1 00:00:03,170 --> 00:00:04,671 [Jay] How do you create 2 00:00:04,771 --> 00:00:07,308 a busy commuter train station that symbolizes hope 3 00:00:07,408 --> 00:00:09,910 on the site of the 9/11 attacks? 4 00:00:10,010 --> 00:00:13,547 Everything that we did was watched every day. 5 00:00:13,681 --> 00:00:16,116 Every action we took was under the microscope. 6 00:00:17,985 --> 00:00:20,620 [Jay] How do you build a manmade mountain 7 00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:22,555 six feet below sea level 8 00:00:22,656 --> 00:00:24,859 in a country famous for flooding? 9 00:00:24,959 --> 00:00:26,760 It became the biggest swimming pool of Amsterdam, 10 00:00:26,860 --> 00:00:27,894 or maybe the biggest swimming pool 11 00:00:28,028 --> 00:00:30,297 of the Netherlands. 12 00:00:30,397 --> 00:00:32,065 [Jay] And how do you construct a portal 13 00:00:32,198 --> 00:00:36,370 from the hostile desert to the final frontier? 14 00:00:36,470 --> 00:00:40,740 It's the gateway to the edge of space. 15 00:00:44,377 --> 00:00:48,949 [Jay] This is the age of the extraordinary. 16 00:00:49,050 --> 00:00:50,951 [Dr. Agbedor] It's totally different 17 00:00:51,051 --> 00:00:52,552 from anything around it. 18 00:00:52,686 --> 00:00:55,188 It's like a visitor from another planet. 19 00:00:58,091 --> 00:00:59,960 [Jay] Where ingenious engineers have unleashed 20 00:01:00,060 --> 00:01:02,963 unchecked creativity. 21 00:01:03,097 --> 00:01:05,398 Now their secrets are revealed 22 00:01:05,499 --> 00:01:09,703 as we discover the amazing stories of their construction. 23 00:01:09,803 --> 00:01:11,004 [Mat] You look at this building 24 00:01:11,105 --> 00:01:12,906 and your brain just screams at you, 25 00:01:13,040 --> 00:01:15,208 "This building does not make sense." 26 00:01:17,111 --> 00:01:19,145 [Jay] To try and understand... 27 00:01:21,581 --> 00:01:24,084 ...how did they build that. 28 00:01:26,487 --> 00:01:28,989 To design a new transportation hub in the Big Apple 29 00:01:29,089 --> 00:01:30,690 on the site of the World Trade Center 30 00:01:30,790 --> 00:01:32,526 is a big ask. 31 00:01:32,626 --> 00:01:34,795 And one that not only called for a big statement, 32 00:01:34,895 --> 00:01:37,198 but also a great deal of sensitivity. 33 00:01:37,298 --> 00:01:39,266 And this groundbreaking project 34 00:01:39,366 --> 00:01:41,768 by one of the world's most exciting architects 35 00:01:41,868 --> 00:01:43,837 has already proven a massive hit 36 00:01:43,937 --> 00:01:45,272 with both New Yorkers 37 00:01:45,372 --> 00:01:47,674 and visitors from all over the world. 38 00:01:52,079 --> 00:01:54,681 [Jay] This is the Oculus. 39 00:01:57,484 --> 00:02:00,154 It has to be a building who brings hope 40 00:02:00,254 --> 00:02:02,188 and belief in the future. 41 00:02:03,657 --> 00:02:05,859 [Jay] To build this unique station, 42 00:02:05,992 --> 00:02:08,662 the team had to overcome one of the worst storms 43 00:02:08,762 --> 00:02:11,598 to hit the Eastern Seaboard of the United States. 44 00:02:11,698 --> 00:02:13,066 [Steve] The water rose and was almost 45 00:02:13,166 --> 00:02:16,303 up above my chest within seconds. 46 00:02:16,437 --> 00:02:20,074 And we realized we had to get out of there. 47 00:02:20,140 --> 00:02:22,676 [Jay] And take on a design so complicated, 48 00:02:22,809 --> 00:02:25,479 they needed to be at the top of their game. 49 00:02:25,612 --> 00:02:27,848 When I saw the plans, my initial reaction 50 00:02:27,981 --> 00:02:30,483 was honestly, was, "How are we gonna build this?" 51 00:02:32,519 --> 00:02:33,587 [Steve] And it really was a challenge 52 00:02:33,687 --> 00:02:35,022 because we were challenging ourselves 53 00:02:35,122 --> 00:02:37,023 intellectually as well as physically 54 00:02:37,157 --> 00:02:40,227 to produce this iconic structure 55 00:02:40,327 --> 00:02:42,195 that would stand the test of time. 56 00:02:43,797 --> 00:02:46,700 [Jay] It took 12 years to build 57 00:02:46,834 --> 00:02:48,669 and cost $4 billion, 58 00:02:48,802 --> 00:02:51,972 making it one of the most expensive stations 59 00:02:52,106 --> 00:02:53,506 in the world. 60 00:02:55,009 --> 00:02:58,745 Soaring from the ground to give the city a sense of hope, 61 00:02:58,846 --> 00:03:01,748 a beautiful white steel sculpture 62 00:03:01,882 --> 00:03:04,618 that represents a dove being released. 63 00:03:07,654 --> 00:03:09,556 So, how did they build it? 64 00:03:13,393 --> 00:03:18,565 New York's skyscraper-filled skyline is world famous. 65 00:03:18,665 --> 00:03:23,003 But on September 11, 2001, it was changed forever. 66 00:03:25,506 --> 00:03:30,811 2,753 people lost their lives in the terrorist attack 67 00:03:30,911 --> 00:03:32,913 which destroyed the Twin Towers, 68 00:03:33,046 --> 00:03:36,750 and also, the World Trade Center Station-- 69 00:03:36,883 --> 00:03:40,087 a vital part of the Port Authority Trans Hudson, 70 00:03:40,221 --> 00:03:42,923 or PATH, commuter rail system. 71 00:03:44,225 --> 00:03:48,094 In the aftermath, the city wants to find a way to rebuild. 72 00:03:50,030 --> 00:03:54,100 There had to be a moment of cleaning up the site, 73 00:03:54,234 --> 00:03:57,071 remembrance, respect, 74 00:03:57,204 --> 00:04:01,642 and then asking the world to come in 75 00:04:01,776 --> 00:04:03,877 and tell us how can we do this better. 76 00:04:04,945 --> 00:04:06,413 [Jay] Within a year of the attacks, 77 00:04:06,513 --> 00:04:10,150 work begins on a temporary replacement station. 78 00:04:10,283 --> 00:04:12,853 But it takes two years of delicate negotiations 79 00:04:12,953 --> 00:04:14,788 and fierce debate to decide 80 00:04:14,922 --> 00:04:17,158 what the permanent future will look like 81 00:04:17,258 --> 00:04:21,127 for the 16-acre World Trade Center campus. 82 00:04:21,895 --> 00:04:23,497 [Glenn] Selecting a master plan wasn't just about 83 00:04:23,631 --> 00:04:25,065 putting up towers. 84 00:04:25,165 --> 00:04:28,536 It was also a statement of how we're going to proceed from 85 00:04:28,602 --> 00:04:31,705 something so horrible that occurred to us. 86 00:04:31,805 --> 00:04:34,140 And we were telling the world what we're made of. 87 00:04:38,512 --> 00:04:41,148 [Jay] The final plan includes six skyscrapers, 88 00:04:41,281 --> 00:04:42,649 a museum, 89 00:04:42,782 --> 00:04:44,818 and a memorial to the victims of the attack, 90 00:04:44,918 --> 00:04:47,254 and a new, permanent PATH station 91 00:04:47,354 --> 00:04:50,791 serving a million people a week. 92 00:04:50,891 --> 00:04:52,393 [Glenn] It's one of the most critical 93 00:04:52,493 --> 00:04:55,629 transportation components in Lower Manhattan. 94 00:04:55,729 --> 00:04:57,864 It's the only mass transit system 95 00:04:57,964 --> 00:05:00,166 that connects New York and New Jersey 96 00:05:00,267 --> 00:05:01,368 to Lower Manhattan. 97 00:05:01,501 --> 00:05:04,905 So it enables tens of thousands of people 98 00:05:05,005 --> 00:05:08,242 to arrive to their places of work. 99 00:05:08,342 --> 00:05:10,543 [Jay] To design something as inspirational 100 00:05:10,677 --> 00:05:12,146 as it is functional, 101 00:05:12,246 --> 00:05:14,714 they bring in world-renowned architect 102 00:05:14,848 --> 00:05:16,951 Santiago Calatrava. 103 00:05:17,051 --> 00:05:19,152 Not only is he an architect, he's also an engineer, 104 00:05:19,252 --> 00:05:21,188 but he's also an artist. 105 00:05:21,288 --> 00:05:24,190 He's a phenomenal mind. 106 00:05:24,290 --> 00:05:27,194 [Jay] Known for his beautiful sculptural buildings, 107 00:05:27,294 --> 00:05:30,364 including the City of Arts and Sciences in Spain 108 00:05:30,464 --> 00:05:32,632 and the Innovation in Technology campus 109 00:05:32,732 --> 00:05:34,735 at Florida Polytechnic, 110 00:05:34,835 --> 00:05:37,337 Calatrava wants to make a transportation hub 111 00:05:37,437 --> 00:05:39,506 that's also a work of art. 112 00:05:39,639 --> 00:05:43,210 I understood there was a great opportunity 113 00:05:43,310 --> 00:05:45,045 to do something very special. 114 00:05:45,946 --> 00:05:48,481 It's this idea of bringing hope 115 00:05:48,548 --> 00:05:51,785 and believing that things-- that we will overcome it. 116 00:05:54,821 --> 00:05:57,891 [music] 117 00:05:58,024 --> 00:05:59,393 [Jay] What he comes up with 118 00:05:59,493 --> 00:06:01,695 is an astonishing ribbed structure 119 00:06:01,795 --> 00:06:04,464 designed to look like a dove being released. 120 00:06:07,601 --> 00:06:08,935 First, they will need to find a way 121 00:06:09,035 --> 00:06:10,670 to create a new PATH station 122 00:06:10,771 --> 00:06:13,373 with five platforms below ground. 123 00:06:14,508 --> 00:06:16,043 Throughout the build, 124 00:06:16,143 --> 00:06:18,579 a live subway line will run directly through the site. 125 00:06:18,712 --> 00:06:20,948 So they will have to work out how to protect it 126 00:06:21,048 --> 00:06:25,085 and the thousands of passengers who use it every day. 127 00:06:26,052 --> 00:06:28,288 Above ground, they will need to construct the Oculus 128 00:06:28,388 --> 00:06:32,459 from 476 individual pieces, 129 00:06:32,559 --> 00:06:34,962 building it in three key layers-- 130 00:06:35,095 --> 00:06:39,266 the lower frame, the ribcage, and the rafters. 131 00:06:39,366 --> 00:06:43,270 In doing so, they'll create a train station like no other. 132 00:06:43,403 --> 00:06:46,774 But all the time, the team will be under huge pressure 133 00:06:46,907 --> 00:06:50,644 from the weight of building in this location. 134 00:06:50,744 --> 00:06:54,414 [Glenn] Everything that we did was watched every day. 135 00:06:54,548 --> 00:06:58,385 Every action we took was under the microscope. 136 00:06:58,485 --> 00:07:02,923 [Jay] Calatrava's design is announced in 2004. 137 00:07:03,023 --> 00:07:04,925 But before they even break ground, 138 00:07:05,025 --> 00:07:06,927 with the world on high alert 139 00:07:07,027 --> 00:07:09,897 due to continuing acts of terror, 140 00:07:10,030 --> 00:07:12,299 the team reevaluates the building's ability 141 00:07:12,399 --> 00:07:14,701 to withstand an attack. 142 00:07:14,801 --> 00:07:17,370 Every component that was significant 143 00:07:17,470 --> 00:07:19,773 went through a blast analysis. 144 00:07:19,873 --> 00:07:21,375 [Jay] Amendments to the design include 145 00:07:21,509 --> 00:07:23,710 doubling the number of steel ribs 146 00:07:23,810 --> 00:07:26,580 to improve blast resistance. 147 00:07:26,681 --> 00:07:29,049 We had to take care, 148 00:07:29,183 --> 00:07:31,718 that so far as we could, 149 00:07:31,852 --> 00:07:35,122 and so far is possible 150 00:07:35,222 --> 00:07:38,191 to guarantee the station is a safe place. 151 00:07:42,163 --> 00:07:45,298 [Jay] In September 2005, they break ground. 152 00:07:46,766 --> 00:07:50,437 The ambition is to open Oculus in four years. 153 00:07:50,538 --> 00:07:52,806 They start by carefully excavating 154 00:07:52,906 --> 00:07:54,508 to create the underground platforms 155 00:07:54,608 --> 00:07:56,042 and ticket hall. 156 00:07:57,011 --> 00:07:59,379 But with 26 different projects 157 00:07:59,513 --> 00:08:01,615 all a part of the master plan, 158 00:08:01,715 --> 00:08:03,617 needing to work around each other 159 00:08:03,750 --> 00:08:08,255 on the tight 16-acre site is far from straightforward. 160 00:08:08,355 --> 00:08:12,092 It is a Rubik's cube of activity. 161 00:08:12,192 --> 00:08:13,627 And we used to sit there and say, 162 00:08:13,760 --> 00:08:17,330 "Okay, you can go in tomorrow, you can go in the next day." 163 00:08:18,765 --> 00:08:19,900 [Jay] The challenge of sequencing 164 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:21,135 the different projects 165 00:08:21,268 --> 00:08:24,170 means progress is painfully slow. 166 00:08:24,271 --> 00:08:27,775 And there's another huge problem for the team to overcome. 167 00:08:27,875 --> 00:08:30,844 A live subway line, the 1 line, 168 00:08:30,944 --> 00:08:33,247 runs through the heart of the site. 169 00:08:33,347 --> 00:08:35,248 [Jerry] During this entire construction, 170 00:08:35,348 --> 00:08:37,818 the trains kept rolling. 171 00:08:37,918 --> 00:08:40,020 There were options that you could've said, 172 00:08:40,120 --> 00:08:42,289 hey, if we remove the entire 1 line 173 00:08:42,390 --> 00:08:44,391 and took it out of service for a year, 174 00:08:44,491 --> 00:08:46,393 we could get done a lot faster. 175 00:08:46,493 --> 00:08:48,295 But that was a no go. 176 00:08:52,900 --> 00:08:55,202 [Jay] The team's solution is to protect the live line 177 00:08:55,302 --> 00:08:56,804 with a box. 178 00:08:56,904 --> 00:08:58,572 They will brace it before surrounding it 179 00:08:58,672 --> 00:09:01,508 on all four sides with concrete slabs. 180 00:09:01,642 --> 00:09:03,711 Then, to allow them to excavate 181 00:09:03,811 --> 00:09:06,914 for a passage between the two sides of the station, 182 00:09:07,014 --> 00:09:08,982 they will support the box with piles 183 00:09:09,082 --> 00:09:12,886 that go down 50 feet onto the bedrock beneath it. 184 00:09:14,688 --> 00:09:17,758 Building it is painstaking work. 185 00:09:17,858 --> 00:09:22,062 If this is the box, we drove 500 piles. 186 00:09:23,930 --> 00:09:26,700 Then proceeded to take all the soil with Bobcats, 187 00:09:26,833 --> 00:09:30,604 small excavators, to remove the soil. 188 00:09:30,704 --> 00:09:32,506 [Jay] It adds months to the schedule 189 00:09:32,640 --> 00:09:37,645 and costs around $355 million. 190 00:09:37,745 --> 00:09:43,450 But finally, by May 2008, the box is complete. 191 00:09:43,551 --> 00:09:46,019 [Steve] That was extreme engineering. 192 00:09:46,119 --> 00:09:48,822 The subway line was not affected. 193 00:09:48,922 --> 00:09:50,825 People going through it every day. 194 00:09:50,958 --> 00:09:52,759 And it was very successful. 195 00:09:56,630 --> 00:09:58,766 [Jay] The team's next job is to create the station's 196 00:09:58,866 --> 00:10:02,436 subterranean platforms and ticket hall. 197 00:10:02,536 --> 00:10:05,472 As if building underground wasn't tough enough, 198 00:10:05,572 --> 00:10:08,675 they also have to work around a separate construction crew 199 00:10:08,776 --> 00:10:10,477 directly overhead, 200 00:10:10,577 --> 00:10:13,013 which is racing to complete the memorial in time 201 00:10:13,113 --> 00:10:16,750 for the 10-year anniversary of the attacks. 202 00:10:16,850 --> 00:10:18,518 As the delays stack up, 203 00:10:18,652 --> 00:10:20,354 rising labor and material costs 204 00:10:20,454 --> 00:10:23,890 are also adding to the price tag. 205 00:10:23,991 --> 00:10:25,659 Finally, in 2012, 206 00:10:25,793 --> 00:10:28,895 they are ready to begin work above ground 207 00:10:28,995 --> 00:10:31,865 when the project is knocked completely off course. 208 00:10:31,965 --> 00:10:34,902 [music] 209 00:10:35,002 --> 00:10:36,403 [Jay] One of the most destructive storms 210 00:10:36,503 --> 00:10:41,842 in US History, Hurricane Sandy, floods the site. 211 00:10:41,942 --> 00:10:44,177 [Steve] Like rapids coming into the site. 212 00:10:44,311 --> 00:10:45,479 Not quite Niagara Falls, 213 00:10:45,579 --> 00:10:48,749 but something as dramatic as that. 214 00:10:48,849 --> 00:10:51,685 [Jerry] That water flooded the entire facility 215 00:10:51,785 --> 00:10:53,486 that was under construction. 216 00:10:55,956 --> 00:11:02,762 [music] 217 00:11:08,602 --> 00:11:10,838 [Jay] In New York City, the already delayed construction 218 00:11:10,938 --> 00:11:13,774 of Santiago Calatrava's transportation hub 219 00:11:13,874 --> 00:11:15,642 for the World Trade Center 220 00:11:15,775 --> 00:11:19,079 has been hit by the devastating Hurricane Sandy, 221 00:11:19,180 --> 00:11:21,482 which causes a massive storm surge 222 00:11:21,582 --> 00:11:23,784 to flood Lower Manhattan. 223 00:11:23,917 --> 00:11:26,553 It was 125 million gallons of water 224 00:11:26,653 --> 00:11:28,889 deposited in the site. 225 00:11:28,989 --> 00:11:30,891 [Jay] They need over 50 pumps 226 00:11:30,991 --> 00:11:33,861 working around the clock to extract the water. 227 00:11:33,961 --> 00:11:38,232 It leaves behind several hundred million dollars of wreckage. 228 00:11:38,299 --> 00:11:41,502 It was a lot of damage to mechanical systems, 229 00:11:41,635 --> 00:11:44,372 architectural components, electrical. 230 00:11:44,438 --> 00:11:48,375 Anything that saw that seawater got corroded 231 00:11:48,475 --> 00:11:50,711 and had to be replaced. 232 00:11:50,777 --> 00:11:54,648 [Jay] Underground, the project is knocked back by almost a year 233 00:11:54,782 --> 00:11:56,550 while they rectify the damage. 234 00:11:57,717 --> 00:11:59,620 While above ground, the team pushes on 235 00:11:59,720 --> 00:12:02,123 with building Calatrava's beautiful, 236 00:12:02,223 --> 00:12:04,424 cathedral-like steel sculpture, 237 00:12:04,524 --> 00:12:06,726 which will crown the entrance hall. 238 00:12:08,328 --> 00:12:12,299 But the steel construction team is working against the clock. 239 00:12:12,399 --> 00:12:14,901 [Pat] The project was already behind schedule, 240 00:12:15,001 --> 00:12:16,369 so we were under a lot of pressure, 241 00:12:16,469 --> 00:12:18,038 not only to meet our schedule, 242 00:12:18,172 --> 00:12:20,373 but to accelerate and be finished early. 243 00:12:21,675 --> 00:12:22,910 [Jay] To add to the challenge, 244 00:12:23,010 --> 00:12:26,279 the steel is being cast near Venice, Italy, 245 00:12:26,346 --> 00:12:28,949 by one of the few companies capable of handling 246 00:12:29,049 --> 00:12:30,417 the demanding design. 247 00:12:30,517 --> 00:12:32,619 [Pat] This was extremely complicated to fabricate. 248 00:12:32,719 --> 00:12:34,054 Not only the geometry, 249 00:12:34,154 --> 00:12:36,657 but the architectural look of it as well. 250 00:12:36,757 --> 00:12:38,158 It's all curved plates. 251 00:12:38,259 --> 00:12:40,060 You don't see any bolted connections. 252 00:12:40,193 --> 00:12:43,698 That was very, very difficult. 253 00:12:43,798 --> 00:12:44,898 [Jay] The steel travels 254 00:12:44,998 --> 00:12:48,202 over 4000 miles by sea with ease. 255 00:12:48,302 --> 00:12:51,972 It's the last few miles that prove to be the toughest. 256 00:12:52,038 --> 00:12:55,242 Traffic in New York is already tough enough. 257 00:12:55,342 --> 00:13:00,915 So imagine navigating these hundred-foot-long steel ribs 258 00:13:01,048 --> 00:13:02,649 through Manhattan. 259 00:13:02,749 --> 00:13:05,386 [music] 260 00:13:05,452 --> 00:13:07,454 We had to plan what was the hours 261 00:13:07,554 --> 00:13:09,389 that it was going to come in, 262 00:13:09,456 --> 00:13:12,326 what was the route that it was going to be taking. 263 00:13:12,426 --> 00:13:14,527 Work with the city of New York in terms of 264 00:13:14,628 --> 00:13:18,966 whether or not we needed to move traffic lights, signs. 265 00:13:19,066 --> 00:13:23,237 Getting the steel here was nothing short of a nightmare. 266 00:13:23,337 --> 00:13:25,906 [Jay] All the careful planning pays off. 267 00:13:26,039 --> 00:13:28,141 [music] 268 00:13:28,241 --> 00:13:30,511 [Jay] Now they're ready to start the enormous job 269 00:13:30,611 --> 00:13:33,179 of putting the Oculus together. 270 00:13:33,280 --> 00:13:35,081 To do that, they have to commission 271 00:13:35,181 --> 00:13:39,919 two specially designed 185-foot-tall cranes. 272 00:13:40,020 --> 00:13:43,624 Two tower cranes were erected, which I understood at that point 273 00:13:43,724 --> 00:13:46,460 were the tallest ever used in New York. 274 00:13:46,560 --> 00:13:49,229 They had to have a tremendous capacity 275 00:13:49,329 --> 00:13:51,431 in a very small space. 276 00:13:51,531 --> 00:13:54,401 You can see there's a lot of buildings around us. 277 00:13:56,469 --> 00:13:58,939 [Jay] With the cranes set, in December 2012, 278 00:13:59,039 --> 00:14:01,208 they can start to construct the lower part 279 00:14:01,308 --> 00:14:03,210 of the enormous steel frame. 280 00:14:04,945 --> 00:14:07,248 To achieve Calatrava's aesthetic vision, 281 00:14:07,348 --> 00:14:10,751 all 476 interconnecting pieces 282 00:14:10,817 --> 00:14:15,022 need to be lined up perfectly from bottom to top. 283 00:14:15,155 --> 00:14:18,792 Any minor error in the alignment of that connection 284 00:14:18,859 --> 00:14:21,027 can translate right up the line through the structure 285 00:14:21,161 --> 00:14:22,629 and create major issues. 286 00:14:24,297 --> 00:14:26,100 [Jay] Not only that, but any flaw 287 00:14:26,200 --> 00:14:29,436 could make the structure itself unstable. 288 00:14:29,503 --> 00:14:31,738 This whole project was basically like a 3D game of chess, 289 00:14:31,839 --> 00:14:34,641 where we could not make one wrong move. 290 00:14:34,775 --> 00:14:36,376 [Jay] Although they use computer modeling 291 00:14:36,477 --> 00:14:37,912 to help design it, 292 00:14:38,012 --> 00:14:39,413 fitting the pieces on the ground 293 00:14:39,513 --> 00:14:41,581 requires intense attention to detail 294 00:14:41,648 --> 00:14:43,918 from a team of surveyors. 295 00:14:44,018 --> 00:14:46,854 We had a series of control points around the site, 296 00:14:46,954 --> 00:14:49,022 on these buildings, all around us 297 00:14:49,122 --> 00:14:51,825 that had to be monitored continually. 298 00:14:54,594 --> 00:14:56,796 [music] 299 00:14:56,897 --> 00:14:58,532 [Jay] With the lower frame complete, 300 00:14:58,632 --> 00:15:02,703 they start to build the ribcage, working inwards from each end. 301 00:15:02,803 --> 00:15:06,473 The welding alone is an enormous undertaking. 302 00:15:07,441 --> 00:15:10,611 On most jobs, it's measured in inches. 303 00:15:10,711 --> 00:15:14,148 Here, there are 52 miles of work to be done 304 00:15:14,248 --> 00:15:16,750 in the most challenging of conditions. 305 00:15:16,883 --> 00:15:18,752 [Pat] A lot of the welds were done up in the air, 306 00:15:18,886 --> 00:15:20,087 out of man baskets, 307 00:15:20,221 --> 00:15:22,256 so it's not exactly a stable... 308 00:15:22,389 --> 00:15:24,190 You know, you're moving around in a man basket. 309 00:15:24,291 --> 00:15:26,393 So it made the welding very difficult. 310 00:15:26,493 --> 00:15:29,529 [music] 311 00:15:29,630 --> 00:15:32,866 [Jay] Slowly the ribcage takes shape. 312 00:15:34,167 --> 00:15:38,205 As it does, it forms two enormous parallel arches, 313 00:15:38,338 --> 00:15:41,541 which will eventually support much of the weight of the wings. 314 00:15:43,744 --> 00:15:47,714 Each will be completed by a final keystone piece. 315 00:15:47,814 --> 00:15:51,251 When the time comes to fit them, in August 2014, 316 00:15:51,351 --> 00:15:54,488 it's a nerve-wracking moment for the team. 317 00:15:54,588 --> 00:15:57,424 So one of the biggest concerns is closing that gap, right? 318 00:15:57,557 --> 00:15:59,126 Setting that piece in the middle 319 00:15:59,226 --> 00:16:01,261 and knowing that it's going to fit. 320 00:16:02,196 --> 00:16:03,830 We were tracking it the whole way. 321 00:16:03,964 --> 00:16:05,165 We were monitoring it. 322 00:16:05,298 --> 00:16:07,835 But until you see that piece set and see it fit in, 323 00:16:07,935 --> 00:16:10,470 it definitely causes you some stress for sure. 324 00:16:10,570 --> 00:16:13,841 [music] 325 00:16:13,941 --> 00:16:17,811 [Jay] Thankfully they go in without a hitch. 326 00:16:17,944 --> 00:16:21,548 It was amazing how it all fit together. 327 00:16:21,649 --> 00:16:24,951 [Jay] The Oculus is finally ready to receive its wings, 328 00:16:25,051 --> 00:16:30,724 created from 114 pieces of steel up to 80 feet long. 329 00:16:30,824 --> 00:16:31,825 [Pat] I actually started to see 330 00:16:31,958 --> 00:16:34,127 multiple pieces going up per day. 331 00:16:34,227 --> 00:16:36,363 And we were getting consistent production 332 00:16:36,464 --> 00:16:37,798 one day to the next, 333 00:16:37,898 --> 00:16:39,333 and that's when it started to collect that 334 00:16:39,433 --> 00:16:42,002 we were really going to pull this off 335 00:16:42,135 --> 00:16:44,671 and build the Oculus the way it's supposed to be built. 336 00:16:46,740 --> 00:16:48,776 [music] 337 00:16:48,876 --> 00:16:50,443 [Jay] Seven years late, 338 00:16:50,544 --> 00:16:55,282 and at a cost of $4 billion, double the original budget, 339 00:16:55,415 --> 00:16:58,518 Calatrava's Oculus opens in March 2016, 340 00:16:58,618 --> 00:17:00,187 ready for the million people 341 00:17:00,287 --> 00:17:02,289 who will pass through it each week. 342 00:17:02,355 --> 00:17:08,729 [music] 343 00:17:08,862 --> 00:17:11,732 The many hundred, thousands of people 344 00:17:11,832 --> 00:17:14,034 who has put hand to make it possible, 345 00:17:14,167 --> 00:17:17,504 'cause you feel part of an important achievement. 346 00:17:19,273 --> 00:17:22,075 I feel like it uplifts people in the sense of hope. 347 00:17:24,311 --> 00:17:26,413 [Jay] Despite concerns that delays and overspend 348 00:17:26,513 --> 00:17:28,882 might overshadow the result, 349 00:17:29,015 --> 00:17:32,086 for many, the Oculus's soaring sculptural form 350 00:17:32,186 --> 00:17:36,256 represents optimism emerging from tragedy. 351 00:17:36,356 --> 00:17:38,892 It's a tribute to what happened there, 352 00:17:38,992 --> 00:17:41,228 to the lives that were lost. 353 00:17:41,362 --> 00:17:43,530 It couldn't be anything else. 354 00:17:43,630 --> 00:17:46,366 It gives me a sense of pride that I was a part of this. 355 00:17:46,466 --> 00:17:49,336 [music] 356 00:17:49,436 --> 00:17:51,205 [Pat] I could look at this and be proud 357 00:17:51,305 --> 00:17:54,308 that I was a part of rebuilding this area. 358 00:17:54,408 --> 00:17:56,243 I get emotional just thinking about it. 359 00:17:56,343 --> 00:18:00,447 [music] 360 00:18:00,547 --> 00:18:02,816 [Steve] I was blessed to be a small part of it, 361 00:18:02,916 --> 00:18:06,953 and I will take that as a gift from God 362 00:18:07,087 --> 00:18:08,655 for the rest of my life. 363 00:18:10,023 --> 00:18:16,730 [music] 364 00:18:17,898 --> 00:18:25,806 [music] 365 00:18:25,906 --> 00:18:27,441 Across the pond to the Netherlands 366 00:18:27,575 --> 00:18:29,509 and a mountain-like skyscraper. 367 00:18:29,576 --> 00:18:32,446 Its jagged peaks have earned it the name "The Valley," 368 00:18:32,546 --> 00:18:35,382 as well as turned the way you build an apartment building 369 00:18:35,482 --> 00:18:36,483 on its head. 370 00:18:36,583 --> 00:18:38,285 In my opinion, this is easily 371 00:18:38,419 --> 00:18:40,788 one of the coolest, most unique-looking buildings 372 00:18:40,921 --> 00:18:42,289 ever built. 373 00:18:43,123 --> 00:18:44,591 Even if it does look only half finished. 374 00:18:44,724 --> 00:18:47,661 [music] 375 00:18:47,761 --> 00:18:51,131 [Jay] The Netherlands is famously flat. 376 00:18:51,265 --> 00:18:53,367 In fact, nearly a third of the country 377 00:18:53,467 --> 00:18:56,003 sits below sea level. 378 00:18:56,103 --> 00:18:59,840 So if you want to experience some dramatic Dutch landscape, 379 00:18:59,940 --> 00:19:02,409 you're gonna have to build it yourself. 380 00:19:02,476 --> 00:19:05,812 I love this building. It looks like somebody's 381 00:19:05,912 --> 00:19:08,048 taken a bite out of a skyscraper. 382 00:19:09,750 --> 00:19:11,919 [Jay] This is Valley, 383 00:19:12,019 --> 00:19:14,087 a mix of apartments and offices 384 00:19:14,187 --> 00:19:16,022 in three jagged towers 385 00:19:16,122 --> 00:19:19,292 made from a jumble of boxes. 386 00:19:19,392 --> 00:19:20,661 Looking at this building, 387 00:19:20,761 --> 00:19:23,096 it looks like it's going to crumble and topple over. 388 00:19:25,332 --> 00:19:26,667 [Crees] Seeing the design for the first time, 389 00:19:26,767 --> 00:19:28,802 it was like, oh my god, how are we going to do this? 390 00:19:28,936 --> 00:19:31,071 [Jay] But building six feet below sea level 391 00:19:31,172 --> 00:19:33,507 in a country notorious for flooding 392 00:19:33,641 --> 00:19:35,609 was always going to be a challenge. 393 00:19:35,709 --> 00:19:36,943 [Crees] For more than a year, 394 00:19:37,043 --> 00:19:38,845 we were looking at a really large swimming pool, 395 00:19:38,945 --> 00:19:40,981 not knowing what comes out. 396 00:19:41,115 --> 00:19:43,817 [Jay] So, how did they build it? 397 00:19:49,523 --> 00:19:50,724 [Jay] It's 2007, 398 00:19:50,824 --> 00:19:52,726 and in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, 399 00:19:52,859 --> 00:19:56,129 Zuidas, the city's central business district, 400 00:19:56,196 --> 00:19:58,231 is growing fast. 401 00:19:58,331 --> 00:20:00,067 But the developers of a new project 402 00:20:00,200 --> 00:20:03,537 want to avoid repeating mistakes made elsewhere. 403 00:20:03,637 --> 00:20:05,572 If you take a look at the business districts 404 00:20:05,672 --> 00:20:08,776 of the last 20, 30, 40 years, 405 00:20:08,842 --> 00:20:13,580 what you mainly see is a cluster of square buildings 406 00:20:13,680 --> 00:20:15,115 quite close to each other 407 00:20:15,215 --> 00:20:17,183 and no trees. 408 00:20:17,317 --> 00:20:19,353 [Jay] As well as lacking green space, 409 00:20:19,453 --> 00:20:21,989 dedicated business areas are often deserted 410 00:20:22,089 --> 00:20:23,858 outside of office hours. 411 00:20:23,991 --> 00:20:25,625 So the developers turn to 412 00:20:25,726 --> 00:20:29,796 an architect who believes good design can change all that. 413 00:20:29,896 --> 00:20:32,299 I think it's super important that our buildings contribute 414 00:20:32,399 --> 00:20:35,502 to a wider perspective, 415 00:20:35,602 --> 00:20:37,204 that they are not selfish. 416 00:20:37,337 --> 00:20:40,141 This is not an office. This is something more. 417 00:20:40,241 --> 00:20:41,508 [Jay] Winy Maas's big idea 418 00:20:41,608 --> 00:20:44,779 is to mix 200 apartments with offices, 419 00:20:44,879 --> 00:20:46,814 restaurants, and public spaces 420 00:20:46,914 --> 00:20:49,650 in a towering structure named Valley 421 00:20:49,750 --> 00:20:52,887 that looks more like a craggy natural landscape 422 00:20:52,987 --> 00:20:54,287 than a building. 423 00:20:57,024 --> 00:20:59,226 To create this manmade mountain, 424 00:20:59,359 --> 00:21:01,828 they'll first need to figure out how to carve out 425 00:21:01,962 --> 00:21:04,164 three stories of underground parking 426 00:21:04,298 --> 00:21:06,766 in a famously waterlogged city. 427 00:21:08,234 --> 00:21:11,438 Then they will need to engineer a structural system 428 00:21:11,538 --> 00:21:14,942 capable of holding up its three irregular towers 429 00:21:15,075 --> 00:21:19,346 and supporting sections designed to hang in midair 430 00:21:19,446 --> 00:21:22,015 like natural rocky outcrops. 431 00:21:23,484 --> 00:21:25,185 To finish off the rugged look, 432 00:21:25,285 --> 00:21:28,889 they'll need to create thousands of bespoke stone tiles 433 00:21:28,989 --> 00:21:33,059 and assemble them like a gigantic jigsaw puzzle. 434 00:21:33,160 --> 00:21:34,428 The finishing touch will come from 435 00:21:34,528 --> 00:21:35,963 glittering glass windows 436 00:21:36,063 --> 00:21:40,700 and 220 different varieties of plants and trees. 437 00:21:42,269 --> 00:21:45,272 [music] 438 00:21:45,405 --> 00:21:46,607 [Jay] It's the summer of 2018, 439 00:21:46,740 --> 00:21:50,311 and the team is ready to break ground. 440 00:21:50,411 --> 00:21:54,281 But most of Amsterdam is built on reclaimed swampland 441 00:21:54,415 --> 00:21:57,985 and sits three to six feet below sea level. 442 00:21:58,085 --> 00:21:59,586 [Gideon] So the minute you start to dig, 443 00:21:59,686 --> 00:22:01,021 you run into water, 444 00:22:01,121 --> 00:22:05,025 and the water needs to be mitigated well 445 00:22:05,125 --> 00:22:08,528 in order not to collapse the building site. 446 00:22:09,530 --> 00:22:11,065 [Jay] In much of the Netherlands, 447 00:22:11,165 --> 00:22:14,535 buildings sit on piles above the waterlogged ground. 448 00:22:14,668 --> 00:22:17,437 But Valley will need to dig down for three stories 449 00:22:17,537 --> 00:22:19,106 of underground parking, 450 00:22:19,206 --> 00:22:21,841 plus foundations to support the towers. 451 00:22:21,941 --> 00:22:25,412 So how will they stop water flooding in the hole? 452 00:22:25,513 --> 00:22:27,915 Well, they won't. 453 00:22:28,015 --> 00:22:29,850 [Corina] Rather than trying to keep all the water out 454 00:22:29,950 --> 00:22:31,118 while you build, 455 00:22:31,218 --> 00:22:33,520 it's actually easier to work under water 456 00:22:33,654 --> 00:22:36,190 using specialist waterproof concrete. 457 00:22:36,323 --> 00:22:38,858 Then you can pump the site dry when you're finished. 458 00:22:40,694 --> 00:22:43,163 [Jay] First, the team sink metal panels, 459 00:22:43,230 --> 00:22:46,199 called sheet piles, around the edge of the site. 460 00:22:48,502 --> 00:22:53,107 Then they dig a 40-foot-deep hole inside, 461 00:22:53,207 --> 00:22:55,509 which they allow to fill up with water. 462 00:22:55,609 --> 00:22:57,344 [Crees] It became the biggest swimming pool of Amsterdam, 463 00:22:57,444 --> 00:23:00,047 or maybe the biggest swimming pool of the Netherlands. 464 00:23:00,147 --> 00:23:03,183 [music] 465 00:23:03,283 --> 00:23:04,685 [Jay] Now, though, this pool 466 00:23:04,785 --> 00:23:07,020 has to be prepared for the pouring of 467 00:23:07,087 --> 00:23:08,789 the concrete foundations. 468 00:23:08,922 --> 00:23:12,726 It means calling in highly trained divers. 469 00:23:12,827 --> 00:23:15,429 We started this project in March 2018. 470 00:23:15,562 --> 00:23:19,833 It took us six months with three to four diving teams. 471 00:23:19,933 --> 00:23:22,937 [music] 472 00:23:23,070 --> 00:23:24,438 [Jay] Their first task 473 00:23:24,538 --> 00:23:29,009 is to sink over 1000 piles 100 feet into the ground 474 00:23:29,109 --> 00:23:31,044 to anchor the building down. 475 00:23:31,145 --> 00:23:33,814 It's difficult and demanding work, 476 00:23:33,914 --> 00:23:35,782 with the teams working in shifts. 477 00:23:35,882 --> 00:23:37,785 [Marc] You dive two hours. You go out. 478 00:23:37,918 --> 00:23:40,854 The next one goes in. And that will rotate all day. 479 00:23:43,523 --> 00:23:44,958 [Jay] Having sunk the piles, 480 00:23:45,058 --> 00:23:48,295 they now need to guide in 30 huge steel baskets 481 00:23:48,395 --> 00:23:51,531 that will reinforce the concrete slab. 482 00:23:51,631 --> 00:23:55,369 These engineers have calculated exactly where they need to go. 483 00:23:55,436 --> 00:23:58,605 But the divers are working almost blind. 484 00:23:58,705 --> 00:24:00,240 I can't imagine many divers on the water, 485 00:24:00,340 --> 00:24:01,808 they can see anything. 486 00:24:04,211 --> 00:24:05,378 They have to be careful. 487 00:24:05,512 --> 00:24:06,847 A diver can't go underneath the basket 488 00:24:06,947 --> 00:24:09,549 to check everything because that's too dangerous. 489 00:24:10,684 --> 00:24:12,986 [Jay] It takes six months, 490 00:24:13,086 --> 00:24:17,524 but at last, the preparations are safely done. 491 00:24:20,394 --> 00:24:21,795 [Jay] Now they're ready for 492 00:24:21,861 --> 00:24:25,466 the next massive challenge, pouring the concrete. 493 00:24:25,566 --> 00:24:27,301 [Marc] You have a concrete specialist. 494 00:24:27,401 --> 00:24:31,438 They pour about 820,000 cubics of concrete a year, 495 00:24:31,538 --> 00:24:34,341 so they know what to do. 496 00:24:34,474 --> 00:24:37,244 [Jay] A mixer pumps a continuous flow of concrete 497 00:24:37,344 --> 00:24:39,947 through a long pipe guided by the divers. 498 00:24:40,013 --> 00:24:44,217 [music] 499 00:24:44,351 --> 00:24:45,720 [Jay] After a nervous wait 500 00:24:45,820 --> 00:24:50,657 while the concrete sets under the water... 501 00:24:50,758 --> 00:24:52,726 it's time for the moment of truth 502 00:24:52,826 --> 00:24:54,694 as they finally pump the site dry. 503 00:24:58,032 --> 00:24:59,833 [Marc] The moment the water goes down, 504 00:24:59,933 --> 00:25:02,436 everybody's looking at it and seeing, okay, 505 00:25:02,536 --> 00:25:04,471 it's okay or it's not okay. 506 00:25:08,575 --> 00:25:11,278 [Jay] As the last drops of water are removed, 507 00:25:11,378 --> 00:25:14,114 they can finally see if the reinforcing steel 508 00:25:14,248 --> 00:25:16,484 has been correctly positioned. 509 00:25:16,584 --> 00:25:18,619 [Marc] Baskets are all in the right spot. 510 00:25:18,719 --> 00:25:21,188 The concrete is on the right level. 511 00:25:21,288 --> 00:25:22,989 And it's okay. It's good for us. 512 00:25:25,425 --> 00:25:27,661 [music] 513 00:25:27,761 --> 00:25:29,096 [Jay] Now work can begin 514 00:25:29,196 --> 00:25:31,798 creating Valley's jagged boxy structure. 515 00:25:34,267 --> 00:25:36,737 They start with a fairly standard concrete core 516 00:25:36,837 --> 00:25:38,538 and supporting walls. 517 00:25:40,407 --> 00:25:42,743 But some of the apartments are designed to stick out 518 00:25:42,843 --> 00:25:46,379 from the building as much as 32 feet. 519 00:25:46,480 --> 00:25:48,181 These dramatic overhanging sections 520 00:25:48,281 --> 00:25:50,784 demand fresh thinking. 521 00:25:50,884 --> 00:25:52,920 With the regular construction, 522 00:25:53,020 --> 00:25:56,089 we had very rigid rules on what we could do, 523 00:25:56,223 --> 00:25:59,994 how far we could cantilever out, and what not. 524 00:26:00,094 --> 00:26:04,030 But we wanted this super-spectacular image. 525 00:26:05,699 --> 00:26:07,534 [Jay] To achieve the architect's vision, 526 00:26:07,668 --> 00:26:09,436 the engineers design lightweight, 527 00:26:09,536 --> 00:26:13,674 yet strong prefabricated steel frames. 528 00:26:13,807 --> 00:26:16,911 [Gideon] We have 11 of what we call specials. 529 00:26:17,011 --> 00:26:19,513 These are steel structures that 530 00:26:19,613 --> 00:26:21,848 really cantilever super far out, 531 00:26:21,949 --> 00:26:24,684 about 10 meters out. 532 00:26:24,784 --> 00:26:29,189 The steel structures were bolted to the concrete construction. 533 00:26:29,323 --> 00:26:30,691 [Jay] When the time comes 534 00:26:30,824 --> 00:26:32,793 to hoist them into position and attach them, 535 00:26:32,893 --> 00:26:35,061 it's an anxious moment for the team. 536 00:26:36,730 --> 00:26:38,265 [Gideon] I still remember the first one. 537 00:26:38,365 --> 00:26:39,700 It was very exciting 538 00:26:39,833 --> 00:26:43,203 to see if all the connections actually fit. 539 00:26:45,138 --> 00:26:47,508 And the contractor did an amazing job there, 540 00:26:47,608 --> 00:26:50,644 so...all 11 of them fit perfectly. 541 00:26:53,313 --> 00:26:54,981 [Jay] It's now 2020, 542 00:26:55,081 --> 00:26:58,118 and with Valley's rugged outline becoming a reality, 543 00:26:58,219 --> 00:27:01,455 Winy Maas is working on the finish. 544 00:27:01,555 --> 00:27:03,824 I remember choosing the material. 545 00:27:03,924 --> 00:27:05,893 And that should be stone 546 00:27:06,026 --> 00:27:07,961 so it looks like a mountain. 547 00:27:09,763 --> 00:27:11,098 [Jay] To make it look natural, 548 00:27:11,198 --> 00:27:14,468 they plan to use 40,000 pieces of stone tile 549 00:27:14,568 --> 00:27:18,472 in a variety of shapes and sizes. 550 00:27:18,572 --> 00:27:20,541 The shop contractor for the natural stone, 551 00:27:20,641 --> 00:27:22,075 he came to us and he said, 552 00:27:22,209 --> 00:27:25,812 "I need at least one year, a full year of engineering 553 00:27:25,879 --> 00:27:26,714 in the drawings." 554 00:27:26,847 --> 00:27:29,783 And we don't have that time. 555 00:27:31,251 --> 00:27:33,253 [Jay] How will they finalize the design 556 00:27:33,387 --> 00:27:35,121 without tearing apart the schedule? 557 00:27:40,127 --> 00:27:41,561 [Jay] In Amsterdam, 558 00:27:41,628 --> 00:27:44,732 engineers are trying to arrange 40,000 stone tiles 559 00:27:44,832 --> 00:27:47,568 on the jagged surfaces of a building 560 00:27:47,668 --> 00:27:50,337 inspired by a mountain valley. 561 00:27:51,371 --> 00:27:55,643 They develop a special 3D software program to help. 562 00:27:55,743 --> 00:27:58,678 We managed to get all of these different tiles 563 00:27:58,745 --> 00:28:01,415 put inside of the 3D model 564 00:28:01,515 --> 00:28:03,517 and optimize as much as we can 565 00:28:03,651 --> 00:28:06,754 to make as many standardized tiles as possible 566 00:28:06,854 --> 00:28:10,790 while giving this, like, random appearance. 567 00:28:10,857 --> 00:28:13,527 [Jay] Planning time goes from a year to months, 568 00:28:13,627 --> 00:28:17,164 with the prefabricated tiles arriving on site 569 00:28:17,264 --> 00:28:18,498 as a giant kit. 570 00:28:18,598 --> 00:28:19,833 [Gideon] There were all kinds of crates 571 00:28:19,933 --> 00:28:21,836 and ordered and numbered, 572 00:28:21,936 --> 00:28:23,737 because everything was really cut to size 573 00:28:23,837 --> 00:28:25,739 for that specific part. 574 00:28:25,839 --> 00:28:29,009 That was quite a logistic puzzle. 575 00:28:29,110 --> 00:28:30,277 [Jay] Fitting them 576 00:28:30,378 --> 00:28:32,245 is an epic challenge for the team. 577 00:28:32,346 --> 00:28:35,248 I think you had more than 100 installers 578 00:28:35,348 --> 00:28:37,250 here on the job site. 579 00:28:37,350 --> 00:28:39,352 That's not normal for us. 580 00:28:41,988 --> 00:28:43,357 [Jay] As the cladding contractors 581 00:28:43,457 --> 00:28:47,360 slowly work their way down the building... 582 00:28:47,460 --> 00:28:51,298 Valley begins to emerge from its scaffolding cocoon. 583 00:28:51,365 --> 00:28:55,502 And it was like a very slow unwrapping of a present 584 00:28:55,636 --> 00:28:57,537 that took weeks and weeks and weeks. 585 00:28:59,272 --> 00:29:01,541 [Jay] Finally, in 2022, 586 00:29:01,675 --> 00:29:05,412 Valley is properly revealed to the world. 587 00:29:05,512 --> 00:29:09,783 Three jagged towers reaching over 300 feet. 588 00:29:11,552 --> 00:29:14,354 [Jay] Containing offices, restaurants, 589 00:29:14,455 --> 00:29:18,092 and 200 extraordinary apartments. 590 00:29:18,225 --> 00:29:22,095 The apartments really just seem to defy gravity. 591 00:29:22,195 --> 00:29:24,264 [Jay] 271 trees 592 00:29:24,365 --> 00:29:26,633 and 13,500 shrubs 593 00:29:26,733 --> 00:29:29,236 have been planted all over Valley, 594 00:29:29,336 --> 00:29:32,373 each with their own irrigation and drainage. 595 00:29:32,473 --> 00:29:36,276 It's funny to see the amount of bees that come to this building. 596 00:29:37,077 --> 00:29:38,712 [Jay] Creating a vertical park 597 00:29:38,846 --> 00:29:42,750 that's open to the public 24 hours a day. 598 00:29:42,850 --> 00:29:46,053 [Gideon] As it ages, it grows more beautiful. 599 00:29:46,186 --> 00:29:48,756 You see the plants developing more and more. 600 00:29:48,856 --> 00:29:51,725 You see people using, really, the space. 601 00:29:51,825 --> 00:29:53,994 [Jay] For those who live and work here, 602 00:29:54,094 --> 00:29:56,831 this building has been a revelation. 603 00:29:56,931 --> 00:29:58,265 [Gini] The energy is really good 604 00:29:58,399 --> 00:29:59,766 because you have, like, everything here, 605 00:29:59,900 --> 00:30:02,335 like my friends, the restaurants. 606 00:30:02,435 --> 00:30:05,206 You can have, like, your coffee in the morning. 607 00:30:05,306 --> 00:30:06,740 [Peter] This building is one of a kind. 608 00:30:06,840 --> 00:30:08,308 Sometimes I'm sitting on the terrace 609 00:30:08,408 --> 00:30:09,643 with a good glass of wine 610 00:30:09,710 --> 00:30:13,814 and thinking, "How did it happen?" 611 00:30:13,881 --> 00:30:15,382 [laughs] 612 00:30:15,482 --> 00:30:20,720 I hope that this building shows that we can break boundaries. 613 00:30:21,455 --> 00:30:22,723 [Crees] This is, for us, 614 00:30:22,823 --> 00:30:26,560 the most iconic building we have ever made. 615 00:30:26,693 --> 00:30:29,863 If you talk about legacies, this building is a legacy. 616 00:30:32,699 --> 00:30:39,706 [music] 617 00:30:42,108 --> 00:30:43,410 Over New Mexico, 618 00:30:43,510 --> 00:30:45,879 strange things have been going on in the desert, 619 00:30:46,013 --> 00:30:50,217 where many believe aliens landed back in 1947. 620 00:30:50,317 --> 00:30:51,885 Well, almost eight decades later, 621 00:30:51,985 --> 00:30:54,221 you can say the tables are finally turning, 622 00:30:54,354 --> 00:30:56,823 and it's the aliens who might soon be getting a visit 623 00:30:56,923 --> 00:30:57,958 from humankind 624 00:30:58,058 --> 00:30:59,927 via the world's first purpose-built 625 00:31:00,027 --> 00:31:01,662 commercial spaceport. 626 00:31:01,795 --> 00:31:03,330 The countdown's already begun, 627 00:31:03,430 --> 00:31:07,300 so helmets on and prepare for liftoff. 628 00:31:09,069 --> 00:31:11,405 [Jay] For millennia, we've been looking to the stars 629 00:31:11,505 --> 00:31:13,640 and wondering what's out there. 630 00:31:15,275 --> 00:31:18,979 In the 20th century, mankind broke through Earth's atmosphere 631 00:31:19,113 --> 00:31:20,714 for the first time. 632 00:31:25,419 --> 00:31:27,821 Now, in the 21st, 633 00:31:27,954 --> 00:31:30,323 the state of New Mexico is taking space travel 634 00:31:30,424 --> 00:31:32,359 to the next level. 635 00:31:34,361 --> 00:31:37,531 Welcome to Spaceport America. 636 00:31:37,631 --> 00:31:40,667 [music] 637 00:31:40,767 --> 00:31:45,739 It's the gateway to the edge of space. 638 00:31:45,840 --> 00:31:47,107 [Jay] Designed by some of the world's 639 00:31:47,207 --> 00:31:48,976 best architects. 640 00:31:49,110 --> 00:31:50,811 All I heard was "Foster and Partners." 641 00:31:50,911 --> 00:31:52,913 And it told me, all right, this is gonna be something 642 00:31:53,013 --> 00:31:56,050 that's going to be a once in a career challenge. 643 00:31:56,150 --> 00:31:59,386 [Jay] And built in a tough, remote landscape. 644 00:31:59,453 --> 00:32:02,857 [Grant] The desert is incredibly powerful, 645 00:32:02,957 --> 00:32:03,958 totally arid. 646 00:32:04,058 --> 00:32:05,759 Very, very beautiful. 647 00:32:07,160 --> 00:32:10,897 [Jay] A sleek 110,000-square-foot terminal 648 00:32:11,031 --> 00:32:12,800 now rises up from the desert, 649 00:32:12,900 --> 00:32:16,970 ready for voyages into the unknown. 650 00:32:18,305 --> 00:32:20,607 So, how did they build it? 651 00:32:21,508 --> 00:32:24,011 [music] 652 00:32:24,111 --> 00:32:26,714 [Jay] It's the turn of the 21st century, 653 00:32:26,847 --> 00:32:28,082 and the state of New Mexico 654 00:32:28,182 --> 00:32:30,717 is looking to future proof its economy. 655 00:32:33,187 --> 00:32:36,657 It decides to go boldly where no state has gone before. 656 00:32:36,724 --> 00:32:38,158 -Fire. -Fire. 657 00:32:39,159 --> 00:32:43,263 [Jay] And build the world's first airport for space tourism. 658 00:32:43,363 --> 00:32:45,199 There was a lot of potential benefits 659 00:32:45,299 --> 00:32:46,466 from having commercial space here 660 00:32:46,566 --> 00:32:47,868 in terms of employment, 661 00:32:48,001 --> 00:32:52,039 in terms of fostering the overall high-tech environment. 662 00:32:52,139 --> 00:32:53,107 [Jay] The hope is that companies 663 00:32:53,207 --> 00:32:54,775 like Virgin Galactic 664 00:32:54,842 --> 00:32:58,311 will put space travel within more and more people's reach. 665 00:32:58,412 --> 00:33:00,881 The current price is 600,000 US dollars, 666 00:33:00,981 --> 00:33:02,383 which is a lot of money. 667 00:33:02,483 --> 00:33:04,284 If they can get that down to $15,000, 668 00:33:04,384 --> 00:33:06,787 then the market is just enormous. 669 00:33:06,887 --> 00:33:09,156 People spend $15,000 on a cruise, 670 00:33:09,256 --> 00:33:10,757 so I think a lot of those same people 671 00:33:10,891 --> 00:33:13,159 would be happy to spend that money to go to space. 672 00:33:14,361 --> 00:33:15,963 [Jay] The project will be funded by money 673 00:33:16,097 --> 00:33:18,065 allocated by the state of New Mexico 674 00:33:18,132 --> 00:33:19,766 and local taxes 675 00:33:19,899 --> 00:33:22,936 and built in a remote corner of the Chihuahua Desert, 676 00:33:23,070 --> 00:33:26,306 180 miles south of Albuquerque. 677 00:33:26,406 --> 00:33:28,108 To design something special, 678 00:33:28,208 --> 00:33:31,278 they turn to a London architectural firm. 679 00:33:31,378 --> 00:33:33,347 When people said "spaceport," 680 00:33:33,447 --> 00:33:36,850 no one really had in mind what a spaceport would be. 681 00:33:36,950 --> 00:33:40,620 Do you refer back to Space 1999 TV show? 682 00:33:40,754 --> 00:33:43,223 Do you relate back to 2001? 683 00:33:43,323 --> 00:33:45,258 Do you look at Star Wars? 684 00:33:46,192 --> 00:33:49,230 [Jay] For inspiration, Lord Foster and his team 685 00:33:49,330 --> 00:33:51,965 look to the unique surroundings. 686 00:33:52,065 --> 00:33:56,403 You have this extraordinary desert landscape. 687 00:33:56,537 --> 00:33:59,673 So on the one hand, you want to respect that. 688 00:33:59,773 --> 00:34:03,177 You want this building to grow out of it literally, 689 00:34:03,310 --> 00:34:05,346 to be part of the landscape. 690 00:34:05,446 --> 00:34:08,315 But at the same time, it's about flight. 691 00:34:08,415 --> 00:34:11,352 And if you look at this building from above, 692 00:34:11,452 --> 00:34:15,722 it has almost a birdlike quality. 693 00:34:15,822 --> 00:34:17,658 [music] 694 00:34:17,758 --> 00:34:18,992 [Jay] The team finally settle on 695 00:34:19,092 --> 00:34:21,294 a low-lying, simple design 696 00:34:21,394 --> 00:34:25,032 that will blend in with the surrounding desert. 697 00:34:25,132 --> 00:34:26,833 The building will need to be engineered 698 00:34:26,933 --> 00:34:30,036 so that it can be column-less and self-supporting 699 00:34:30,136 --> 00:34:33,540 in order to house the enormous spacecraft inside. 700 00:34:34,774 --> 00:34:37,177 The team will have to make sure it's able to survive 701 00:34:37,311 --> 00:34:39,513 the huge changes in temperature, 702 00:34:39,613 --> 00:34:41,181 from below freezing at night 703 00:34:41,281 --> 00:34:44,484 to over 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the day. 704 00:34:44,584 --> 00:34:48,589 And they need to be able to get the spacecraft off the ground, 705 00:34:48,689 --> 00:34:50,390 which in the thin desert air means 706 00:34:50,490 --> 00:34:52,225 a runway that's long enough 707 00:34:52,359 --> 00:34:54,127 while being strong enough to support 708 00:34:54,227 --> 00:34:56,297 their enormous weight. 709 00:34:56,397 --> 00:34:57,764 All this will need to be done 710 00:34:57,864 --> 00:35:00,967 while making the minimum disturbance to the desert 711 00:35:01,101 --> 00:35:04,137 and the archaeology it holds. 712 00:35:05,172 --> 00:35:07,474 [music] 713 00:35:07,574 --> 00:35:11,445 [Jay] The project gets the go ahead in April 2008. 714 00:35:11,545 --> 00:35:13,947 But before any construction work can begin, 715 00:35:14,047 --> 00:35:16,483 there's an important job that has to be done. 716 00:35:18,218 --> 00:35:21,088 Because although the site is a barren desert now, 717 00:35:21,188 --> 00:35:23,123 thousands of years ago, 718 00:35:23,257 --> 00:35:26,260 it was a hub of early human activity. 719 00:35:26,794 --> 00:35:30,197 Some of the oldest archaeological remains 720 00:35:30,297 --> 00:35:33,500 that we have for humans in the New World are here. 721 00:35:33,600 --> 00:35:35,435 And they're well preserved. 722 00:35:35,535 --> 00:35:37,938 And they haven't been collected. 723 00:35:38,038 --> 00:35:40,774 They haven't been built over. 724 00:35:40,874 --> 00:35:42,876 They haven't been plowed up. 725 00:35:42,976 --> 00:35:45,045 [Jay] Each area of the site 726 00:35:45,145 --> 00:35:46,780 needs to be carefully checked 727 00:35:46,880 --> 00:35:48,649 by a team of archaeologists 728 00:35:48,749 --> 00:35:52,086 while the crew has to wait to break ground. 729 00:35:52,186 --> 00:35:54,622 Any place that we were going to actually disturb the surface, 730 00:35:54,722 --> 00:35:57,458 we were required to conduct surveys. 731 00:35:57,591 --> 00:35:59,293 It's a time-consuming process. 732 00:35:59,426 --> 00:36:02,829 Meanwhile, we're under the gun to meet contracts. 733 00:36:03,931 --> 00:36:06,534 [Jay] The survey uncovers thousands of artifacts, 734 00:36:06,634 --> 00:36:08,768 leaving as much as possible undisturbed. 735 00:36:11,972 --> 00:36:17,311 Finally, in June 2009, construction begins. 736 00:36:17,444 --> 00:36:19,246 The team's first challenge is building 737 00:36:19,346 --> 00:36:21,415 a very special runway. 738 00:36:21,515 --> 00:36:24,117 Because to make space travel commercially viable, 739 00:36:24,184 --> 00:36:27,154 instead of using rockets to launch the spacecraft, 740 00:36:27,254 --> 00:36:31,524 here, aircrafts will carry shuttles to 50,000 feet 741 00:36:31,658 --> 00:36:36,096 before releasing them at the edge of the atmosphere. 742 00:36:36,196 --> 00:36:39,199 They use specially designed, massive carrier aircraft 743 00:36:39,333 --> 00:36:42,369 called White Knight 2. 744 00:36:42,469 --> 00:36:44,971 They're like two jumbo jets stuck together. 745 00:36:46,240 --> 00:36:48,675 [Jay] To get these jets safely off the ground, 746 00:36:48,808 --> 00:36:51,444 the runway needs to be almost two miles long, 747 00:36:51,545 --> 00:36:56,350 200 foot wide, and 44 inches thick. 748 00:36:56,450 --> 00:36:59,120 It's built up in layers like strata of rock. 749 00:36:59,186 --> 00:37:02,289 There's a soil-cement mix on the foundation, 750 00:37:02,389 --> 00:37:05,058 then asphalt, then another layer of concrete. 751 00:37:06,393 --> 00:37:10,063 [Jay] Each of these layers has to be laid flawlessly. 752 00:37:10,163 --> 00:37:14,067 Any crack or bump could have dangerous repercussions. 753 00:37:14,201 --> 00:37:15,736 You can't have any loose aggregate 754 00:37:15,836 --> 00:37:18,271 close to the surface. That's very important. 755 00:37:18,371 --> 00:37:21,642 You can't have any potholes. You can't have anything 756 00:37:21,742 --> 00:37:24,611 that could possibly be sucked in by the jet engines. 757 00:37:25,812 --> 00:37:28,349 [music] 758 00:37:28,449 --> 00:37:29,817 [Jay] But will the searing desert heat 759 00:37:29,917 --> 00:37:31,785 threaten the flawless finish? 760 00:37:37,625 --> 00:37:38,893 [Jay] In New Mexico, 761 00:37:39,026 --> 00:37:40,794 construction workers are creating the runway 762 00:37:40,895 --> 00:37:42,963 for the world's first purpose-built 763 00:37:43,063 --> 00:37:44,397 commercial spaceport. 764 00:37:46,166 --> 00:37:50,103 It needs to be finished with a layer of flawless concrete. 765 00:37:50,204 --> 00:37:54,475 But achieving this in the desert will be anything but easy. 766 00:37:54,575 --> 00:37:57,444 If it's too cold, it won't cure properly. 767 00:37:57,544 --> 00:38:01,482 And if it's too hot, it can dry out and crack easily. 768 00:38:01,582 --> 00:38:05,118 [Chris] This valley that we're in is a harsh environment. 769 00:38:05,218 --> 00:38:07,087 The nights get down below freezing. 770 00:38:07,187 --> 00:38:10,357 The days get above 100 degrees, 106 degrees. 771 00:38:11,392 --> 00:38:12,760 [Jay] The team tries to beat the weather 772 00:38:12,893 --> 00:38:14,595 by working in short bursts 773 00:38:14,695 --> 00:38:17,164 when the conditions are most favorable. 774 00:38:17,264 --> 00:38:19,266 But even then, the desert climate 775 00:38:19,366 --> 00:38:21,502 ruins some of their work. 776 00:38:21,602 --> 00:38:22,837 [David] We had to pull out 777 00:38:22,903 --> 00:38:25,071 a significant amount of concrete here. 778 00:38:25,171 --> 00:38:27,274 That always breaks people's hearts. 779 00:38:27,374 --> 00:38:30,010 It breaks the spirit, too. 780 00:38:30,110 --> 00:38:31,845 [Jay] It means that building the runway 781 00:38:31,912 --> 00:38:33,880 takes 15 months. 782 00:38:33,980 --> 00:38:37,617 But eventually, by December 2010, it's complete. 783 00:38:38,919 --> 00:38:42,122 [David] This job was the most challenging that we ever had 784 00:38:42,222 --> 00:38:44,758 for the weather conditions by far. 785 00:38:44,858 --> 00:38:48,262 If you can place concrete here, you can place concrete anywhere. 786 00:38:48,395 --> 00:38:51,665 [music] 787 00:38:51,765 --> 00:38:53,467 [Jay] Now the team can turn its attention 788 00:38:53,601 --> 00:38:55,536 to the main spaceport terminal, 789 00:38:55,602 --> 00:38:57,604 which has to house both the spacecraft 790 00:38:57,705 --> 00:38:59,006 and launch planes. 791 00:38:59,106 --> 00:39:01,408 [Man] You are clear to unstrap. 792 00:39:01,474 --> 00:39:03,911 [Jay] And also offer the paying amateur astronauts 793 00:39:04,011 --> 00:39:06,380 an out-of-this-world experience. 794 00:39:06,480 --> 00:39:11,551 Those who are going to take off into the fringe of space, 795 00:39:11,651 --> 00:39:14,321 they walk through the hangar 796 00:39:14,421 --> 00:39:18,525 that contains these extraordinary aircraft. 797 00:39:18,625 --> 00:39:20,527 [Jay] Designing a building that will allow 798 00:39:20,661 --> 00:39:23,163 those massive vehicles in and out 799 00:39:23,263 --> 00:39:26,366 creates its own unique set of headaches. 800 00:39:26,466 --> 00:39:27,868 So you can't have the columns 801 00:39:28,001 --> 00:39:29,836 that you would normally have inside of a building 802 00:39:29,970 --> 00:39:31,472 that would hold it up. 803 00:39:31,605 --> 00:39:34,508 What we're trying to generate is a very long-span structure 804 00:39:34,608 --> 00:39:36,643 that is basically column free. 805 00:39:37,811 --> 00:39:39,613 [Jay] The answer they come up with 806 00:39:39,679 --> 00:39:42,516 is to build a super-strong steel frame 807 00:39:42,649 --> 00:39:45,652 that will allow the roof to be self-supporting. 808 00:39:45,752 --> 00:39:49,790 Now normally, that wouldn't be too complicated to construct. 809 00:39:49,890 --> 00:39:53,127 Your traditional airplane hangar, 810 00:39:53,227 --> 00:39:55,962 they're often just literally a large box. 811 00:39:57,630 --> 00:39:59,799 [Jay] Here, though, the architects have specified 812 00:39:59,900 --> 00:40:02,469 a stunning, undulating curved roof, 813 00:40:02,569 --> 00:40:06,473 which will blend in seamlessly with the surrounding desert. 814 00:40:06,607 --> 00:40:08,308 It's a very organic shape, 815 00:40:08,408 --> 00:40:11,178 so right away you knew that this was gonna demand 816 00:40:11,312 --> 00:40:13,079 a lot of innovation. 817 00:40:14,314 --> 00:40:15,815 [Jay] The problem is 818 00:40:15,916 --> 00:40:18,985 that if they fabricated in bespoke curved pieces of steel, 819 00:40:19,119 --> 00:40:21,321 the cost of the frame will be enormous, 820 00:40:21,421 --> 00:40:25,859 and the budget set by the state of New Mexico can't bear it. 821 00:40:26,626 --> 00:40:30,431 [music] 822 00:40:30,531 --> 00:40:33,033 [Jay] The team's solution is ingenious. 823 00:40:33,166 --> 00:40:34,335 They design the steel frame 824 00:40:34,435 --> 00:40:37,170 in cheaper, short, straight sections, 825 00:40:37,270 --> 00:40:38,538 which, when joined together 826 00:40:38,638 --> 00:40:40,507 and topped with corrugated metal, 827 00:40:40,641 --> 00:40:42,642 insulation, and a rubber membrane, 828 00:40:42,776 --> 00:40:45,445 will give the impression of a smooth curve. 829 00:40:47,881 --> 00:40:50,350 Thanks to the clever, cost-effective design, 830 00:40:50,450 --> 00:40:52,953 the frame quickly comes together. 831 00:40:54,955 --> 00:40:56,723 You've been looking at it on a computer screen 832 00:40:56,823 --> 00:40:58,525 and on a sheet of paper for months, 833 00:40:58,659 --> 00:41:01,728 or, in this case, years. 834 00:41:01,828 --> 00:41:03,930 And then you see it in real life. 835 00:41:04,031 --> 00:41:05,298 You know, it works. 836 00:41:06,900 --> 00:41:09,070 [Jay] While work continues creating the hangar, 837 00:41:09,170 --> 00:41:12,239 the team turns to its final challenge-- 838 00:41:12,372 --> 00:41:14,241 they need to find a way to help the building 839 00:41:14,341 --> 00:41:16,376 manage the extreme climate. 840 00:41:19,213 --> 00:41:20,747 It's crucial to regulate the temperature 841 00:41:20,848 --> 00:41:21,915 inside the building. 842 00:41:22,015 --> 00:41:23,584 The structural elements need it. 843 00:41:23,684 --> 00:41:26,553 The technology needs it. And the people need it. 844 00:41:26,687 --> 00:41:28,222 [Jay] They look to the surrounding desert 845 00:41:28,322 --> 00:41:29,890 for the answer. 846 00:41:29,990 --> 00:41:31,959 [Lord Foster] How do you take advantage of the fact 847 00:41:32,059 --> 00:41:35,862 that below that very hot surface, it's cold? 848 00:41:35,929 --> 00:41:39,600 In the same way we go into the basement of a building 849 00:41:39,700 --> 00:41:43,737 on a hot day here in London, it'll be immediately cooler. 850 00:41:43,871 --> 00:41:45,205 You're below the ground. 851 00:41:47,374 --> 00:41:48,742 [Jay] To stabilize the temperature 852 00:41:48,876 --> 00:41:50,177 inside the terminal, 853 00:41:50,277 --> 00:41:53,447 the answer is to half bury it. 854 00:41:53,547 --> 00:41:55,215 They build up walls around Spaceport 855 00:41:55,348 --> 00:41:57,051 to create thermal mass. 856 00:41:57,184 --> 00:41:59,386 That's a natural capacity of some materials, 857 00:41:59,519 --> 00:42:04,424 like earth, to hold on to heat and release it slowly. 858 00:42:04,524 --> 00:42:06,994 [Jay] It's a technique pioneered in the 1970s 859 00:42:07,128 --> 00:42:08,462 in the earthships, 860 00:42:08,562 --> 00:42:11,698 off-grid ecohouses built in the desert. 861 00:42:13,000 --> 00:42:16,136 But here, the engineers have a neat trick up their sleeve 862 00:42:16,270 --> 00:42:18,973 to make them work even better. 863 00:42:19,106 --> 00:42:22,109 Within the earth, there's a labyrinth. 864 00:42:22,209 --> 00:42:24,811 There's a series of large concrete pipes 865 00:42:24,911 --> 00:42:26,947 that just meander back and forth. 866 00:42:27,047 --> 00:42:28,749 [Jay] During the freezing cold nights, 867 00:42:28,849 --> 00:42:31,451 cool air is drawn through the huge earth bank, 868 00:42:31,551 --> 00:42:33,821 which is warmer and heats it up. 869 00:42:33,921 --> 00:42:36,489 But during the day, the reverse happens. 870 00:42:36,623 --> 00:42:40,094 Hot air drawn in cools as it passes through the pipes, 871 00:42:40,194 --> 00:42:42,863 maintaining a stable temperature inside. 872 00:42:42,963 --> 00:42:48,035 [music] 873 00:42:48,135 --> 00:42:49,537 [Jay] In 2019, 874 00:42:49,637 --> 00:42:52,806 10 years after breaking ground, 875 00:42:52,940 --> 00:42:55,242 Spaceport America's gateway to space 876 00:42:55,342 --> 00:42:56,777 is ready for takeoff. 877 00:42:56,910 --> 00:43:01,181 [music] 878 00:43:01,315 --> 00:43:03,850 [Bill] It was quite an amazing sight to see. 879 00:43:03,984 --> 00:43:06,286 The building, it's just almost overwhelming 880 00:43:06,386 --> 00:43:07,888 when you actually see it. 881 00:43:07,988 --> 00:43:10,223 [music] 882 00:43:10,323 --> 00:43:12,459 So when you arrive, you're going into 883 00:43:12,559 --> 00:43:15,529 what feels like you're going into a cave, almost. 884 00:43:15,663 --> 00:43:17,731 And then you come into the main terminal 885 00:43:17,864 --> 00:43:20,867 with this fantastic view across the landscape. 886 00:43:23,837 --> 00:43:26,340 [Jay] In 2023, Virgin Galactic's 887 00:43:26,440 --> 00:43:30,076 first tourist space flight takes off. 888 00:43:31,612 --> 00:43:35,015 If you look at space and risk, in any new technology, 889 00:43:35,115 --> 00:43:36,850 it's a huge gamble for everybody. 890 00:43:36,950 --> 00:43:39,353 But here we are, with 32 new astronauts 891 00:43:39,453 --> 00:43:40,587 in the last year, 892 00:43:40,687 --> 00:43:42,856 seventh commercial flight. 893 00:43:44,191 --> 00:43:46,793 [Kelly] We can actually see the spaceport while we're up there. 894 00:43:46,894 --> 00:43:48,728 I can look down and, clear as a bell, 895 00:43:48,828 --> 00:43:51,565 see the runway, the facility. 896 00:43:55,168 --> 00:43:58,405 Every time we do a space flight, it is incredibly emotional. 897 00:43:58,505 --> 00:44:03,176 [music] 898 00:44:07,747 --> 00:44:19,426 [music] 899 00:44:34,942 --> 00:44:36,910 ♪ MTV ♪