 428 00:22:16,323 --> 00:22:20,770 allowing it to merge seamlessly into the forest setting. 429 00:22:20,794 --> 00:22:24,607 It will be lifted 16 feet off the ground on six legs 430 00:22:24,631 --> 00:22:28,411 to protect it from flooding and earthquakes, 431 00:22:28,435 --> 00:22:31,214 while a special pitched roof will protect the building 432 00:22:31,238 --> 00:22:34,241 and art inside from the heavy snowfall. 433 00:22:35,809 --> 00:22:38,421 [Ellie]: This is just a great example of a building 434 00:22:38,445 --> 00:22:42,325 working with nature rather thn fighting against it. 435 00:22:42,349 --> 00:22:45,895 Here the designers have adapted the building 436 00:22:45,919 --> 00:22:48,097 so that it works with the environment 437 00:22:48,121 --> 00:22:50,591 rather than just bulldozing right through it. 438 00:22:52,259 --> 00:22:55,772 [Narrator]: Michael isn't immediately convinced. 439 00:22:55,796 --> 00:22:57,840 It was a bit of a shock. 440 00:22:57,864 --> 00:23:00,476 Initially, what they showed us looked to me like 441 00:23:00,500 --> 00:23:04,171 an upside-down canoe on stilts. 442 00:23:05,339 --> 00:23:07,784 [Narrator]: But after overcoming his initial surprise, 443 00:23:07,808 --> 00:23:10,153 Michael signs off on the design, 444 00:23:10,177 --> 00:23:13,380 and in 2013, construction begins. 445 00:23:15,282 --> 00:23:17,260 The first challenge the engineers face 446 00:23:17,284 --> 00:23:19,295 is to make sure the building can stand up to 447 00:23:19,319 --> 00:23:21,831 any amount of flooding 448 00:23:21,855 --> 00:23:23,766 The team will have to come up with something that not only 449 00:23:23,790 --> 00:23:27,537 looks stunning, but can also withstand the worst excesses 450 00:23:27,561 --> 00:23:30,173 of flooding that can come with climate change 451 00:23:30,197 --> 00:23:31,765 in the years ahead. 452 00:23:36,670 --> 00:23:40,083 [Narrator]: If the floods of the past are anything to go by, 453 00:23:40,107 --> 00:23:42,919 this poses a real and present danger, 454 00:23:42,943 --> 00:23:45,622 because they've swept through Fitzsimmons Creek, 455 00:23:45,646 --> 00:23:49,249 near where the museum is being built, countless times. 456 00:23:50,317 --> 00:23:53,863 In 1991, the most notorious was so powerful, 457 00:23:53,887 --> 00:23:57,457 it destroyed homes and bridges in its path. 458 00:23:59,259 --> 00:24:01,904 What they come up with seems remarkably simple, 459 00:24:01,928 --> 00:24:03,773 but it's anything but that. 460 00:24:03,797 --> 00:24:06,433 They're going to raise the building up on legs. 461 00:24:07,567 --> 00:24:09,145 [John]: The entire building has been lifted 462 00:24:09,169 --> 00:24:11,381 one floor above the ground, 463 00:24:11,405 --> 00:24:14,584 which would allow the flood and, more importantly, 464 00:24:14,608 --> 00:24:17,611 the debris that the flood carries through the site. 465 00:24:20,547 --> 00:24:23,626 [Narrator]: They build six towering 16-foot legs, 466 00:24:23,650 --> 00:24:26,295 on top of which the museum will sit, 467 00:24:26,319 --> 00:24:30,066 lifting it above any floodwater. 468 00:24:30,090 --> 00:24:32,902 These "piers" have three super-strength steel columns 469 00:24:32,926 --> 00:24:35,571 running through them, making them strong enough 470 00:24:35,595 --> 00:24:38,741 not only to withstand raging water, 471 00:24:38,765 --> 00:24:41,168 but anything it's carrying along with it. 472 00:24:42,069 --> 00:24:45,048 [Eric]: We had to design the structure inside the piers 473 00:24:45,072 --> 00:24:46,849 for the impact of a car travelling 474 00:24:46,873 --> 00:24:49,252 at 2 metres per second... 475 00:24:49,276 --> 00:24:52,188 Or a log, whichever was the heavier. 476 00:24:52,212 --> 00:24:54,824 [Narrator]: Although the team has overcome one problem, 477 00:24:54,848 --> 00:24:58,194 they've made another potentially worse. 478 00:24:58,218 --> 00:25:01,531 The area sits on two tectonic plates. 479 00:25:01,555 --> 00:25:03,800 Their collision created the beautiful mountains 480 00:25:03,824 --> 00:25:07,670 around Whistler, but it also means the region has a risk 481 00:25:07,694 --> 00:25:09,205 of earthquakes. 482 00:25:09,229 --> 00:25:13,567 Experts predict "the big one" could strike at any time. 483 00:25:16,069 --> 00:25:19,716 [Eric]: We are in a moderate to high seismic zone. 484 00:25:19,740 --> 00:25:23,086 So earthquakes definitely govern the design in this area, 485 00:25:23,110 --> 00:25:25,988 especially for a building that is perched above the ground, 486 00:25:26,012 --> 00:25:28,925 like this one. 487 00:25:28,949 --> 00:25:30,960 [Narrator]: Usually, in earthquake regions, 488 00:25:30,984 --> 00:25:35,798 buildings have built-in sections that buckle to absorb the shock. 489 00:25:35,822 --> 00:25:38,201 But while they will prevent it from falling down, 490 00:25:38,225 --> 00:25:43,005 a tremor can still damage the building's structural integrity. 491 00:25:43,029 --> 00:25:47,310 So here, the engineering team turns to a cutting-edge solution 492 00:25:47,334 --> 00:25:49,603 developed at the University of Toronto. 493 00:25:50,570 --> 00:25:51,948 [Michael]: You can imagine a buckled brace 494 00:25:51,972 --> 00:25:54,784 is causing a lot of damage to the structure, 495 00:25:54,808 --> 00:25:59,312 and it's not really absorbing energy in an optimum manner. 496 00:26:00,680 --> 00:26:01,958 [Narrator]: Michael's invention, 497 00:26:01,982 --> 00:26:04,393 called a Scorpion Yielding Connector, 498 00:26:04,417 --> 00:26:06,920 aims to solve both these issues. 499 00:26:09,523 --> 00:26:11,667 [Michael]: When the brace is activated in tension 500 00:26:11,691 --> 00:26:13,636 and compression during the earthquake, 501 00:26:13,660 --> 00:26:17,173 then these fingers will yield and dissipate energy through 502 00:26:17,197 --> 00:26:19,742 permanent bending in both directions 503 00:26:19,766 --> 00:26:21,635 until the earthquake motion stops. 504 00:26:22,803 --> 00:26:24,981 [Narrator]: Twelve Scorpion Yielding Connectors are placed 505 00:26:25,005 --> 00:26:29,752 at each end of the building's support columns. 506 00:26:29,776 --> 00:26:32,321 [Eric]: It has the ability to dissipate energy 507 00:26:32,345 --> 00:26:36,125 even in a very severe and long earthquake, 508 00:26:36,149 --> 00:26:37,684 which was the goal here. 509 00:26:39,052 --> 00:26:41,297 [Narrator]: Mother Nature still has one more major challenge 510 00:26:41,321 --> 00:26:43,623 for the designers to overcome. 511 00:26:45,091 --> 00:26:47,970 Snow. 512 00:26:47,994 --> 00:26:52,041 While it makes Whistler a mecca for thrill seekers, 513 00:26:52,065 --> 00:26:55,845 it also has a pretty big impact on construction. 514 00:26:55,869 --> 00:26:58,481 The snow loads here are about five times higher than they are 515 00:26:58,505 --> 00:27:00,650 in Vancouver an hour and a half away. 516 00:27:00,674 --> 00:27:02,451 It basically amounts to the equivalent of 517 00:27:02,475 --> 00:27:05,579 3 metres of fairly dense snow. 518 00:27:06,947 --> 00:27:09,425 [Narrator]: The weight of that much snow on a roof of this size 519 00:27:09,449 --> 00:27:11,527 is phenomenal. 520 00:27:11,551 --> 00:27:13,296 The traditional method of dealing with it 521 00:27:13,320 --> 00:27:16,732 is to build a very strong roof structure. 522 00:27:16,756 --> 00:27:18,701 But because the building is on legs, 523 00:27:18,725 --> 00:27:22,538 the engineers want it to be as light as possible, 524 00:27:22,562 --> 00:27:24,106 while the architects don't want to spoil 525 00:27:24,130 --> 00:27:26,609 the look of the interior. 526 00:27:26,633 --> 00:27:27,944 [Eric]: We were pretty keen to shed 527 00:27:27,968 --> 00:27:30,103 as much of the snow and as we could 528 00:27:32,172 --> 00:27:34,116 [Narrator]: Their first solution is to build the roof 529 00:27:34,140 --> 00:27:39,889 at 50 degrees, a much steeper pitch than normal. 530 00:27:39,913 --> 00:27:41,991 And they clad it in painted metal 531 00:27:42,015 --> 00:27:45,118 to reduce friction and help the snow slide off. 532 00:27:46,987 --> 00:27:50,399 We went from having to design for about 3 metres of snow 533 00:27:50,423 --> 00:27:52,935 to designing for about a metre and a half of snow. 534 00:27:52,959 --> 00:27:55,004 So that made a significant difference. 535 00:27:55,028 --> 00:27:59,742 [music] 536 00:27:59,766 --> 00:28:01,677 [Narrator]: After three years of construction, 537 00:28:01,701 --> 00:28:04,938 the $50 million building is just about ready. 538 00:28:07,340 --> 00:28:10,519 All it needs is the art, 539 00:28:10,543 --> 00:28:13,823 including one of Xwalacktun's pieces. 540 00:28:13,847 --> 00:28:15,324 [Xwalacktun]: It's the architecture. 541 00:28:15,348 --> 00:28:16,559 It's the beauty. 542 00:28:16,583 --> 00:28:18,227 I never saw anything like this before. 543 00:28:18,251 --> 00:28:19,719 It all looks just great. 544 00:28:21,755 --> 00:28:23,933 [Narrator]: A stunning piece of Xwalacktun's work 545 00:28:23,957 --> 00:28:25,735 marks the entrance 546 00:28:25,759 --> 00:28:28,304 and tells an ancient tale of floodwaters descending 547 00:28:28,328 --> 00:28:31,507 from the nearby mountain. 548 00:28:31,531 --> 00:28:33,476 [Xwalacktun]: We are on Salish territory 549 00:28:33,500 --> 00:28:36,579 and the building stands on a floodplain. 550 00:28:36,603 --> 00:28:39,739 So why not tell a Coast Salish story of a great flood? 551 00:28:41,942 --> 00:28:44,787 [Narrator]: One that this museum would sit above, 552 00:28:44,811 --> 00:28:47,957 quietly protecting the stunning British Columbian artwork 553 00:28:47,981 --> 00:28:51,027 now housed inside. 554 00:28:51,051 --> 00:28:53,629 I think this place is not about being loud. 555 00:28:53,653 --> 00:28:56,432 I think it's about paying attention to the mountains. 556 00:28:56,456 --> 00:28:57,934 That to me was like, wow, 557 00:28:57,958 --> 00:29:02,595 that is so well thought out, and clever, and insightful. 558 00:29:04,164 --> 00:29:08,744 [Narrator]: In 2016, the museum is about to open. 559 00:29:08,768 --> 00:29:11,647 Michael Audain reflects on achieving his dream 560 00:29:11,671 --> 00:29:13,883 that everyone, especially young people, 561 00:29:13,907 --> 00:29:16,843 can enjoy his extraordinary collection. 562 00:29:18,211 --> 00:29:21,557 [Michael]: I hope that their exposure to the building, 563 00:29:21,581 --> 00:29:23,059 together with the art, 564 00:29:23,083 --> 00:29:26,186 will give them an experience that they will remember. 565 00:29:30,557 --> 00:29:32,335 [Narrator]: The Audain Museum has won numerous 566 00:29:32,359 --> 00:29:38,441 architectural awards in Canada and across the globe. 567 00:29:38,465 --> 00:29:40,743 It's an inspirational building, 568 00:29:40,767 --> 00:29:43,079 honouring the region's past 569 00:29:43,103 --> 00:29:45,972 and inspiring artists of the future. 570 00:29:50,643 --> 00:29:53,713 Next, a gravity-defying library. 571 00:29:58,000 --> 00:29:59,211 To Austria now, where one designer has used 572 00:29:59,235 --> 00:30:01,647 a clever engineering trick to give the impression 573 00:30:01,671 --> 00:30:04,316 whole sections of this spectacular building 574 00:30:04,340 --> 00:30:08,053 are able to defy gravity and float above the sidewalk. 575 00:30:08,077 --> 00:30:10,155 It's called the cantilever principle, 576 00:30:10,179 --> 00:30:11,957 which maybe I could explain for you, 577 00:30:11,981 --> 00:30:15,017 but I think I'm gonna let the experts do the heavy lifting. 578 00:30:16,185 --> 00:30:19,422 [Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik plays] 579 00:30:20,156 --> 00:30:21,800 [Narrator]: The city of Vienna in Austria 580 00:30:21,824 --> 00:30:25,404 is famous the world over for its extravagantly ornamental 581 00:30:25,428 --> 00:30:31,243 Baroque architecture dating back to the 17th century. 582 00:30:31,267 --> 00:30:35,647 But in 2008, a university there needed a new home 583 00:30:35,671 --> 00:30:39,184 and decided it was time to shake things up a bit. 584 00:30:39,208 --> 00:30:42,154 If you have a reputation for being a little old school, 585 00:30:42,178 --> 00:30:45,257 putting up a jaw-dropping building is a surefire way 586 00:30:45,281 --> 00:30:47,583 to get noticed. 587 00:30:49,652 --> 00:30:52,064 [Narrator]: To shape the city's future, 588 00:30:52,088 --> 00:30:54,833 they turned to a legendary architect 589 00:30:54,857 --> 00:30:58,361 with a reputation for designing the impossible 590 00:30:59,429 --> 00:31:01,240 [Hayley]: The designers at Zaha Hadid 591 00:31:01,264 --> 00:31:02,674 never do anything by halves. 592 00:31:02,698 --> 00:31:05,668 But this building is on a completely different level. 593 00:31:07,503 --> 00:31:10,082 [Narrator]: Zaha didn't disappoint, 594 00:31:10,106 --> 00:31:12,084 dreaming up an incredible building 595 00:31:12,108 --> 00:31:14,686 to sit at the heart of the new campus. 596 00:31:14,710 --> 00:31:16,522 [Ellie]: It's just completely bonkers. 597 00:31:16,546 --> 00:31:18,681 It looks like it's gonna fall down at any moment. 598 00:31:19,649 --> 00:31:21,693 [Narrator]: A construction so radical, 599 00:31:21,717 --> 00:31:25,121 some of the build team couldn't handle being on site. 600 00:31:25,988 --> 00:31:28,858 [speaking German] 601 00:31:32,862 --> 00:31:34,640 [Narrator]: Six storeys tall, 602 00:31:34,664 --> 00:31:40,045 inside and out it leans over at a crazy 35-degree angle, 603 00:31:40,069 --> 00:31:43,348 while its piece de resistance is an enormous reading room 604 00:31:43,372 --> 00:31:48,320 that floats 85 feet above the sidewalk below. 605 00:31:48,344 --> 00:31:50,889 This radical design is Vienna University's 606 00:31:50,913 --> 00:31:53,358 Library and Learning Centre. 607 00:31:53,382 --> 00:31:55,518 So how did they build it? 608 00:32:02,892 --> 00:32:07,172 In 2007, Vienna University of Business and Economics 609 00:32:07,196 --> 00:32:13,312 wants to up its game and make itself irresistible to students. 610 00:32:13,336 --> 00:32:17,182 A site is chosen for a huge new 25-acre campus 611 00:32:17,206 --> 00:32:20,519 that will be home to 20,000 students. 612 00:32:20,543 --> 00:32:23,856 At its heart will be a flagship building. 613 00:32:23,880 --> 00:32:27,559 Something to stop people in their tracks. 614 00:32:27,583 --> 00:32:29,928 From the very beginning, we really want to show 615 00:32:29,952 --> 00:32:33,265 that the most important we have at the university 616 00:32:33,289 --> 00:32:35,300 are our students. 617 00:32:35,324 --> 00:32:38,537 It was a very conscious decision to put 618 00:32:38,561 --> 00:32:42,331 the Library and Learning Centre in the middle of the campus. 619 00:32:44,300 --> 00:32:46,044 [Narrator]: Seeking an eye-catching design, 620 00:32:46,068 --> 00:32:50,148 the university chooses a truly extraordinary architect, 621 00:32:50,172 --> 00:32:53,852 her vision always pushing at the boundaries of engineering. 622 00:32:53,876 --> 00:32:55,478 Zaha Hadid 623 00:32:56,913 --> 00:32:58,290 Amongst her recent successes 624 00:32:58,314 --> 00:33:01,660 are the Guangzhou Opera House in China 625 00:33:01,684 --> 00:33:04,720 and the jaw-dropping Antwerp Port Authority extension. 626 00:33:06,188 --> 00:33:07,966 What she imagines for Vienna 627 00:33:07,990 --> 00:33:12,662 can only be described as the world's first extreme library. 628 00:33:14,163 --> 00:33:16,408 One of seven new buildings on the campus, 629 00:33:16,432 --> 00:33:19,111 the library will be the main showpiece... 630 00:33:19,135 --> 00:33:22,438 Visually arresting, engineeringly heart-stopping. 631 00:33:24,540 --> 00:33:26,652 To stop the building falling over, 632 00:33:26,676 --> 00:33:29,121 the team plans to pour enormous foundations 633 00:33:29,145 --> 00:33:33,449 using almost 100,000 cubic feet of reinforced concrete. 634 00:33:35,751 --> 00:33:39,197 Then, they'll start work on the vertigo-inducing building 635 00:33:39,221 --> 00:33:41,833 with its 35-degree walls 636 00:33:41,857 --> 00:33:45,461 by creating a hugely strong system of pillars. 637 00:33:50,533 --> 00:33:53,579 Next, nine prefabricated steel sections 638 00:33:53,603 --> 00:33:55,981 will be craned into place 639 00:33:56,005 --> 00:33:59,217 to form the external walls of the reading room 640 00:33:59,241 --> 00:34:02,678 with its gravity-defying 80-foot overhang. 641 00:34:08,451 --> 00:34:11,997 Finally, it will be clad in two contrasting colours, 642 00:34:12,021 --> 00:34:13,823 defining the different blocks. 643 00:34:16,092 --> 00:34:17,803 Unique and futuristic, 644 00:34:17,827 --> 00:34:21,597 it will be like nothing the city has ever seen before. 645 00:34:22,565 --> 00:34:24,333 We were very much impressed. 646 00:34:27,036 --> 00:34:29,481 [Narrator]: In 2010, the engineers get to work 647 00:34:29,505 --> 00:34:31,717 building the foundations. 648 00:34:31,741 --> 00:34:34,453 It's an important stage in any project. 649 00:34:34,477 --> 00:34:38,123 But here, it's absolutely crucial... 650 00:34:38,147 --> 00:34:40,659 because not only do they have to resist the entire weight 651 00:34:40,683 --> 00:34:43,161 of the building pushing down, 652 00:34:43,185 --> 00:34:45,864 but also, the forces created by the sloping walls 653 00:34:45,888 --> 00:34:49,325 trying to tear the foundations out of the ground. 654 00:34:50,626 --> 00:34:52,638 [Corina]: In a normal building, weight is distributed evenly 655 00:34:52,662 --> 00:34:54,473 across the foundations. 656 00:34:54,497 --> 00:34:57,142 But this building is like an unbalanced seesaw, 657 00:34:57,166 --> 00:35:01,513 pushing down on one side and pulling up on the other. 658 00:35:01,537 --> 00:35:03,749 These opposing forces are going to put the foundations 659 00:35:03,773 --> 00:35:06,075 under a serious amount of strain. 660 00:35:17,987 --> 00:35:20,098 [Narrator]: To stop the building from tipping over, 661 00:35:20,122 --> 00:35:22,968 the engineers devise a clever anchoring system 662 00:35:22,992 --> 00:35:26,605 with a series of concrete piles set into the ground 663 00:35:26,629 --> 00:35:28,698 that act like the roots of a tree. 664 00:35:51,821 --> 00:35:53,765 [Narrator]: The rear of the foundations now act 665 00:35:53,789 --> 00:35:57,993 like a counterweight, stopping the building toppling forward. 666 00:35:59,528 --> 00:36:01,206 For even more stability 667 00:36:01,230 --> 00:36:05,010 and to deal the downward forces of the rest of the building, 668 00:36:05,034 --> 00:36:09,805 the engineers pour a rock-solid 12-foot-deep cement slab on top. 669 00:36:12,641 --> 00:36:14,853 Now that the building is going nowhere, 670 00:36:14,877 --> 00:36:19,448 the teams start to construct the steeply angled 35-degree walls. 671 00:36:21,117 --> 00:36:24,496 The whole building is actually tilting forward. 672 00:36:24,520 --> 00:36:26,331 The direction of tilt gives you 673 00:36:26,355 --> 00:36:28,633 direction of the main entrance and plaza. 674 00:36:28,657 --> 00:36:29,968 So, you know, always inside, 675 00:36:29,992 --> 00:36:32,104 even if you've turned some corners, 676 00:36:32,128 --> 00:36:33,672 it is a kind of like a compass. 677 00:36:33,696 --> 00:36:36,132 It gives a directionality to all spaces. 678 00:36:38,968 --> 00:36:42,013 [Narrator]: They may be dramatic and even inspired, 679 00:36:42,037 --> 00:36:47,018 but creating these slopes isn't without its challenges. 680 00:36:47,042 --> 00:36:49,121 The walls in traditional buildings are vertical 681 00:36:49,145 --> 00:36:50,555 for a reason... 682 00:36:50,579 --> 00:36:53,759 They help them stand up. 683 00:36:53,783 --> 00:36:56,428 Without that, the engineers need to make sure 684 00:36:56,452 --> 00:36:59,221 that this building won't simply collapse. 685 00:37:00,289 --> 00:37:03,769 [Nehemaih]: With a building like this, weight is a huge issue. 686 00:37:03,793 --> 00:37:06,605 You need to make sure that every single piece 687 00:37:06,629 --> 00:37:09,775 counterbalances itself out weight-wise. 688 00:37:09,799 --> 00:37:13,445 Every part has to be measured to absolute precision 689 00:37:13,469 --> 00:37:15,814 to ensure that a weak link in the structure 690 00:37:15,838 --> 00:37:19,508 does not risk making the building collapse in on itself. 691 00:37:21,510 --> 00:37:24,046 [Narrator]: Next, can they pull it off? 692 00:37:30,035 --> 00:37:32,780 [Narrator]: In Vienna, Austria, work is underway to build 693 00:37:32,804 --> 00:37:36,784 a challenging new university building. 694 00:37:36,808 --> 00:37:40,254 Using incredibly strong base plates made of steel, 695 00:37:40,278 --> 00:37:45,827 42 pillars, each 18 inches thick and up to 120 feet long, 696 00:37:45,851 --> 00:37:49,931 are bolted securely to the concrete slab. 697 00:37:49,955 --> 00:37:52,958 These will support the 35-degree walls. 698 00:37:54,326 --> 00:37:56,838 [Patrik]: Because these are quite intricate geometries, 699 00:37:56,862 --> 00:37:59,907 you have to fit and end up in the right junctions and points... 700 00:37:59,931 --> 00:38:01,776 Particular if you want to build fast, 701 00:38:01,800 --> 00:38:03,578 where you build things simultaneously. 702 00:38:03,602 --> 00:38:04,912 And the things are coming in, 703 00:38:04,936 --> 00:38:06,972 if they don't fit, then you have a problem. 704 00:38:10,208 --> 00:38:12,153 [Narrator]: The problems for the construction team 705 00:38:12,177 --> 00:38:14,222 don't stop there. 706 00:38:14,246 --> 00:38:16,357 The architects designed walls to lean in 707 00:38:16,381 --> 00:38:19,260 at seemingly impossible angles, 708 00:38:19,284 --> 00:38:23,297 and almost all are crucial to the strength of the building... 709 00:38:23,321 --> 00:38:26,291 All of which proves too much for some of the team. 710 00:38:51,550 --> 00:38:53,060 [Narrator]: With surgical precision, 711 00:38:53,084 --> 00:38:57,098 the main building is taking shape. 712 00:38:57,122 --> 00:38:58,666 But if the team found constructing 713 00:38:58,690 --> 00:39:01,702 the 35-degree walls tough, 714 00:39:01,726 --> 00:39:03,862 there's worse still to come. 715 00:39:06,431 --> 00:39:08,409 In the spring of 2012, 716 00:39:08,433 --> 00:39:10,878 they turn their attention to the two-storey section 717 00:39:10,902 --> 00:39:14,449 that will sit on top, 718 00:39:14,473 --> 00:39:18,009 with an 80-foot chunk hanging out over the sidewalk below. 719 00:39:19,511 --> 00:39:22,657 It's made possible by using an amazing piece of engineering 720 00:39:22,681 --> 00:39:26,127 called a cantilever. 721 00:39:26,151 --> 00:39:29,864 Cantilevers are an incredible way of opening up spaces 722 00:39:29,888 --> 00:39:32,924 and creating really interesting builds. 723 00:39:34,793 --> 00:39:38,005 [Narrator]: A cantilever is a gravity-defying engineering tool 724 00:39:38,029 --> 00:39:41,309 that at it its core is very simple. 725 00:39:41,333 --> 00:39:44,946 It's an overhang, only supported on one side. 726 00:39:44,970 --> 00:39:46,881 But instead of tipping over, 727 00:39:46,905 --> 00:39:49,116 that force is transferred through the building 728 00:39:49,140 --> 00:39:52,420 and into the foundations. 729 00:39:52,444 --> 00:39:55,323 This can be done in many different ways. 730 00:39:55,347 --> 00:39:58,826 But in Vienna, it starts with 200-foot-long girders 731 00:39:58,850 --> 00:40:01,820 locked on to a series of leaning pillars. 732 00:40:31,316 --> 00:40:33,561 [Narrator]: To make the structure even more rigid, 733 00:40:33,585 --> 00:40:36,931 colossal prefabricated steel frames are craned in 734 00:40:36,955 --> 00:40:39,400 to create the side walls. 735 00:40:39,424 --> 00:40:44,095 When assembled and complete, each wall weighs 300 tons. 736 00:40:54,306 --> 00:40:56,984 [Narrator]: It takes days, but the steel sections 737 00:40:57,008 --> 00:41:00,812 weighing up to 50 tons are bolted into place. 738 00:41:02,280 --> 00:41:05,192 The next challenge is to turn the cast concrete 739 00:41:05,216 --> 00:41:09,497 and steel frames into the dramatic, distinctive boxes 740 00:41:09,521 --> 00:41:12,633 the Zaha Hadid team imagines. 741 00:41:12,657 --> 00:41:15,870 [Patrik]: The dark grey cladded elements are library elements. 742 00:41:15,894 --> 00:41:19,173 And then the central student facilities, 743 00:41:19,197 --> 00:41:21,342 they're expressed in light grey. 744 00:41:21,366 --> 00:41:24,845 So they're tied together with some kind of ribbon move. 745 00:41:24,869 --> 00:41:27,381 They're kind of interlocking systems... 746 00:41:27,405 --> 00:41:30,075 Not fully separate, but always traceable. 747 00:41:33,078 --> 00:41:34,855 [Narrator]: The team turns to a cladding system 748 00:41:34,879 --> 00:41:37,391 made from a very special sort of material 749 00:41:37,415 --> 00:41:40,151 called glass fibre reinforced concrete 750 00:41:41,219 --> 00:41:44,131 Glass fibre concrete panels have become another useful weapon 751 00:41:44,155 --> 00:41:46,467 in the construction armoury. 752 00:41:46,491 --> 00:41:49,470 You can use these lightweight panels to clad any building 753 00:41:49,494 --> 00:41:52,330 with any colour you desire for your build. 754 00:41:54,299 --> 00:41:55,743 [Patrick]: This technique is used a lot, 755 00:41:55,767 --> 00:41:58,212 and you can do very fine details. 756 00:41:58,236 --> 00:42:00,972 We can also control the colour quite well. 757 00:42:03,174 --> 00:42:04,852 [Narrator]: The system of adding dyes to the mix 758 00:42:04,876 --> 00:42:07,221 during fabrication of the panels 759 00:42:07,245 --> 00:42:11,158 means that you can choose exactly the colour you want. 760 00:42:11,182 --> 00:42:13,394 And because each panel is made to measure, 761 00:42:13,418 --> 00:42:16,330 they're very quick to put into place. 762 00:42:16,354 --> 00:42:18,966 Not only are they easy to install, robust 763 00:42:18,990 --> 00:42:20,635 and weather resistant, 764 00:42:20,659 --> 00:42:23,061 but you don't need to paint them every few years. 765 00:42:27,565 --> 00:42:30,211 [Narrator]: It takes three years to complete the build. 766 00:42:30,235 --> 00:42:33,581 And in 2013, the university's astonishing new 767 00:42:33,605 --> 00:42:34,882 Library and Learning Centre 768 00:42:34,906 --> 00:42:37,876 turns on its lights and opens its doors. 769 00:42:39,110 --> 00:42:42,123 Revealed is a futuristic, dynamic space 770 00:42:42,147 --> 00:42:46,394 in which to teach, study or simply gaze. 771 00:42:46,418 --> 00:42:48,329 The first moment in the morning when you enter it, 772 00:42:48,353 --> 00:42:49,654 you have, wow. 773 00:42:50,955 --> 00:42:52,500 [Edeltraud]: It's breath-taking. 774 00:42:52,524 --> 00:42:57,204 It's a nice combination of aesthetic and engineering. 775 00:42:57,228 --> 00:42:59,240 [Narrator]: Today those 35-degree walls 776 00:42:59,264 --> 00:43:02,043 that once petrified construction crews 777 00:43:02,067 --> 00:43:05,646 are a magnet for students from around the globe. 778 00:43:05,670 --> 00:43:07,181 [Jose]: That was one of the most important things 779 00:43:07,205 --> 00:43:09,216 that made me came here. 780 00:43:09,240 --> 00:43:12,110 Like, wow, I will study in that building. 781 00:43:13,344 --> 00:43:16,147 It's fun. It's something completely different. 782 00:43:17,382 --> 00:43:19,593 [Narrator]: Up in the reading room, rock-solid engineering 783 00:43:19,617 --> 00:43:22,630 keeps that serious cantilever holding everything up 784 00:43:22,654 --> 00:43:24,932 over the campus... 785 00:43:24,956 --> 00:43:27,601 broadening horizons for those inside. 786 00:43:27,625 --> 00:43:32,540 I think for the brain, it's good that you have this view. 787 00:43:32,564 --> 00:43:36,167 I'm very inspired by this building, yeah. 788 00:43:39,537 --> 00:43:42,016 [Narrator]: The Vienna Learning Library is an architectural 789 00:43:42,040 --> 00:43:44,285 and engineering wonder 790 00:43:44,309 --> 00:43:47,621 that not only gives students a breath-taking place to study, 791 00:43:47,645 --> 00:43:52,359 but also gives them the courage to question what's possible. 792 00:43:52,383 --> 00:43:54,095 It's a monument to what hard work 793 00:43:54,119 --> 00:43:56,287 and ingenuity can achieve.