1 00:00:01,601 --> 00:00:05,381 [Narrator] Why did engineers build an upside down skyscraper? 2 00:00:05,405 --> 00:00:06,949 [Hayley] If you suffer from vertigo, 3 00:00:06,973 --> 00:00:09,652 this building is not the one for you. 4 00:00:09,676 --> 00:00:12,388 [Narrator] How can a restaurant sit 18 feet below 5 00:00:12,412 --> 00:00:14,523 the surface of the North Sea? 6 00:00:14,547 --> 00:00:17,226 [Corina] An underwater restaurant is wild enough, 7 00:00:17,250 --> 00:00:19,929 but putting it on one of the planet's stormiest coastlines 8 00:00:19,953 --> 00:00:21,764 is off the charts. 9 00:00:21,788 --> 00:00:25,158 [Narrator] And how do you engineer a heavy metal library? 10 00:00:25,692 --> 00:00:28,495 [Jay] that was the equivalent of 20 Statue of Libertys. 11 00:00:31,498 --> 00:00:34,401 [Narrator] This is the age of the extraordinary. 12 00:00:36,836 --> 00:00:39,648 [Hayley] It's like one of those insect-eating plants, 13 00:00:39,672 --> 00:00:42,184 only enormous and white. 14 00:00:42,208 --> 00:00:44,253 [Narrator] Where ingenious engineers have unleashed 15 00:00:44,277 --> 00:00:47,223 unchecked creativity. 16 00:00:47,247 --> 00:00:50,250 Now their secrets are revealed. 17 00:00:51,384 --> 00:00:55,097 As we discover the inside stories of their construction. 18 00:00:55,121 --> 00:00:56,832 [Corina] This is an incredible feat 19 00:00:56,856 --> 00:00:59,726 of planning and engineering. 20 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:03,839 [Narrator] To try and understand 21 00:01:03,863 --> 00:01:06,332 "How Did They Build That?" 22 00:01:08,501 --> 00:01:11,714 All right, we start the program with a tower like no other, 23 00:01:11,738 --> 00:01:15,151 built in an earthquake zone that looks like a twister. 24 00:01:15,175 --> 00:01:17,686 Now, this building is a real marvel. 25 00:01:17,710 --> 00:01:19,655 By which I mean it's a real building 26 00:01:19,679 --> 00:01:22,158 that looks like something out of a Marvel movie. 27 00:01:22,182 --> 00:01:24,660 Yet the incredible Vancouver apartment block 28 00:01:24,684 --> 00:01:28,364 that you're about to see is not a superhero fantasy. 29 00:01:28,388 --> 00:01:31,033 There's no big muscles. There's no CGI. 30 00:01:31,057 --> 00:01:33,159 They really made this! 31 00:01:35,128 --> 00:01:37,640 [Narrator] Vancouver, British Columbia. 32 00:01:37,664 --> 00:01:40,976 Canada's most densely populated place. 33 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:44,170 Here every square inch counts. 34 00:01:45,605 --> 00:01:48,250 But right in the middle of the city is a plot. 35 00:01:48,274 --> 00:01:50,920 A small triangle of land, 36 00:01:50,944 --> 00:01:52,455 hemmed in on all sides 37 00:01:52,479 --> 00:01:55,891 and subject to stringent planning laws. 38 00:01:55,915 --> 00:01:57,626 [Michael] There's a force field that the city of Vancouver just 39 00:01:57,650 --> 00:02:02,431 said "thou shalt not" and there's no negotiating that. 40 00:02:02,455 --> 00:02:05,501 [Narrator] No one's worked out how to build on it, 41 00:02:05,525 --> 00:02:09,271 until radical architects come up with a gravity-defying design 42 00:02:09,295 --> 00:02:11,707 for an architectural marvel. 43 00:02:11,731 --> 00:02:13,375 [Hayley] If you suffer from vertigo, 44 00:02:13,399 --> 00:02:16,135 this building is not the one for you. 45 00:02:16,970 --> 00:02:20,549 [Narrator] A tower that gets wider as it gets taller, 46 00:02:20,573 --> 00:02:24,487 appearing as though it could topple over at any time. 47 00:02:24,511 --> 00:02:27,022 [Corina] We all know that for ultimate stability, 48 00:02:27,046 --> 00:02:30,292 you need a big base that gets smaller as you go up, 49 00:02:30,316 --> 00:02:32,161 not the other way around. 50 00:02:32,185 --> 00:02:33,429 [Michael] The bigger concern was 51 00:02:33,453 --> 00:02:35,898 what's going to happen in an earthquake? 52 00:02:35,922 --> 00:02:38,734 [Narrator] It's 59 storeys of skyscraper 53 00:02:38,758 --> 00:02:42,595 that forced engineers to flip tower construction on its head. 54 00:02:44,197 --> 00:02:46,466 This is Vancouver House. 55 00:02:48,001 --> 00:02:50,236 So how did they build it? 56 00:02:52,972 --> 00:02:57,686 In 2014 with property prices shooting through the roof, 57 00:02:57,710 --> 00:03:00,689 developers are eyeing up every square inch of real estate 58 00:03:00,713 --> 00:03:02,892 in Vancouver. 59 00:03:02,916 --> 00:03:05,661 Because of this, a site previously considered 60 00:03:05,685 --> 00:03:08,998 too small and tricky was on the table. 61 00:03:09,022 --> 00:03:13,335 Right in the center of the city it should be prime real estate, 62 00:03:13,359 --> 00:03:15,571 but its proximity to Granville Bridge 63 00:03:15,595 --> 00:03:18,674 brings with it a serious planning headache. 64 00:03:18,698 --> 00:03:22,111 The city has banned building homes near busy, main roads, 65 00:03:22,135 --> 00:03:24,437 which is certainly the case here. 66 00:03:25,505 --> 00:03:27,783 The city of Vancouver has safety offsets from bridges 67 00:03:27,807 --> 00:03:29,618 and it's similar to all their bridges. 68 00:03:29,642 --> 00:03:32,321 It's about 98 feet you can't encroach within. 69 00:03:32,345 --> 00:03:34,590 It is 98 feet not just sort of horizontally, 70 00:03:34,614 --> 00:03:37,059 but it's sort of an envelope that you can't have structures 71 00:03:37,083 --> 00:03:38,794 encroaching it. 72 00:03:38,818 --> 00:03:41,830 Imagine a 98-foot bubble around the bridge, 73 00:03:41,854 --> 00:03:44,857 and nothing else is allowed to sit within that bubble. 74 00:03:45,992 --> 00:03:48,070 [Narrator] And as if that isn't enough, 75 00:03:48,094 --> 00:03:52,541 any development there can't cast a shadow over the local park 76 00:03:52,565 --> 00:03:56,879 making the area even smaller. 77 00:03:56,903 --> 00:03:59,815 Coming up with a design that overcomes the restrictions 78 00:03:59,839 --> 00:04:02,885 and creates a building big enough to make a profit 79 00:04:02,909 --> 00:04:05,087 will require architects to do some serious 80 00:04:05,111 --> 00:04:08,247 thinking outside the box. 81 00:04:09,449 --> 00:04:12,719 But then that's what Danish firm, Big are known for. 82 00:04:13,653 --> 00:04:18,267 Take Copenhill, a power plant topped with a ski slope. 83 00:04:18,291 --> 00:04:21,370 The circular eight house housing project, 84 00:04:21,394 --> 00:04:23,639 the Marsk watchtower. 85 00:04:23,663 --> 00:04:27,100 For them, there really is no such thing as a problem. 86 00:04:27,734 --> 00:04:30,980 This is a good example of how constraints work 87 00:04:31,004 --> 00:04:33,515 in the creative process. 88 00:04:33,539 --> 00:04:36,318 What we always try to do is define the parameters 89 00:04:36,342 --> 00:04:38,621 that the project should fulfill, 90 00:04:38,645 --> 00:04:42,382 and use them as drivers in the design process. 91 00:04:44,350 --> 00:04:46,662 [Narrator] So out of the tiny, triangular plot 92 00:04:46,686 --> 00:04:49,999 their plan is to build a stunning new skyscraper, 93 00:04:50,023 --> 00:04:52,601 which will bend its way around the bridge 94 00:04:52,625 --> 00:04:55,061 and get wider as it gets taller. 95 00:04:57,130 --> 00:05:00,209 Pulling this off and stopping it from tipping over, 96 00:05:00,233 --> 00:05:02,535 will need some serious engineering. 97 00:05:03,936 --> 00:05:06,115 The columns holding up the larger upper floors 98 00:05:06,139 --> 00:05:09,418 will have to navigate the building's massive curve 99 00:05:09,442 --> 00:05:11,978 and merge, getting thicker as they go down. 100 00:05:13,880 --> 00:05:17,393 Thousands of feet of tensioned steel rebar will run all the way 101 00:05:17,417 --> 00:05:20,195 from the top of the building to the bottom, 102 00:05:20,219 --> 00:05:23,666 literally pulling it into place. 103 00:05:23,690 --> 00:05:25,868 And to make up for the small footprint, 104 00:05:25,892 --> 00:05:29,304 the foundations will be super deep. 105 00:05:29,328 --> 00:05:31,473 It's an ingenious way to get the most out of a 106 00:05:31,497 --> 00:05:33,966 limited plot like this. 107 00:05:34,534 --> 00:05:36,078 [Narrator] Of course, it's all well and good 108 00:05:36,102 --> 00:05:38,547 having innovative design ideas, 109 00:05:38,571 --> 00:05:41,183 but someone has to make sure that when they build it, 110 00:05:41,207 --> 00:05:42,918 it's going to stay standing. 111 00:05:42,942 --> 00:05:44,586 [Michael] The architect came up with that form 112 00:05:44,610 --> 00:05:47,289 and then it landed on our desk and said how can this work? 113 00:05:47,313 --> 00:05:50,616 Turn it upside down. And it works great. 114 00:05:51,984 --> 00:05:54,763 [Narrator] And put very simply, having a larger building 115 00:05:54,787 --> 00:05:57,733 at the bottom getting smaller at the top 116 00:05:57,757 --> 00:06:01,036 would have overcome most of the engineering problems. 117 00:06:01,060 --> 00:06:03,872 [Ellie] A building with a square or rectangular floor plan, 118 00:06:03,896 --> 00:06:06,742 the gravitational pressures are fairly equal. 119 00:06:06,766 --> 00:06:10,145 Every floor is pushing down with a fairly equal force. 120 00:06:10,169 --> 00:06:13,716 But with this building, every floor is a different shape. 121 00:06:13,740 --> 00:06:15,718 This means that by the time you get to the bottom 122 00:06:15,742 --> 00:06:18,654 of the building, the forces at the back of the building 123 00:06:18,678 --> 00:06:20,289 are different from the sides 124 00:06:20,313 --> 00:06:22,124 and different again from the front. 125 00:06:22,148 --> 00:06:23,492 And the result is a building 126 00:06:23,516 --> 00:06:25,394 that not only wants to fall over, 127 00:06:25,418 --> 00:06:27,696 but it wants to twist as it does it. 128 00:06:27,720 --> 00:06:30,165 So, it's up to the engineers to accommodate 129 00:06:30,189 --> 00:06:32,725 and neutralize all those forces. 130 00:06:40,900 --> 00:06:42,511 The obvious concern is the building wants to fall over 131 00:06:42,535 --> 00:06:43,946 under its own weight. 132 00:06:43,970 --> 00:06:45,380 But for us locally, 133 00:06:45,404 --> 00:06:48,317 the bigger concern was what's gonna happen in an earthquake? 134 00:06:48,341 --> 00:06:51,086 [Narrator] To find out, the team builds a computer model 135 00:06:51,110 --> 00:06:54,757 of the tower and tests it to see what happens if it's hit 136 00:06:54,781 --> 00:06:56,825 by an earthquake similar to some of the worst 137 00:06:56,849 --> 00:06:59,685 in North American history. 138 00:07:00,987 --> 00:07:06,068 Like the magnitude seven, Vancouver Island quake of 1946, 139 00:07:06,092 --> 00:07:10,005 which caused chaos across 100,000 square miles, 140 00:07:10,029 --> 00:07:13,976 triggering devastating landslides 141 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:15,677 and fires. 142 00:07:15,701 --> 00:07:17,079 [Michael] Our initial runs show that we could come up 143 00:07:17,103 --> 00:07:19,648 with a design that was within those limits. 144 00:07:19,672 --> 00:07:22,684 Then test it against twice the maximum credible 145 00:07:22,708 --> 00:07:24,653 earthquake expected. 146 00:07:24,677 --> 00:07:25,821 And with some tweaking of the design, 147 00:07:25,845 --> 00:07:27,523 we found even at that level 148 00:07:27,547 --> 00:07:30,959 we could keep it within allowable drift limits. 149 00:07:30,983 --> 00:07:33,595 So we've essentially designed it for double what any other 150 00:07:33,619 --> 00:07:36,231 building in Vancouver would be designed for. 151 00:07:36,255 --> 00:07:38,333 [Narrator] It all looks well and good on paper 152 00:07:38,357 --> 00:07:39,835 and computer screens, 153 00:07:39,859 --> 00:07:41,703 but just how well will that translate to a 154 00:07:41,727 --> 00:07:44,497 real-world skyscraper? 155 00:07:47,200 --> 00:07:49,735 In 2016, it's time to find out. 156 00:07:51,370 --> 00:07:52,948 Work gets underway, 157 00:07:52,972 --> 00:07:56,418 starting with the supersized, super strong foundations 158 00:07:56,442 --> 00:07:59,221 critical to the building's success. 159 00:07:59,245 --> 00:08:03,559 The basement under the tower was quite deep. 160 00:08:03,583 --> 00:08:06,195 It was a challenge to get that far down 161 00:08:06,219 --> 00:08:08,788 with such a small footprint. 162 00:08:09,889 --> 00:08:12,467 [Narrator] To anchor a building into this tiny plot, 163 00:08:12,491 --> 00:08:13,769 the team intends to create 164 00:08:13,793 --> 00:08:17,840 140,000 cubic feet of foundations. 165 00:08:17,864 --> 00:08:22,535 It will weigh a staggering 10 and a half thousand tons. 166 00:08:23,302 --> 00:08:25,914 And it's essential that if it's to be strong enough, 167 00:08:25,938 --> 00:08:29,041 all this concrete is poured in one go. 168 00:08:29,842 --> 00:08:33,388 If you have a break when pouring concrete foundations like these, 169 00:08:33,412 --> 00:08:35,490 you can have what they call a cold join, 170 00:08:35,514 --> 00:08:37,659 which is essentially a crack. 171 00:08:37,683 --> 00:08:39,728 This is where the bottom layer has set 172 00:08:39,752 --> 00:08:42,764 and the next layer doesn't bond properly to it. 173 00:08:42,788 --> 00:08:44,533 And with a building like this, 174 00:08:44,557 --> 00:08:47,059 you don't want to take any chances. 175 00:08:48,928 --> 00:08:50,772 [Narrator] What that means is all the concrete 176 00:08:50,796 --> 00:08:54,843 needs to be poured before any of it sets. 177 00:08:54,867 --> 00:08:57,613 It's going to be a major challenge. 178 00:08:57,637 --> 00:08:59,548 [Michael] It was the largest continuous concrete pour 179 00:08:59,572 --> 00:09:01,707 in Vancouver's history. 180 00:09:07,513 --> 00:09:09,124 [Narrator] Next, 181 00:09:09,148 --> 00:09:10,683 can they pull it off? 182 00:09:14,336 --> 00:09:17,248 [Narrator] In Vancouver, Canada, work is underway to create 183 00:09:17,272 --> 00:09:21,886 the foundations for an extraordinary new skyscraper. 184 00:09:21,910 --> 00:09:24,522 All the concrete needs to be poured in one go 185 00:09:24,546 --> 00:09:26,257 before any of it sets 186 00:09:26,281 --> 00:09:29,227 or it may not be strong enough to do its job. 187 00:09:29,251 --> 00:09:32,130 This needs some serious organization. 188 00:09:32,154 --> 00:09:34,265 It was the largest continuous concrete pour 189 00:09:34,289 --> 00:09:38,870 in Vancouver's history, up around 4,000 meters. 190 00:09:38,894 --> 00:09:42,273 It was so large that no one company could do it. 191 00:09:42,297 --> 00:09:44,709 So all three of the major concrete suppliers in Vancouver 192 00:09:44,733 --> 00:09:46,010 were involved. 193 00:09:46,034 --> 00:09:48,179 And once it started, they couldn't stop. 194 00:09:48,203 --> 00:09:51,449 So it was basically 24 hours of concrete trucks rolling up, 195 00:09:51,473 --> 00:09:54,676 the concrete getting placed, moving on, the next one in line. 196 00:09:57,880 --> 00:10:00,859 [Narrator] The pour takes 24 hours straight, 197 00:10:00,883 --> 00:10:03,628 But thanks to the team's meticulous organization, 198 00:10:03,652 --> 00:10:05,187 It's done. 199 00:10:07,456 --> 00:10:09,334 With the foundations complete, 200 00:10:09,358 --> 00:10:11,569 the engineers now turn their attention 201 00:10:11,593 --> 00:10:12,971 to building the columns 202 00:10:12,995 --> 00:10:16,064 which will hold the building up. 203 00:10:17,232 --> 00:10:21,012 [Michael] Because the building grows as it as it comes up, 204 00:10:21,036 --> 00:10:22,914 one of the challenges, well, how are we going 205 00:10:22,938 --> 00:10:25,350 to support each of these floors as they get bigger? 206 00:10:25,374 --> 00:10:28,019 [Narrator] On three sides, there isn't a problem. 207 00:10:28,043 --> 00:10:29,954 The columns go straight up and down 208 00:10:29,978 --> 00:10:32,090 like in a regular skyscraper. 209 00:10:32,114 --> 00:10:34,793 But on the fourth, the building twists 210 00:10:34,817 --> 00:10:38,363 and gets bigger, creating a massive challenge. 211 00:10:38,387 --> 00:10:40,999 How to transfer the force created by the bigger floors 212 00:10:41,023 --> 00:10:43,868 above down through the building? 213 00:10:43,892 --> 00:10:45,437 If they can't find a solution, 214 00:10:45,461 --> 00:10:47,872 the top floors will be left unsupported 215 00:10:47,896 --> 00:10:51,075 and at risk of collapse. 216 00:10:51,099 --> 00:10:52,744 [Michael] On one side of the building, 217 00:10:52,768 --> 00:10:53,912 by the time we're at the base, 218 00:10:53,936 --> 00:10:55,447 the building's only seven feet wide. 219 00:10:55,471 --> 00:10:59,551 So a seven-foot-wide column to hold up 53 stories 220 00:10:59,575 --> 00:11:02,487 is quite a challenge. 221 00:11:02,511 --> 00:11:04,956 [Narrator] Because the floors are smaller at the bottom, 222 00:11:04,980 --> 00:11:06,758 so are the spaces where engineers 223 00:11:06,782 --> 00:11:09,194 can put the structural supports. 224 00:11:09,218 --> 00:11:13,665 But somehow, they've got to support everything above. 225 00:11:13,689 --> 00:11:16,401 [Michael] What we came up with was at the top of the building 226 00:11:16,425 --> 00:11:18,703 where the floor plate's large, there's a series of columns 227 00:11:18,727 --> 00:11:20,138 and they come down. 228 00:11:20,162 --> 00:11:23,842 As the building starts to come in the column steps down 229 00:11:23,866 --> 00:11:26,644 and joins the next column in from the edge, 230 00:11:26,668 --> 00:11:28,279 and join the next column down. 231 00:11:28,303 --> 00:11:31,749 All the columns are of course, coming down here vertically. 232 00:11:31,773 --> 00:11:34,319 But then they start to walk in here, 233 00:11:34,343 --> 00:11:37,789 so that basically one column ends up carrying the load 234 00:11:37,813 --> 00:11:41,392 of four columns at the top. 235 00:11:41,416 --> 00:11:42,760 [Narrator] On their own, 236 00:11:42,784 --> 00:11:45,930 these columns may not be enough to hold the building up. 237 00:11:45,954 --> 00:11:48,266 We all know that for ultimate stability, 238 00:11:48,290 --> 00:11:51,536 you need a big base that gets smaller as you go up, 239 00:11:51,560 --> 00:11:53,938 not the other way around. 240 00:11:53,962 --> 00:11:55,640 [Narrator] The clever design has overcome 241 00:11:55,664 --> 00:11:57,475 the site's planning issues, 242 00:11:57,499 --> 00:12:00,445 but created some very real engineering challenges 243 00:12:00,469 --> 00:12:02,580 in the process. 244 00:12:02,604 --> 00:12:04,883 To help give the building enough strength to deal with the bigger 245 00:12:04,907 --> 00:12:10,588 floors at the top, the engineers construct a very special spine. 246 00:12:10,612 --> 00:12:15,560 First, they run steel rebars linking it top to bottom. 247 00:12:15,584 --> 00:12:17,862 The bars are anchored into the large footing at the base 248 00:12:17,886 --> 00:12:19,864 to give the weight to pull against 249 00:12:19,888 --> 00:12:23,334 and then they were run up continuously, 250 00:12:23,358 --> 00:12:27,305 so every floor they're coupled with high-strength couplers. 251 00:12:27,329 --> 00:12:29,941 [Narrator] They plan to tension the steel rebar every so often 252 00:12:29,965 --> 00:12:32,610 using a hydraulic tensioner. 253 00:12:32,634 --> 00:12:34,212 Turning it on for the first time 254 00:12:34,236 --> 00:12:38,016 should start to pull the spine straight. 255 00:12:38,040 --> 00:12:40,919 For the building, it's a momentous moment. 256 00:12:40,943 --> 00:12:43,145 For everyone else, not so much. 257 00:12:44,947 --> 00:12:47,125 [Michael] We were all very excited when we head 258 00:12:47,149 --> 00:12:48,860 to the first point of putting tension into the bars 259 00:12:48,884 --> 00:12:50,094 to see what would happen. 260 00:12:50,118 --> 00:12:51,396 And I guess, in your head, 261 00:12:51,420 --> 00:12:52,997 that you're expecting this grandiose thing. 262 00:12:53,021 --> 00:12:55,300 It's literally just this hydraulic cylinder 263 00:12:55,324 --> 00:12:57,201 that goes over top of the bar. 264 00:12:57,225 --> 00:12:59,871 And they stick a compressor up to it, 265 00:12:59,895 --> 00:13:01,172 doesn't take very long. 266 00:13:01,196 --> 00:13:02,507 And the little gauge says the force in it. 267 00:13:02,531 --> 00:13:04,442 You put a bunch of nuts on it to lock it off. 268 00:13:04,466 --> 00:13:06,868 And that was kind of it. It was very undramatic. 269 00:13:07,803 --> 00:13:12,183 [Narrator] Finally, in 2019, Vancouver House is completed. 270 00:13:12,207 --> 00:13:17,145 And the results blows the city away. 271 00:13:22,551 --> 00:13:24,362 [Thomas] Obviously, as an architect all buildings 272 00:13:24,386 --> 00:13:27,265 are controversial and some people like the work 273 00:13:27,289 --> 00:13:29,667 we do and some people don't, but I think in this case 274 00:13:29,691 --> 00:13:33,362 we've had very positive feedback. 275 00:13:35,130 --> 00:13:37,275 [Man] If you are going to build skyscrapers, 276 00:13:37,299 --> 00:13:41,179 I would like to see more unique buildings like this. 277 00:13:41,203 --> 00:13:46,351 [Woman] We're lucky to have such a unique building in our city. 278 00:13:46,375 --> 00:13:50,054 I love it. Absolutely, I love it. 279 00:13:50,078 --> 00:13:52,757 [Michael] Just seeing it and seeing the attention it got. 280 00:13:52,781 --> 00:13:55,727 And being able to say like, you know, we participated in that, 281 00:13:55,751 --> 00:13:58,820 I think is yeah, it's very exciting. 282 00:13:59,888 --> 00:14:02,533 [Narrator] This twisting, turning tower is not just 283 00:14:02,557 --> 00:14:07,305 a thing of beauty, it's a gravity-defying wonder, 284 00:14:07,329 --> 00:14:09,807 showing that overcoming limitations can lead to 285 00:14:09,831 --> 00:14:11,843 some of the most creative thinking 286 00:14:11,867 --> 00:14:14,403 and daring engineering imaginable. 287 00:14:25,313 --> 00:14:26,791 When I visit a seafood restaurant, 288 00:14:26,815 --> 00:14:29,961 the experience for me is always way more enjoyable 289 00:14:29,985 --> 00:14:32,063 if the restaurant is by the sea. 290 00:14:32,087 --> 00:14:35,066 Delicious food as close as it's possible to get 291 00:14:35,090 --> 00:14:36,701 where it was caught. 292 00:14:36,725 --> 00:14:39,203 The only way to be any closer would be to eat in a restaurant 293 00:14:39,227 --> 00:14:43,508 that's actually in the sea itself, say 18 feet below 294 00:14:43,532 --> 00:14:46,244 the icy waves of the Norwegian North Sea. 295 00:14:46,268 --> 00:14:48,746 But they couldn't, right? They could. 296 00:14:48,770 --> 00:14:50,305 And they have. 297 00:14:59,448 --> 00:15:01,426 [Narrator] From majestic fjords 298 00:15:01,450 --> 00:15:04,262 to the magic of the northern lights, 299 00:15:04,286 --> 00:15:09,357 Norway has some amazingly special experiences to enjoy. 300 00:15:10,525 --> 00:15:15,673 But in 2014, a hotel owner decided it needed a new one. 301 00:15:15,697 --> 00:15:19,811 A fine dining restaurant that would be like no other. 302 00:15:19,835 --> 00:15:24,172 A place with an eye-popping view of a completely different world. 303 00:15:24,973 --> 00:15:27,885 An underwater restaurant is wild enough, but putting it on one 304 00:15:27,909 --> 00:15:31,413 of the planet's stormiest coastlines is off the charts. 305 00:15:32,848 --> 00:15:35,760 [Narrator] Creating a restaurant 18 feet below the surface 306 00:15:35,784 --> 00:15:40,231 of the North Sea would test engineers to their limits. 307 00:15:40,255 --> 00:15:42,691 I think it was the most stressed I've ever been. 308 00:15:43,592 --> 00:15:45,470 [Narrator] It would take four years 309 00:15:45,494 --> 00:15:48,539 and over eight million dollars to build one of the coolest 310 00:15:48,563 --> 00:15:53,668 restaurants on the bottom of one of the world's coldest seas. 311 00:15:54,569 --> 00:15:57,081 This is the Under Norway Restaurant. 312 00:15:57,105 --> 00:16:00,308 So how did they build it? 313 00:16:04,002 --> 00:16:07,082 [Narrator] It's 2014, and in Norway, 314 00:16:07,106 --> 00:16:11,486 hotelier, Stig Ubostad has a rather mad idea, 315 00:16:11,510 --> 00:16:14,289 to combine two of his favorite activities, 316 00:16:14,313 --> 00:16:17,058 fine dining and scuba diving, 317 00:16:17,082 --> 00:16:20,528 when he decides to build an underwater restaurant. 318 00:16:20,552 --> 00:16:21,663 To do a thing like this, 319 00:16:21,687 --> 00:16:23,498 you need to have a passion for the sea. 320 00:16:23,522 --> 00:16:25,934 And I've been diving since I was a small kid. 321 00:16:25,958 --> 00:16:27,669 It's fantastic. 322 00:16:27,693 --> 00:16:29,037 [Narrator] Stig's family-run hotel 323 00:16:29,061 --> 00:16:32,073 sits on the southern tip of Norway's coast, 324 00:16:32,097 --> 00:16:35,543 exposed to the full force of the North Sea. 325 00:16:35,567 --> 00:16:38,580 Building it on land wouldn't be exactly easy, 326 00:16:38,604 --> 00:16:41,549 so imagine trying to build it under the sea. 327 00:16:41,573 --> 00:16:43,818 This spot in Norway is where the storms 328 00:16:43,842 --> 00:16:47,279 from the north and the south collide. 329 00:16:47,846 --> 00:16:50,392 [Stig] We can get waves up here to four or five meters 330 00:16:50,416 --> 00:16:53,419 at the highest. 331 00:16:54,753 --> 00:16:57,532 [Narrator] Below the waves, strong, nutrient-rich currents 332 00:16:57,556 --> 00:17:00,793 attract a diverse range of marine life. 333 00:17:02,995 --> 00:17:06,441 We wanted to have in rough seas, not in sheltered water 334 00:17:06,465 --> 00:17:09,768 because the marine biology is a lot different. 335 00:17:12,070 --> 00:17:13,982 [Narrator] Stig's plan is to create a restaurant 336 00:17:14,006 --> 00:17:17,185 where diners can enjoy swimming with the fishes 337 00:17:17,209 --> 00:17:20,822 while sampling the very best the sea has to offer. 338 00:17:20,846 --> 00:17:21,956 What's more, 339 00:17:21,980 --> 00:17:24,583 they won't even have to dip a toe. 340 00:17:26,985 --> 00:17:28,696 To help pull this off, 341 00:17:28,720 --> 00:17:32,801 he brings in the team behind the Oslo Opera House. 342 00:17:32,825 --> 00:17:35,403 The architects at Snohetta know a thing or two about 343 00:17:35,427 --> 00:17:38,139 building beauty by the water. 344 00:17:38,163 --> 00:17:42,801 This though, will be something different again. 345 00:17:43,735 --> 00:17:46,748 It was a kind of a crazy idea, to build the first 346 00:17:46,772 --> 00:17:50,151 and biggest underwater restaurant in Europe. 347 00:17:50,175 --> 00:17:52,110 That was actually the brief. 348 00:17:53,812 --> 00:17:56,458 [Narrator] Although a few underwater restaurants exist 349 00:17:56,482 --> 00:17:58,893 in places like the Maldives, 350 00:17:58,917 --> 00:18:02,096 none has to withstand the day in, day out force 351 00:18:02,120 --> 00:18:03,998 of the North Sea. 352 00:18:04,022 --> 00:18:06,301 Not only will it need to be beautiful, 353 00:18:06,325 --> 00:18:09,094 but also, very, very tough. 354 00:18:09,862 --> 00:18:11,906 We couldn't create a building where you, 355 00:18:11,930 --> 00:18:16,711 at any point would feel unsafe, going underwater, for instance. 356 00:18:16,735 --> 00:18:18,480 So all these things came together with a 357 00:18:18,504 --> 00:18:21,449 very stiff kind of concept. 358 00:18:21,473 --> 00:18:26,845 And we created more like a pike that intersects with the water. 359 00:18:27,880 --> 00:18:29,657 [Narrator] The architect's ingenious design 360 00:18:29,681 --> 00:18:33,561 calls for a tube of concrete 111 feet long 361 00:18:33,585 --> 00:18:35,787 with walls about two feet thick. 362 00:18:36,955 --> 00:18:39,067 One end will be attached to the shoreline, 363 00:18:39,091 --> 00:18:41,669 while the rest is submerged under the sea 364 00:18:41,693 --> 00:18:43,996 to create a huge, sunken periscope. 365 00:18:45,163 --> 00:18:48,209 It's piece de resistance will be the world's largest clear, 366 00:18:48,233 --> 00:18:52,714 acrylic panel, 36 feet wide, 11 feet high 367 00:18:52,738 --> 00:18:54,916 and 12 inches thick. 368 00:18:54,940 --> 00:18:57,185 This will create a widescreen window 369 00:18:57,209 --> 00:19:00,112 into the watery world beyond. 370 00:19:00,812 --> 00:19:03,491 To avoid being swept away by the powerful waves, 371 00:19:03,515 --> 00:19:06,461 the restaurant will be firmly anchored to a concrete base 372 00:19:06,485 --> 00:19:11,223 connected to 18 steel piles sunk into the seabed deep below. 373 00:19:12,057 --> 00:19:14,769 If there's one thing an underwater building needs, 374 00:19:14,793 --> 00:19:17,496 it's firm foundations. 375 00:19:18,697 --> 00:19:20,942 [Narrator] Luckily, building heavy-duty structures 376 00:19:20,966 --> 00:19:23,444 is big business around here. 377 00:19:23,468 --> 00:19:24,946 The oil rigs and pipelines needed 378 00:19:24,970 --> 00:19:27,715 to exploit Norway's oil fields, 379 00:19:27,739 --> 00:19:30,385 mean local engineers are experts in building structures 380 00:19:30,409 --> 00:19:34,780 that can survive this seriously hostile environment. 381 00:19:38,116 --> 00:19:40,061 Well, we get a phone call one day saying, 382 00:19:40,085 --> 00:19:43,498 oh, I've got this underwater restaurant that needs to be 383 00:19:43,522 --> 00:19:46,935 installed onto the seabed. Can you guys help? 384 00:19:46,959 --> 00:19:48,336 I hear that you're local and 385 00:19:48,360 --> 00:19:50,929 know how to do marine engineering. 386 00:19:51,897 --> 00:19:53,241 [Narrator] Normally a structure like this 387 00:19:53,265 --> 00:19:56,678 would be built on dry land, moved on heavy haulers 388 00:19:56,702 --> 00:19:59,280 and finally lifted into the sea. 389 00:19:59,304 --> 00:20:01,282 But the cost would be enormous. 390 00:20:01,306 --> 00:20:03,818 So instead, they decide to build the whole thing 391 00:20:03,842 --> 00:20:06,521 on a barge on the water. 392 00:20:06,545 --> 00:20:07,989 It's a cheaper solution 393 00:20:08,013 --> 00:20:10,792 but comes with its own set of problems. 394 00:20:10,816 --> 00:20:13,661 [Ben] Every time you have to pour a concrete formwork, 395 00:20:13,685 --> 00:20:17,031 you end up changing the stability of the barge. 396 00:20:17,055 --> 00:20:20,735 We had to tell the guys, well, if you pour 100 ton 397 00:20:20,759 --> 00:20:23,671 of concrete over here, then you need do something 398 00:20:23,695 --> 00:20:26,507 with the ballast water in the barge over here. 399 00:20:26,531 --> 00:20:31,145 Otherwise, it might all end up upside down. 400 00:20:31,169 --> 00:20:33,481 [Stig] And also, one of the biggest challenges is 401 00:20:33,505 --> 00:20:38,252 if you get that in addition with the high seas and big waves, 402 00:20:38,276 --> 00:20:43,015 it's always moving around. So it was quite challenging. 403 00:20:44,216 --> 00:20:45,460 [Narrator] These aren't the only waves 404 00:20:45,484 --> 00:20:48,096 the team has to worry about. 405 00:20:48,120 --> 00:20:50,231 They need to make sure the structure is going to be 406 00:20:50,255 --> 00:20:53,067 strong enough to cope with whatever hits it, 407 00:20:53,091 --> 00:20:56,871 even if that's a once-in-a-decade storm. 408 00:20:56,895 --> 00:20:58,906 To do that, Ben turns to a piece of 409 00:20:58,930 --> 00:21:02,210 cutting-edge computer technology. 410 00:21:02,234 --> 00:21:04,879 So the wave analysis is a really interesting point. 411 00:21:04,903 --> 00:21:08,650 It's based on computational fluid dynamics. 412 00:21:08,674 --> 00:21:11,552 Computational fluid dynamics are calculations 413 00:21:11,576 --> 00:21:13,821 that mimic wave actions. 414 00:21:13,845 --> 00:21:15,757 [Ellie] In this case, they can create a hypothetical, 415 00:21:15,781 --> 00:21:18,359 powerful storm 12 miles offshore 416 00:21:18,383 --> 00:21:22,230 and calculate the exact size and power of the waves that, 417 00:21:22,254 --> 00:21:25,233 that will create at the restaurant site. 418 00:21:25,257 --> 00:21:27,168 [Corina] They can then feed these loads into the 419 00:21:27,192 --> 00:21:29,704 structural analysis for the design 420 00:21:29,728 --> 00:21:32,297 and then strengthen it accordingly. 421 00:21:35,300 --> 00:21:38,279 [Narrator] They take advantage of Norway's endless summer days 422 00:21:38,303 --> 00:21:40,882 to move the build forward. 423 00:21:40,906 --> 00:21:43,651 Work pushes on creating thick concrete walls, 424 00:21:43,675 --> 00:21:46,120 ceiling and floors. 425 00:21:46,144 --> 00:21:49,023 And to minimize the chance of fractures and leaks, 426 00:21:49,047 --> 00:21:51,759 the main outer structure is built as one completely, 427 00:21:51,783 --> 00:21:55,196 continuous concrete shell. 428 00:21:55,220 --> 00:21:58,332 Wooden molds are used to create the shape around a network 429 00:21:58,356 --> 00:22:00,759 of reinforcing steel bar. 430 00:22:02,360 --> 00:22:03,905 At one end, 431 00:22:03,929 --> 00:22:05,707 there's an opening for the huge underwater window 432 00:22:05,731 --> 00:22:09,711 36 feet wide and over 12 feet high, 433 00:22:09,735 --> 00:22:11,746 which is being made at a specialist factory 434 00:22:11,770 --> 00:22:13,715 in the Netherlands. 435 00:22:13,739 --> 00:22:15,516 [Rune] The special thing with this, is it also, 436 00:22:15,540 --> 00:22:17,785 this is 25 centimeters thick 437 00:22:17,809 --> 00:22:21,589 and it's made out of acrylic, 11 meters wide 438 00:22:21,613 --> 00:22:27,328 and I think 3.8 high and it consists of 439 00:22:27,352 --> 00:22:30,631 three different pieces, which are glued together 440 00:22:30,655 --> 00:22:33,401 so that's very special with this big window 441 00:22:33,425 --> 00:22:36,804 that also its position in the construction, 442 00:22:36,828 --> 00:22:39,340 so the water pressure itself 443 00:22:39,364 --> 00:22:43,168 make it even more watertight because of the pressure. 444 00:22:45,070 --> 00:22:49,450 [Narrator] The completed shell weighs 2,500 tons. 445 00:22:49,474 --> 00:22:51,853 It's now got to be moved to its final position 446 00:22:51,877 --> 00:22:53,421 across the bay 447 00:22:53,445 --> 00:22:57,458 before being sunk and fixed to its foundations. 448 00:22:57,482 --> 00:23:01,596 First, they need to get it off the barge and into the water, 449 00:23:01,620 --> 00:23:04,790 which normally wouldn't be too much of a challenge. 450 00:23:05,223 --> 00:23:08,136 [Ben] When we install big oil rigs offshore, 451 00:23:08,160 --> 00:23:11,472 we use barges that are properly sized. 452 00:23:11,496 --> 00:23:14,942 So we sink the barge down 453 00:23:14,966 --> 00:23:17,445 and you can float off the structure that holds 454 00:23:17,469 --> 00:23:19,814 the oil platform on top, 455 00:23:19,838 --> 00:23:22,750 and everything goes extremely smoothly. 456 00:23:22,774 --> 00:23:24,285 But in this case, 457 00:23:24,309 --> 00:23:27,746 the barge that we built the restaurant on was too small. 458 00:23:28,146 --> 00:23:30,024 [Narrator] Conscious of project costs, 459 00:23:30,048 --> 00:23:33,394 the team builds the concrete structure on a small barge, 460 00:23:33,418 --> 00:23:37,298 but that creates a new problem to overcome. 461 00:23:37,322 --> 00:23:39,634 So if we tried to submerge that barge 462 00:23:39,658 --> 00:23:42,270 with the restaurant on top of it, 463 00:23:42,294 --> 00:23:46,908 there was a 100% chance that it would flip upside down. 464 00:23:46,932 --> 00:23:48,576 So we didn't want that, of course. 465 00:23:48,600 --> 00:23:51,946 We end up having to put what we call the reaction barge 466 00:23:51,970 --> 00:23:56,317 onto the end of the installation barge just like this 467 00:23:56,341 --> 00:23:57,819 with a pivot point. 468 00:23:57,843 --> 00:24:01,289 And it added extra buoyancy or extra stability. 469 00:24:01,313 --> 00:24:05,226 [Narrator] At 3:00 AM on the morning of July 27, 2018, 470 00:24:05,250 --> 00:24:09,430 the moment comes to float the concrete shell off the barge 471 00:24:09,454 --> 00:24:12,133 and move it into position. 472 00:24:12,157 --> 00:24:14,969 They've waited for the best possible weather, 473 00:24:14,993 --> 00:24:17,205 but they can't take any chances. 474 00:24:17,229 --> 00:24:20,341 So installation must be completed in one seamless, 475 00:24:20,365 --> 00:24:23,211 24-hour operation. 476 00:24:23,235 --> 00:24:26,948 [Stig] When doing it, it needed it to be dead calm on the sea, 477 00:24:26,972 --> 00:24:28,549 and luckily enough, it was. 478 00:24:28,573 --> 00:24:31,142 And we just had that one shot. 479 00:24:32,043 --> 00:24:34,288 [Narrator] Stage one goes well. 480 00:24:34,312 --> 00:24:37,992 But the project now faces its biggest moment of danger. 481 00:24:38,016 --> 00:24:40,094 Once it has floated free of the barge, 482 00:24:40,118 --> 00:24:42,864 the shell is uninsured. 483 00:24:42,888 --> 00:24:46,567 [Ben] As the restaurant was coming off the barge, 484 00:24:46,591 --> 00:24:51,429 that was by far the most stressed I've ever been. 485 00:24:54,134 --> 00:24:56,479 [Narrator] In Norway, work is underway to build 486 00:24:56,503 --> 00:24:59,782 an extraordinary underwater restaurant. 487 00:24:59,806 --> 00:25:02,618 The uninsured concrete shell is being towed out 488 00:25:02,642 --> 00:25:04,945 into the deep water of the bay. 489 00:25:07,381 --> 00:25:09,926 Waiting there is one of the largest floating cranes 490 00:25:09,950 --> 00:25:11,661 in Norway. 491 00:25:11,685 --> 00:25:13,529 Only when that is attached to the shell 492 00:25:13,553 --> 00:25:16,833 will the insurance kick back in. 493 00:25:16,857 --> 00:25:18,668 [Stig] For the construction on the barge, 494 00:25:18,692 --> 00:25:21,404 you get normal insurance, building insurance. 495 00:25:21,428 --> 00:25:24,674 And when it's attached to the ship then its marine. 496 00:25:24,698 --> 00:25:28,368 But in the between, you don't have any insurance. 497 00:25:30,203 --> 00:25:33,549 [Narrator] To great relief, the crane is successfully attached, 498 00:25:33,573 --> 00:25:36,652 and the shell is insured again. 499 00:25:36,676 --> 00:25:41,090 It guides the shell in and over the concrete foundation slab 500 00:25:41,114 --> 00:25:43,517 18 feet below the surface. 501 00:25:44,751 --> 00:25:47,463 Now they've got to sink the restaurant, 502 00:25:47,487 --> 00:25:51,067 which turns out to be a surprisingly difficult task. 503 00:25:51,091 --> 00:25:52,568 [Ben] To get it down onto the seabed, 504 00:25:52,592 --> 00:25:56,105 we had to pump 500 tons of seawater 505 00:25:56,129 --> 00:25:58,698 into the restaurant itself. 506 00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:02,712 [Narrator] Moreover, they have to do that without damaging 507 00:26:02,736 --> 00:26:05,415 the restaurant's most important feature, 508 00:26:05,439 --> 00:26:09,576 the 36-foot-wide window onto the underwater world. 509 00:26:10,877 --> 00:26:14,157 [Ben] We have this beautiful, really expensive window, 510 00:26:14,181 --> 00:26:16,993 and we couldn't put any seawater or water in general 511 00:26:17,017 --> 00:26:19,529 onto the inside of the window. 512 00:26:19,553 --> 00:26:23,399 So all of the water ballast is actually contained in 513 00:26:23,423 --> 00:26:26,436 in massive garbage skips. 514 00:26:26,460 --> 00:26:28,237 [Narrator] It takes nine hours, 515 00:26:28,261 --> 00:26:29,872 but slowly, 516 00:26:29,896 --> 00:26:33,176 the restaurant sinks towards the steel piles. 517 00:26:33,200 --> 00:26:36,546 It is bolted onto the foundations. 518 00:26:36,570 --> 00:26:39,382 [Ben] So it was quite a simple, novel arrangement, 519 00:26:39,406 --> 00:26:40,817 really beautiful actually, 520 00:26:40,841 --> 00:26:42,985 from an engineering point of view. 521 00:26:43,009 --> 00:26:44,754 [Narrator] The rest of the time on site 522 00:26:44,778 --> 00:26:47,490 is more like a traditional restaurant installation 523 00:26:47,514 --> 00:26:50,226 with plumbing, electrical, insulation 524 00:26:50,250 --> 00:26:53,596 and ventilation systems all added. 525 00:26:53,620 --> 00:26:55,431 Bespoke furniture is commissioned 526 00:26:55,455 --> 00:26:57,366 from local furniture makers 527 00:26:57,390 --> 00:27:00,594 and made from local forest wood. 528 00:27:03,096 --> 00:27:06,309 The world's newest and largest underwater restaurant 529 00:27:06,333 --> 00:27:08,034 is finally ready. 530 00:27:11,838 --> 00:27:17,043 In March 2019, it serves its first food to 40 lucky people. 531 00:27:20,180 --> 00:27:24,627 The 18-course tasting menu with wine, at $430 dollars, 532 00:27:24,651 --> 00:27:27,263 is of course, delicious, 533 00:27:27,287 --> 00:27:30,233 but all eyes are on that unique view 534 00:27:30,257 --> 00:27:34,070 made possible by that 12-inch-thick acrylic window 535 00:27:34,094 --> 00:27:36,863 that bends by up to an eighth of an inch. 536 00:27:37,264 --> 00:27:38,574 [Ben] That window is very special. 537 00:27:38,598 --> 00:27:40,543 In fact, on the biggest storm events, 538 00:27:40,567 --> 00:27:42,712 if you put your hand on the window, 539 00:27:42,736 --> 00:27:44,814 you can feel the waves crashing through. 540 00:27:44,838 --> 00:27:46,449 The window actually deflects, 541 00:27:46,473 --> 00:27:49,509 I think a maximum of four millimeters. 542 00:27:50,010 --> 00:27:51,487 [Narrator] The vibrations soon turn 543 00:27:51,511 --> 00:27:53,890 from nerve wracking to good, 544 00:27:53,914 --> 00:27:57,894 as the unique seafood and view combination creates a big stir 545 00:27:57,918 --> 00:28:00,963 on the international restaurant scene. 546 00:28:00,987 --> 00:28:02,732 [Stig] It's been immense. 547 00:28:02,756 --> 00:28:07,270 We had 2.2 billion digital views within the first half year 548 00:28:07,294 --> 00:28:12,775 and around 3,000 articles in 104 different countries. 549 00:28:12,799 --> 00:28:15,144 This beautiful architecture, 550 00:28:15,168 --> 00:28:17,079 like we saw that on the Instagram. 551 00:28:17,103 --> 00:28:21,417 It's worth a trip to you know, visit here. 552 00:28:21,441 --> 00:28:22,718 [Corina] I have to see it, 553 00:28:22,742 --> 00:28:25,421 so I've made the earliest possible reservation 554 00:28:25,445 --> 00:28:27,957 in two year's time. 555 00:28:27,981 --> 00:28:30,126 You know, if engineers had their way, 556 00:28:30,150 --> 00:28:33,729 we'd just make completely symmetrical square boxes 557 00:28:33,753 --> 00:28:36,432 and we'd put them on the seabed with no windows. 558 00:28:36,456 --> 00:28:38,658 But that wouldn't be beautiful, would it? 559 00:28:51,338 --> 00:28:53,849 Our next building is one of those baffling feats of 560 00:28:53,873 --> 00:28:57,587 engineering that appears to be exempt from all laws of gravity. 561 00:28:57,611 --> 00:28:59,322 At first glance, this Seattle landmark 562 00:28:59,346 --> 00:29:02,792 resembles a stack of books on the verge of toppling over, 563 00:29:02,816 --> 00:29:06,729 which is kind of the idea, since it's the city's new library. 564 00:29:06,753 --> 00:29:11,725 Watch how Seattle rewrote the book on big, bold public spaces. 565 00:29:14,794 --> 00:29:16,839 [Narrator] Seattle, Washington. 566 00:29:16,863 --> 00:29:21,234 Famous for its coffee, the Space Needle and grunge. 567 00:29:22,969 --> 00:29:26,782 And now to add to that list, an extraordinary library. 568 00:29:26,806 --> 00:29:28,818 Ready for the 21st century. 569 00:29:28,842 --> 00:29:32,722 And boldly going where no one has gone before. 570 00:29:32,746 --> 00:29:34,924 [Corina] This giant stack of boxes and slopes 571 00:29:34,948 --> 00:29:38,027 seems to teeter dangerously over the street. 572 00:29:38,051 --> 00:29:40,963 [Narrator] In building this temple to calm and quiet, 573 00:29:40,987 --> 00:29:44,567 engineers would have to prevent almost 5,000 tons of steel 574 00:29:44,591 --> 00:29:46,869 from toppling over. 575 00:29:46,893 --> 00:29:50,072 [Jay] That was the equivalent of 20 Statue of Libertys. 576 00:29:50,096 --> 00:29:51,741 [Narrator] They need to stop it from becoming too 577 00:29:51,765 --> 00:29:53,843 hot to handle in summer. 578 00:29:53,867 --> 00:29:55,745 [Hayley] That curtain of glass could turn the building 579 00:29:55,769 --> 00:29:58,714 into a giant greenhouse. 580 00:29:58,738 --> 00:30:00,783 [Narrator] And if that wasn't enough, 581 00:30:00,807 --> 00:30:03,119 prevent flooding from day one. 582 00:30:03,143 --> 00:30:07,180 We had a tremendous amount of groundwater pouring in. 583 00:30:07,814 --> 00:30:09,558 It was pretty dramatic. 584 00:30:09,582 --> 00:30:11,293 [Narrator] But that's only the beginning 585 00:30:11,317 --> 00:30:14,797 because it's a building that really wants to fall down. 586 00:30:14,821 --> 00:30:16,932 [Ellie] With virtually no columns to keep it standing, 587 00:30:16,956 --> 00:30:19,702 it seems an impossible feat. 588 00:30:19,726 --> 00:30:21,737 [Narrator] It needs a vast, steel lattice to battle 589 00:30:21,761 --> 00:30:25,198 catastrophic earthquakes. 590 00:30:28,802 --> 00:30:31,705 This is Seattle Central Library. 591 00:30:32,872 --> 00:30:35,742 So how did they build it? 592 00:30:42,315 --> 00:30:44,193 It's the end of 1990s 593 00:30:44,217 --> 00:30:48,330 and America's northern-most major city is booming. 594 00:30:48,354 --> 00:30:51,734 Seattle's population is now approaching half a million. 595 00:30:51,758 --> 00:30:55,037 And to be honest, it's doing pretty well. 596 00:30:55,061 --> 00:30:57,673 But in this modern city, there are fixtures and fittings 597 00:30:57,697 --> 00:31:01,310 that are beginning to feel a bit out of place. 598 00:31:01,334 --> 00:31:03,612 Not least, its library. 599 00:31:03,636 --> 00:31:07,049 Established at its current site in 1960. 600 00:31:07,073 --> 00:31:09,051 [Andrew] The city of Seattle was growing quickly. 601 00:31:09,075 --> 00:31:11,887 And the library needed to expand its size 602 00:31:11,911 --> 00:31:14,990 and range of collections, services and programs 603 00:31:15,014 --> 00:31:17,026 to meet a growing population. 604 00:31:17,050 --> 00:31:20,329 [Narrator] So the city decides it's time to build a new one. 605 00:31:20,353 --> 00:31:22,031 But this time, 606 00:31:22,055 --> 00:31:25,835 it's going to be different like no library we've seen before. 607 00:31:25,859 --> 00:31:28,003 Libraries have traditionally been thought of as kind of 608 00:31:28,027 --> 00:31:32,341 musty, dark places, and really, the vision 609 00:31:32,365 --> 00:31:36,836 for this library was to turn that whole idea on its head. 610 00:31:39,472 --> 00:31:42,351 [Narrator] The library also wants to embrace the dawning era 611 00:31:42,375 --> 00:31:44,320 of digital technology. 612 00:31:44,344 --> 00:31:47,123 These are the heady days of the dot.com boom. 613 00:31:47,147 --> 00:31:49,492 And Seattle has some of the biggest players 614 00:31:49,516 --> 00:31:51,360 right on its doorstep. 615 00:31:51,384 --> 00:31:53,129 In a place that's home to some of the most 616 00:31:53,153 --> 00:31:56,632 forward-thinking tech companies, the city looks outside its walls 617 00:31:56,656 --> 00:31:59,401 to find someone to design it. 618 00:31:59,425 --> 00:32:02,104 [Rem] It was in a very interesting moment when 619 00:32:02,128 --> 00:32:05,541 Microsoft and Amazon were all emerging 620 00:32:05,565 --> 00:32:09,845 and influencing the condition of Seattle. 621 00:32:09,869 --> 00:32:13,640 [Narrator] They turn to Dutch architect, Rem Koolhaas. 622 00:32:14,374 --> 00:32:16,585 From his revolutionary skyscraper for China's 623 00:32:16,609 --> 00:32:19,755 CCTV station in Beijing, 624 00:32:19,779 --> 00:32:23,259 to Holland's so-called vertical city in Rotterdam. 625 00:32:23,283 --> 00:32:26,095 He's not afraid to bust the boundaries. 626 00:32:26,119 --> 00:32:28,731 [Ellie] He's right up there with Geary or Hadid. 627 00:32:28,755 --> 00:32:33,536 He pushes engineers to their absolute limits. 628 00:32:33,560 --> 00:32:36,172 [Narrator] Koolhaas's design doesn't disappoint, 629 00:32:36,196 --> 00:32:39,098 and will redefine what engineers can build. 630 00:32:40,200 --> 00:32:43,412 Set on a steeply sloping downtown site, 631 00:32:43,436 --> 00:32:46,649 the new library will consist of four huge boxes 632 00:32:46,673 --> 00:32:49,084 stacked one on top of the other 633 00:32:49,108 --> 00:32:52,521 to create an 11-story building. 634 00:32:52,545 --> 00:32:56,258 But Koolhaas wants each box to be massively offset, 635 00:32:56,282 --> 00:32:57,927 jutting out precariously 636 00:32:57,951 --> 00:33:00,429 with just a slim, central concrete core 637 00:33:00,453 --> 00:33:02,422 shared between them. 638 00:33:03,323 --> 00:33:06,569 A network of ingeniously positioned super slim columns 639 00:33:06,593 --> 00:33:08,838 will add support to the boxes above, 640 00:33:08,862 --> 00:33:11,231 crucial in this earthquake-prone area. 641 00:33:12,532 --> 00:33:16,312 Finally, sloping walls of glass will envelope each of the boxes, 642 00:33:16,336 --> 00:33:19,439 exposing all areas to vast amounts of daylight. 643 00:33:21,007 --> 00:33:23,552 It all creates a uniquely open, welcoming space 644 00:33:23,576 --> 00:33:25,411 for research and learning. 645 00:33:26,446 --> 00:33:29,859 Koolhaas's building has space for more than a million books, 646 00:33:29,883 --> 00:33:32,361 but is unrecognizable as a library. 647 00:33:32,385 --> 00:33:35,488 This is a 21st century information store. 648 00:33:36,689 --> 00:33:40,836 [Rem] What you see is a stack of open, closed, open, closed, 649 00:33:40,860 --> 00:33:42,404 open, closed elements. 650 00:33:42,428 --> 00:33:45,841 This element is shifted in the direction of Mount St. Helens. 651 00:33:45,865 --> 00:33:49,778 This section is shifted to have a view of the sea. 652 00:33:49,802 --> 00:33:53,415 And then in-between, there was a big livingroom 653 00:33:53,439 --> 00:33:58,144 where they could develop a lot and change a lot over time. 654 00:34:00,380 --> 00:34:02,591 [Narrator] When the construction team sees the transparent 655 00:34:02,615 --> 00:34:04,627 glass and steel design model, 656 00:34:04,651 --> 00:34:07,921 they know they have an almighty task on their hands. 657 00:34:09,055 --> 00:34:11,901 There's no interstitial space, you can, you can cover 658 00:34:11,925 --> 00:34:14,803 over connections or anything. Everything is exposed. 659 00:34:14,827 --> 00:34:17,239 In some ways its completely unforgiving 660 00:34:17,263 --> 00:34:20,099 as far as a construction team is concerned. 661 00:34:22,902 --> 00:34:25,614 [Narrator] In 2001, construction begins, 662 00:34:25,638 --> 00:34:28,651 and they're faced with their first major challenge. 663 00:34:28,675 --> 00:34:31,887 The new library is being built on the site of the old one. 664 00:34:31,911 --> 00:34:34,890 And that's on a very steep hill. 665 00:34:34,914 --> 00:34:36,692 [Jay] A pretty significant portion of the building 666 00:34:36,716 --> 00:34:38,227 is below grade. 667 00:34:38,251 --> 00:34:42,488 So structurally, how do you hold back that much dirt? 668 00:34:43,623 --> 00:34:46,101 [Narrator] The team comes up with an ingenious answer 669 00:34:46,125 --> 00:34:49,038 to keep the existing basement wall of the library, 670 00:34:49,062 --> 00:34:52,007 which is currently holding back the hill. 671 00:34:52,031 --> 00:34:54,677 [Dale] We had to support the wall laterally 672 00:34:54,701 --> 00:34:57,046 before we could demolish the building. 673 00:34:57,070 --> 00:34:58,747 Because the structure of the building was holding 674 00:34:58,771 --> 00:35:01,016 that wall up originally. 675 00:35:01,040 --> 00:35:03,443 And that proved to be a real challenge. 676 00:35:04,644 --> 00:35:06,855 [Narrator] To do this, they need to underpin the wall 677 00:35:06,879 --> 00:35:09,816 with vast steel piles driven into the ground. 678 00:35:10,850 --> 00:35:12,728 Then they'll have to fix tiebacks, 679 00:35:12,752 --> 00:35:15,164 huge iron rods, which will be attached 680 00:35:15,188 --> 00:35:18,524 to the wall, then fixed securely into the ground. 681 00:35:24,297 --> 00:35:26,542 But they quickly run into a major problem 682 00:35:26,566 --> 00:35:28,978 that threatens to bring down the entire wall 683 00:35:29,002 --> 00:35:31,280 and hillside with it. 684 00:35:31,304 --> 00:35:33,248 [Dale] We had a tremendous amount of groundwater 685 00:35:33,272 --> 00:35:35,451 that was pouring in along that wall, 686 00:35:35,475 --> 00:35:38,921 so we had to actively de-water under the road 687 00:35:38,945 --> 00:35:40,723 in order to relieve a lot of that pressure, 688 00:35:40,747 --> 00:35:42,324 which was a bit of a scramble. 689 00:35:42,348 --> 00:35:45,060 It was a constant challenge to mitigate all the groundwater 690 00:35:45,084 --> 00:35:47,629 that was coming through. 691 00:35:47,653 --> 00:35:50,299 And also, it didn't help when we were building in December, 692 00:35:50,323 --> 00:35:52,859 January, February are the wettest months here. 693 00:35:53,393 --> 00:35:54,870 [Narrator] With the weather fighting against them, 694 00:35:54,894 --> 00:35:58,340 the team ends up constructing a new wall in front of the old one 695 00:35:58,364 --> 00:36:01,410 in a last-ditch effort to prevent it from giving way. 696 00:36:01,434 --> 00:36:03,979 It was a definitely pretty dramatic. 697 00:36:04,003 --> 00:36:05,748 [Jay] There was a bunch of challenges for that. 698 00:36:05,772 --> 00:36:07,182 They're like, I think we just kind of 699 00:36:07,206 --> 00:36:09,876 outsmarted ourselves on that one, you know? 700 00:36:13,046 --> 00:36:15,557 [Narrator] With the wall steady and danger averted, 701 00:36:15,581 --> 00:36:20,462 the serious work of laying the foundations begins. 702 00:36:20,486 --> 00:36:22,865 The next problem facing the engineers 703 00:36:22,889 --> 00:36:25,200 is how to support the various floors, 704 00:36:25,224 --> 00:36:28,037 which the designers want to float above one another 705 00:36:28,061 --> 00:36:30,496 without using vertical columns. 706 00:36:31,764 --> 00:36:33,242 For the construction team, 707 00:36:33,266 --> 00:36:36,412 it seems an impossible challenge. 708 00:36:36,436 --> 00:36:37,980 [Jay] When I looked at the model, 709 00:36:38,004 --> 00:36:39,948 they had these little vertical columns 710 00:36:39,972 --> 00:36:41,450 that they under different parts of it. 711 00:36:41,474 --> 00:36:43,352 And I said, well, what are those? 712 00:36:43,376 --> 00:36:44,753 And they said, well, we need those 713 00:36:44,777 --> 00:36:46,221 to make the model stand up. 714 00:36:46,245 --> 00:36:48,290 And I said, well, there's probably a good chance 715 00:36:48,314 --> 00:36:50,426 that if you need them to make the model stand up, 716 00:36:50,450 --> 00:36:51,760 I'm gonna need something like that 717 00:36:51,784 --> 00:36:54,830 to make the building stand up, too. 718 00:36:54,854 --> 00:36:56,999 [Dale] Rem Koolhas wanted us to remove 719 00:36:57,023 --> 00:36:59,301 as many interventions as possible. 720 00:36:59,325 --> 00:37:01,670 He wanted the building to look slightly dangerous. 721 00:37:01,694 --> 00:37:03,572 [Jay] And that's where it got to be really tricky. 722 00:37:03,596 --> 00:37:06,208 And we spent a lot of time trying to figure out, 723 00:37:06,232 --> 00:37:08,334 well, how in the world are we going to do that? 724 00:37:10,470 --> 00:37:12,381 [Narrator] The answer they come up with is to tilt the 725 00:37:12,405 --> 00:37:15,384 supporting posts at an angle. 726 00:37:15,408 --> 00:37:18,220 These raking columns will be placed at key points 727 00:37:18,244 --> 00:37:22,515 around the building and will support its vast steel frame. 728 00:37:23,516 --> 00:37:25,527 [Nehemiah] The benefit of raking columns is that 729 00:37:25,551 --> 00:37:28,163 you can transfer the load at an angle. 730 00:37:28,187 --> 00:37:30,466 The downside, however is that they require 731 00:37:30,490 --> 00:37:35,628 very careful calculations. There's not much room for error. 732 00:37:36,362 --> 00:37:38,574 [Dale] That made it incredibly challenging for us to build 733 00:37:38,598 --> 00:37:41,210 because we had to figure out how to get these 734 00:37:41,234 --> 00:37:44,904 huge columns into place at the right sequence. 735 00:37:46,005 --> 00:37:48,584 [Narrator] With the help of the latest 3D computer modeling, 736 00:37:48,608 --> 00:37:51,186 the team is able to work out exactly where, 737 00:37:51,210 --> 00:37:52,721 and in what order, 738 00:37:52,745 --> 00:37:56,091 these columns should be placed. 739 00:37:56,115 --> 00:37:57,759 But if that wasn't enough, 740 00:37:57,783 --> 00:38:00,129 the team also has to make sure the building will be able 741 00:38:00,153 --> 00:38:03,289 to stand up to whatever mother nature throws at it. 742 00:38:04,490 --> 00:38:07,393 And here that includes earthquakes. 743 00:38:12,301 --> 00:38:14,546 [Narrator] In Seattle, work building the new 744 00:38:14,570 --> 00:38:18,683 central library's vast steel skeleton is progressing. 745 00:38:18,707 --> 00:38:20,785 But engineers have to make sure it can deal with 746 00:38:20,809 --> 00:38:24,856 one of the biggest natural problems the city faces, 747 00:38:24,880 --> 00:38:26,482 earthquakes. 748 00:38:29,351 --> 00:38:32,564 In 2001, the huge Nisqually quake 749 00:38:32,588 --> 00:38:36,658 ripped through Seattle's buildings and infrastructure. 750 00:38:37,526 --> 00:38:39,537 Next to a major fault line, 751 00:38:39,561 --> 00:38:43,375 the big one is expected to hit anytime soon. 752 00:38:43,399 --> 00:38:45,343 [Jay] We have very high seismicity, 753 00:38:45,367 --> 00:38:47,579 large earthquakes, fairly frequent. 754 00:38:47,603 --> 00:38:50,148 We get relatively high wind loads through here as well. 755 00:38:50,172 --> 00:38:51,783 And again, it's a lateral load, 756 00:38:51,807 --> 00:38:56,178 a horizontal load trying to move the building horizontally. 757 00:38:56,979 --> 00:38:59,991 [Narrator] The team comes up with an awe-inspiring solution. 758 00:39:00,015 --> 00:39:02,427 They're going to cover the entire building with a vast 759 00:39:02,451 --> 00:39:05,163 steel lattice of diamond shapes. 760 00:39:05,187 --> 00:39:09,300 It will look dazzling and protect it. 761 00:39:09,324 --> 00:39:11,936 The shape of the panel allows for redistribution 762 00:39:11,960 --> 00:39:13,772 of that lateral load. 763 00:39:13,796 --> 00:39:17,041 So the number of sides that it has by being diamond shaped 764 00:39:17,065 --> 00:39:20,678 allows it to share the load with more adjoining panels, 765 00:39:20,702 --> 00:39:24,182 making it easier to resist. 766 00:39:24,206 --> 00:39:26,584 [Sam] If there's an earthquake or if there's a high wind event, 767 00:39:26,608 --> 00:39:28,720 the load is transferred into the diamond grid, 768 00:39:28,744 --> 00:39:30,979 and the diamond grid is resisting that. 769 00:39:33,415 --> 00:39:35,226 [Narrator] There is no room for error. 770 00:39:35,250 --> 00:39:37,095 This grid has to be cut and installed 771 00:39:37,119 --> 00:39:39,130 with pin-point accuracy. 772 00:39:39,154 --> 00:39:42,934 The stability of the library literally depends on it. 773 00:39:42,958 --> 00:39:45,837 [Dale] We were really challenged because the tolerances 774 00:39:45,861 --> 00:39:48,873 on the seismic steel are almost perfect. 775 00:39:48,897 --> 00:39:51,810 We had to be within one half inch plus or minus 776 00:39:51,834 --> 00:39:54,012 with all of it. 777 00:39:54,036 --> 00:39:55,713 [Narrator] While they're building the mesh, 778 00:39:55,737 --> 00:39:58,016 the team holds it in place with sections of temporary 779 00:39:58,040 --> 00:40:00,518 ironwork called false work. 780 00:40:00,542 --> 00:40:02,554 These have the added purpose of helping to support 781 00:40:02,578 --> 00:40:04,522 the entire steel framework. 782 00:40:04,546 --> 00:40:06,825 But all of that will have to come out. 783 00:40:06,849 --> 00:40:09,194 [Dale] I kept asking the ironworkers for their plan 784 00:40:09,218 --> 00:40:12,163 of how they were going to remove all this false work. 785 00:40:12,187 --> 00:40:14,232 And they gave me this sketch. 786 00:40:14,256 --> 00:40:16,935 And it showed the ironworker apprentices 787 00:40:16,959 --> 00:40:18,903 torching all the columns. 788 00:40:18,927 --> 00:40:22,507 The journeymen ironworkers in the bar across the street 789 00:40:22,531 --> 00:40:24,375 and the structural engineer would stand in the middle 790 00:40:24,399 --> 00:40:25,810 of the building. 791 00:40:25,834 --> 00:40:27,212 Because they figured if the engineer was willing 792 00:40:27,236 --> 00:40:28,379 to stand in the middle of the building, 793 00:40:28,403 --> 00:40:30,606 then the plan must be successful. 794 00:40:34,276 --> 00:40:36,321 [Narrator] Finally, the day comes for the engineers 795 00:40:36,345 --> 00:40:38,857 to put their money where their mouths are. 796 00:40:38,881 --> 00:40:42,060 Time for the temporary steel to come out. 797 00:40:42,084 --> 00:40:43,628 There was no going back. 798 00:40:43,652 --> 00:40:47,823 We literally were torching the columns off at the bottoms. 799 00:40:50,359 --> 00:40:52,303 If something started to go awry, 800 00:40:52,327 --> 00:40:55,497 I don't think we really had much of a recovery plan for it. 801 00:40:58,000 --> 00:41:00,311 [Narrator] The team waits anxiously. 802 00:41:00,335 --> 00:41:03,114 Everyone stands well back. 803 00:41:03,138 --> 00:41:07,943 Will some 5,000 tons of steel skeleton remain standing? 804 00:41:09,011 --> 00:41:12,223 [Dale] There was a range of anticipated deflection 805 00:41:12,247 --> 00:41:16,427 that the engineers calculated, and it barely moved 806 00:41:16,451 --> 00:41:18,754 within that range. It was quite successful. 807 00:41:20,589 --> 00:41:22,433 [Narrator] With the steel lattice complete, 808 00:41:22,457 --> 00:41:24,936 it's time for the finishing touches. 809 00:41:24,960 --> 00:41:28,540 10,000 glass panes to shroud the exterior, 810 00:41:28,564 --> 00:41:31,543 almost the size of three American football fields, 811 00:41:31,567 --> 00:41:34,036 letting in natural light. 812 00:41:34,870 --> 00:41:36,281 Though that creates the next challenge 813 00:41:36,305 --> 00:41:38,116 for the team to overcome, 814 00:41:38,140 --> 00:41:40,952 the heat of the Seattle sun. 815 00:41:40,976 --> 00:41:42,954 [Dale] Basically, this is a giant greenhouse, 816 00:41:42,978 --> 00:41:45,990 and we didn't want to have to cool the building excessively. 817 00:41:46,014 --> 00:41:47,692 [Sam] We also don't want too much sun coming in 818 00:41:47,716 --> 00:41:50,595 and making people uncomfortable. 819 00:41:50,619 --> 00:41:51,996 [Narrator] To overcome the problem, 820 00:41:52,020 --> 00:41:54,632 the team come up with an ingenious solution, 821 00:41:54,656 --> 00:41:56,925 clever glass. 822 00:41:58,126 --> 00:42:01,372 Each window will be made from two panes sandwiched together 823 00:42:01,396 --> 00:42:03,975 and in-between there will be a tiny air space containing 824 00:42:03,999 --> 00:42:07,178 an aluminum mesh to soften the sunlight 825 00:42:07,202 --> 00:42:09,647 at key times of the day. 826 00:42:09,671 --> 00:42:11,950 The idea is that it creates essentially like 827 00:42:11,974 --> 00:42:13,151 mini sun louvers 828 00:42:13,175 --> 00:42:14,385 as you look through it. 829 00:42:14,409 --> 00:42:16,788 So it's transparent as you look through 830 00:42:16,812 --> 00:42:20,291 and it's blocking the sun as the sun is coming down on it. 831 00:42:20,315 --> 00:42:22,760 [Narrator] Invented especially for this building, 832 00:42:22,784 --> 00:42:24,729 it's believed to be the one of the world's first 833 00:42:24,753 --> 00:42:27,565 microscopic sunshades. 834 00:42:27,589 --> 00:42:29,334 [Corina] In summer when the sun is high and hot, 835 00:42:29,358 --> 00:42:31,069 they create shade. 836 00:42:31,093 --> 00:42:33,838 In winter when the sun is cool and low, 837 00:42:33,862 --> 00:42:36,465 they let light in. Win, win. 838 00:42:39,868 --> 00:42:43,314 [Narrator] In 2004, following six years of planning, 839 00:42:43,338 --> 00:42:45,149 designing and building, 840 00:42:45,173 --> 00:42:48,419 the city of Seattle has an extraordinary library 841 00:42:48,443 --> 00:42:50,655 ready for a new age. 842 00:42:50,679 --> 00:42:53,958 It was like nothing anybody had seen before. 843 00:42:53,982 --> 00:42:56,594 [Andrew] The New York Times memorably called it 844 00:42:56,618 --> 00:43:00,689 a library with fishnet stockings going to the disco. 845 00:43:04,126 --> 00:43:06,270 [Narrator] The 130,000 square foot 846 00:43:06,294 --> 00:43:08,864 glass curtain on the outside 847 00:43:11,333 --> 00:43:15,270 together with the vast, cavernous spaces on the inside, 848 00:43:16,238 --> 00:43:20,051 and topped off with a 3-story book spiral in the center, 849 00:43:20,075 --> 00:43:22,353 all combined to make this library 850 00:43:22,377 --> 00:43:24,789 a very special place to be. 851 00:43:24,813 --> 00:43:26,924 [Sam] The great thing about the spiral that it allows us to do 852 00:43:26,948 --> 00:43:29,160 is to have a continuous run of books, 853 00:43:29,184 --> 00:43:33,331 so the Dewey Decimal run is uninterrupted from 000 to 999. 854 00:43:33,355 --> 00:43:35,991 It's never been done before. 855 00:43:37,292 --> 00:43:39,103 [Narrator] The construction team on the ground 856 00:43:39,127 --> 00:43:41,939 can stand proud of their success. 857 00:43:41,963 --> 00:43:43,441 It's such a brilliant building. 858 00:43:43,465 --> 00:43:46,778 It's such an amazing icon for the city. 859 00:43:46,802 --> 00:43:49,881 [Hayley] Creating magnetic new public spaces like this 860 00:43:49,905 --> 00:43:53,075 is what will keep city centers alive in the future.