1 00:00:02,970 --> 00:00:04,271 [awe-inspiring music] 2 00:00:04,371 --> 00:00:06,406 [Jay] How do you create a trailblazing museum, 3 00:00:06,506 --> 00:00:10,177 accessible to all, that evokes the Olympic spirit? 4 00:00:10,277 --> 00:00:13,780 It's a place to house not only just the history, 5 00:00:13,847 --> 00:00:15,282 but the dreams. 6 00:00:16,283 --> 00:00:19,453 [Jay] How do you stop a mind-bending skyscraper 7 00:00:19,520 --> 00:00:21,188 from falling down? 8 00:00:21,622 --> 00:00:23,390 [Daniel] Well, there are many sleepless nights. 9 00:00:23,523 --> 00:00:24,892 You know, how will this really work? 10 00:00:25,026 --> 00:00:26,260 Can it really work? 11 00:00:26,994 --> 00:00:30,798 [Jay] And how do you soundproof a new university building 12 00:00:30,898 --> 00:00:34,201 from the roaring railroad above? 13 00:00:34,868 --> 00:00:37,838 [Greg] The train measures at 100 decibels, 14 00:00:37,972 --> 00:00:41,741 the equivalent to a jet engine at 300 meters. 15 00:00:43,310 --> 00:00:47,848 [Jay] This is the age of the extraordinary. 16 00:00:48,549 --> 00:00:50,017 [Dr. Agbedor] It's totally different 17 00:00:50,117 --> 00:00:51,818 from anything around it. 18 00:00:51,919 --> 00:00:55,322 It's like a visitor from another planet. 19 00:00:55,388 --> 00:00:57,524 [dramatic music] 20 00:00:57,624 --> 00:00:58,859 [Jay] Where ingenious engineers 21 00:00:58,959 --> 00:01:02,029 have unleashed unchecked creativity. 22 00:01:02,463 --> 00:01:05,532 Now their secrets are revealed 23 00:01:05,833 --> 00:01:08,202 as we discover the amazing stories 24 00:01:08,268 --> 00:01:09,503 of their construction. 25 00:01:09,603 --> 00:01:11,505 [Dr. Mabry] It is simply mind-blowing. 26 00:01:11,605 --> 00:01:14,542 I mean, how do you come up with an idea like that? 27 00:01:14,608 --> 00:01:16,877 [dramatic choral music] 28 00:01:16,977 --> 00:01:19,046 [Jay] To try and understand... 29 00:01:19,112 --> 00:01:20,914 [dramatic music] 30 00:01:21,014 --> 00:01:23,750 [Jay] ...how did they build that? 31 00:01:26,353 --> 00:01:27,754 If you're gonna build a museum to celebrate 32 00:01:27,854 --> 00:01:30,324 America's greatest-ever athletes, 33 00:01:30,424 --> 00:01:31,925 the only way to do it would be with 34 00:01:32,059 --> 00:01:33,727 some truly world-class architecture. 35 00:01:33,827 --> 00:01:36,764 Now, this building may look silver on the outside, 36 00:01:36,864 --> 00:01:38,265 but trust me, as a design, 37 00:01:38,399 --> 00:01:40,634 this state-of-the-art Colorado Springs complex 38 00:01:40,767 --> 00:01:43,336 wins gold medals all the way. 39 00:01:44,739 --> 00:01:46,239 Every four years, 40 00:01:46,339 --> 00:01:49,576 the Olympic spirit captures the world's imagination. 41 00:01:49,976 --> 00:01:51,711 We watch, mesmerized, 42 00:01:51,778 --> 00:01:55,615 as our fellow countrymen and women reach for glory. 43 00:01:57,250 --> 00:01:58,519 But what would it look like 44 00:01:58,586 --> 00:02:01,421 to honor their excellence with a building? 45 00:02:02,456 --> 00:02:05,025 How could a steel and concrete structure 46 00:02:05,159 --> 00:02:07,727 represent their grace and power? 47 00:02:08,895 --> 00:02:11,398 Well, maybe like this. 48 00:02:12,098 --> 00:02:14,301 It's a building that takes your breath away. 49 00:02:14,401 --> 00:02:16,002 [dramatic music] 50 00:02:16,136 --> 00:02:20,707 [Jay] A sleek, glistening jewel covered in 9,000 unique panels 51 00:02:20,974 --> 00:02:24,578 that twists in an incredible athletic pose, 52 00:02:25,079 --> 00:02:27,515 creating a one-of-a-kind museum. 53 00:02:27,615 --> 00:02:29,516 [Holly] We were doing something that had never been done before. 54 00:02:29,650 --> 00:02:33,653 So, it was really critical to think, "How is this done?" 55 00:02:34,788 --> 00:02:36,023 [Jay] Building it involved 56 00:02:36,156 --> 00:02:39,059 conquering extraordinary engineering challenges. 57 00:02:39,459 --> 00:02:40,994 [Jeffrey] When I first saw this design, 58 00:02:41,094 --> 00:02:44,064 I wondered, "How are we going to build this?" 59 00:02:44,498 --> 00:02:45,699 [Jay] It took three years 60 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:48,902 and a cost of 91 million dollars. 61 00:02:49,002 --> 00:02:50,470 [dramatic music] 62 00:02:50,603 --> 00:02:55,476 [Jay] This is the US Olympic and Paralympic Museum. 63 00:02:55,976 --> 00:02:58,646 So... how did they build it? 64 00:02:58,779 --> 00:03:01,014 [music fading out] 65 00:03:01,081 --> 00:03:02,583 [Jay] Colorado Springs. 66 00:03:02,716 --> 00:03:04,050 [calm music] 67 00:03:04,150 --> 00:03:06,654 [Jay] Set to the east of the majestic Rocky Mountains 68 00:03:06,720 --> 00:03:10,057 some six thousand feet above sea level, 69 00:03:10,157 --> 00:03:12,726 is known as Olympic City. 70 00:03:13,026 --> 00:03:16,196 It's home to the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee 71 00:03:16,296 --> 00:03:19,432 and their world-class training center. 72 00:03:20,500 --> 00:03:24,238 In 2012, former Ohio governor Dick Celeste, 73 00:03:24,338 --> 00:03:26,139 along with local community leaders, 74 00:03:26,206 --> 00:03:28,809 decide to celebrate this by raising funds 75 00:03:28,876 --> 00:03:32,279 to build America's first museum dedicated to 76 00:03:32,379 --> 00:03:34,181 Olympians and Paralympians. 77 00:03:34,648 --> 00:03:38,151 The building has to celebrate elite national sporting heroes. 78 00:03:38,218 --> 00:03:40,521 Whatever you build, it had better be the best. 79 00:03:40,988 --> 00:03:45,459 [Jay] To do that, they bring on Diller Scofidio Renfro, 80 00:03:46,126 --> 00:03:48,862 the architects responsible for High Line Park 81 00:03:49,329 --> 00:03:52,399 and the shapeshifting shed in New York City. 82 00:03:52,733 --> 00:03:54,501 [Elizabeth] Each project is an opportunity 83 00:03:54,602 --> 00:03:56,804 to think about something in a new way, 84 00:03:56,870 --> 00:03:59,006 to put something different on the surface of the earth. 85 00:03:59,340 --> 00:04:00,508 [Benjamin] We needed to create galleries 86 00:04:00,608 --> 00:04:04,211 that were suited to telling a series of stories, uh, 87 00:04:04,311 --> 00:04:05,612 about Olympic athletes 88 00:04:05,712 --> 00:04:08,382 that hadn't really been told in the same way before. 89 00:04:08,816 --> 00:04:11,652 We genuinely felt like this is really something we could do 90 00:04:11,752 --> 00:04:13,120 something different with, 91 00:04:13,220 --> 00:04:14,588 that's gonna push us to a new place architecturally. 92 00:04:14,688 --> 00:04:16,456 [calm music] 93 00:04:16,557 --> 00:04:20,427 [Jay] At the heart of the idea is accessibility for all. 94 00:04:20,527 --> 00:04:24,664 The intent was to really make sure it was thought through 95 00:04:24,765 --> 00:04:26,166 from the ground up. 96 00:04:27,100 --> 00:04:28,635 [John] A lot of times, we don't do that. 97 00:04:28,735 --> 00:04:30,304 For compliancy, we look at, 98 00:04:30,438 --> 00:04:31,672 "Oh my gosh, we forgot to do this ramp. 99 00:04:31,772 --> 00:04:33,207 Oh my gosh, we forgot to do this." 100 00:04:33,307 --> 00:04:35,275 Why, because we forgot to invite the people 101 00:04:35,375 --> 00:04:39,012 that were going to use it into the conversation early. 102 00:04:39,679 --> 00:04:42,283 [Tyler] This is a museum for everyone, but especially, 103 00:04:42,383 --> 00:04:46,086 this is home for our US Olympians and Paralympians. 104 00:04:46,153 --> 00:04:48,355 Making sure that every athlete, 105 00:04:48,722 --> 00:04:52,126 but also any individual that comes in through these doors, 106 00:04:52,259 --> 00:04:53,794 can have an equal experience 107 00:04:53,894 --> 00:04:56,096 was always a part of the design process. 108 00:04:56,630 --> 00:04:59,299 [Jay] More expensive and more complicated, 109 00:04:59,600 --> 00:05:02,536 accessibility is too often an afterthought. 110 00:05:02,636 --> 00:05:07,040 So, creating one of the world's most accessible museums 111 00:05:07,174 --> 00:05:08,509 will be challenging, 112 00:05:08,609 --> 00:05:11,946 especially as the team also wants it to embody 113 00:05:12,012 --> 00:05:14,214 the vitality of the athletes it honors. 114 00:05:14,348 --> 00:05:15,649 [Holly] It was really this idea of 115 00:05:15,749 --> 00:05:18,819 trying to capture some of this energy of the athletes. 116 00:05:18,886 --> 00:05:21,321 And we used the image of a discus thrower, 117 00:05:21,422 --> 00:05:24,257 that, you know, spirals the shape out. 118 00:05:25,459 --> 00:05:26,760 [Jay] By spring 2015, 119 00:05:26,860 --> 00:05:30,998 the idea has solidified into a full design. 120 00:05:31,231 --> 00:05:32,967 We had a central atrium 121 00:05:33,300 --> 00:05:35,736 and a set of galleries, um, that, uh, uh, 122 00:05:35,836 --> 00:05:40,007 circumnavigated this, uh, but always in perpetual motion. 123 00:05:40,141 --> 00:05:43,710 So, there was nothing static. There were no regular floors. 124 00:05:44,678 --> 00:05:46,446 [Jay] The design captures the Olympic spirit 125 00:05:46,513 --> 00:05:51,552 in a beautiful, sleek, coiled sculpture of a museum. 126 00:05:51,685 --> 00:05:54,155 To give every visitor the same experience 127 00:05:54,255 --> 00:05:55,789 as they explore the collection, 128 00:05:56,089 --> 00:05:57,524 there will be no stairs. 129 00:05:57,624 --> 00:06:00,527 Instead, everyone will take an elevator to the top 130 00:06:00,627 --> 00:06:03,697 and then descend via a spiraling series 131 00:06:03,797 --> 00:06:05,299 of gently sloping ramps. 132 00:06:05,966 --> 00:06:08,902 This twisting shape means they will not be able to use 133 00:06:09,035 --> 00:06:10,570 standard floor plates. 134 00:06:10,670 --> 00:06:14,441 Instead, they'll need to create a special frame to anchor it. 135 00:06:14,941 --> 00:06:17,811 Outside, to evoke the movement of an athlete, 136 00:06:17,911 --> 00:06:20,614 they'll need to find a way to wrap the building 137 00:06:20,748 --> 00:06:24,751 in a sparkling skin of 9,000 unique aluminum panels. 138 00:06:25,585 --> 00:06:28,889 The final challenge will be to connect it to a neighboring park 139 00:06:28,956 --> 00:06:30,590 by designing a shimmering bridge 140 00:06:30,724 --> 00:06:33,027 that they construct in just eight hours 141 00:06:33,127 --> 00:06:35,795 over the top of active train tracks. 142 00:06:36,296 --> 00:06:37,297 The result? 143 00:06:37,431 --> 00:06:39,266 An astonishing building that celebrates 144 00:06:39,366 --> 00:06:42,503 the incredible athletes who inspired it. 145 00:06:42,603 --> 00:06:45,773 [contemplative music] 146 00:06:45,906 --> 00:06:47,508 [dramatic music] 147 00:06:47,608 --> 00:06:50,511 [Jay] In 2017, construction sets off 148 00:06:50,577 --> 00:06:53,547 on a donated site next to a railyard. 149 00:06:53,647 --> 00:06:55,182 [dramatic music] 150 00:06:55,282 --> 00:06:58,118 [Jay] The easy part is creating deep pile foundations 151 00:06:58,218 --> 00:07:02,322 going down about 40 feet to the bedrock below. 152 00:07:03,256 --> 00:07:05,693 Then, the fun begins. 153 00:07:06,126 --> 00:07:08,863 Most buildings are rectangular for a reason. 154 00:07:08,996 --> 00:07:11,464 It makes it straightforward to channel the forces 155 00:07:11,531 --> 00:07:15,202 created by their weight down into the foundations. 156 00:07:15,669 --> 00:07:17,138 The more you mess with the shape, 157 00:07:17,238 --> 00:07:19,273 the more difficult that becomes. 158 00:07:19,606 --> 00:07:22,977 And here, with the whole design centering around 159 00:07:23,077 --> 00:07:24,945 a continual spiral, 160 00:07:25,446 --> 00:07:27,180 they're messing with it a lot. 161 00:07:27,614 --> 00:07:31,485 Everybody's used to vertical walls and flat plates. 162 00:07:31,552 --> 00:07:32,786 And when you do that, 163 00:07:32,886 --> 00:07:34,521 the, everybody knows how to build that. 164 00:07:34,655 --> 00:07:38,525 So, you add a complexity by adding even just a slant. 165 00:07:38,992 --> 00:07:42,128 But then, we took a slant, and then we twist it. 166 00:07:42,228 --> 00:07:44,231 [dramatic music] 167 00:07:44,331 --> 00:07:45,733 [Jay] Left to its own devices, 168 00:07:45,833 --> 00:07:49,302 this is a building that wants to fall over. 169 00:07:49,403 --> 00:07:51,204 Stopping that from happening takes 170 00:07:51,304 --> 00:07:53,341 some ingenious engineering. 171 00:07:53,741 --> 00:07:55,242 [Holly] We have to start thinking about, 172 00:07:55,342 --> 00:07:58,111 "What are the forces? How are we going to align that? 173 00:07:58,478 --> 00:08:00,280 "How are we going to tie one member 174 00:08:00,380 --> 00:08:01,581 "into the other member? 175 00:08:01,882 --> 00:08:04,718 Uh, what, what's the smartest way of doing it?" 176 00:08:04,918 --> 00:08:06,253 [Jay] The spiraling building 177 00:08:06,353 --> 00:08:08,589 requires a complex system of steelwork 178 00:08:08,689 --> 00:08:11,625 specially designed to handle irregular forces. 179 00:08:12,392 --> 00:08:13,693 [Holly] There's a floor, 180 00:08:13,760 --> 00:08:15,729 and the floor then has steel members in it 181 00:08:15,796 --> 00:08:17,530 that then tie into that. 182 00:08:17,597 --> 00:08:19,734 So, you can imagine... like a dancer, 183 00:08:19,800 --> 00:08:20,867 where, you know, they're, 184 00:08:20,968 --> 00:08:22,402 your partner's pulled back and leaning, 185 00:08:22,536 --> 00:08:24,438 but you have an arm that supports you 186 00:08:24,538 --> 00:08:25,873 and keeps you from falling over. 187 00:08:25,973 --> 00:08:27,608 [calm music] 188 00:08:27,742 --> 00:08:29,610 [Jay] Huge bespoke pieces of steel 189 00:08:29,743 --> 00:08:32,345 act as the arm to hold up the twisted frame. 190 00:08:33,314 --> 00:08:35,916 But they need a body to anchor them. 191 00:08:36,550 --> 00:08:38,519 [Jeffrey] How we resolved that was 192 00:08:38,619 --> 00:08:42,456 we took tension floors to brace the walls 193 00:08:42,556 --> 00:08:45,292 back to large concrete cores. 194 00:08:45,426 --> 00:08:46,627 [cool instrumental beat] 195 00:08:46,727 --> 00:08:49,530 [Holly] We have four cores at the corners. 196 00:08:49,864 --> 00:08:52,799 They're the four anchor points that then you can come off of, 197 00:08:53,199 --> 00:08:54,534 um, and tie into. 198 00:08:55,235 --> 00:08:57,204 [Jay] With the steel structure now secure, 199 00:08:57,971 --> 00:09:00,240 the team turns its attention to engineering 200 00:09:00,340 --> 00:09:02,910 the very complicated system of floors. 201 00:09:02,976 --> 00:09:04,611 [instrumental beat fading out] 202 00:09:05,079 --> 00:09:08,348 [Jay] Instead of this being a more conventional building 203 00:09:08,482 --> 00:09:09,750 where the ramp is an addition, 204 00:09:09,850 --> 00:09:12,018 the architects want all visitors to enjoy 205 00:09:12,152 --> 00:09:15,455 an identical, stair-free journey through the galleries. 206 00:09:15,555 --> 00:09:19,493 So, instead, the inside of the entire museum 207 00:09:19,593 --> 00:09:21,828 gently spirals around a ramped route. 208 00:09:21,928 --> 00:09:24,731 Because it ramps, it does mean that the entire building 209 00:09:24,831 --> 00:09:26,866 steps down as you're going down. 210 00:09:26,966 --> 00:09:29,436 So, you don't have a floor plate and then a floor plate. 211 00:09:29,770 --> 00:09:31,905 [Jay] Normally, the floors are spaced at 212 00:09:32,005 --> 00:09:33,306 nice, regular intervals, 213 00:09:33,573 --> 00:09:36,276 which means once you've figured out the template, 214 00:09:36,577 --> 00:09:38,278 you can just rinse and repeat. 215 00:09:38,779 --> 00:09:41,281 But here, none are at the same height 216 00:09:41,381 --> 00:09:43,416 across the entire floor. 217 00:09:43,483 --> 00:09:46,186 In fact, if this building was more conventional, 218 00:09:46,320 --> 00:09:47,888 it would've had three floors. 219 00:09:47,988 --> 00:09:51,025 Instead, it will have 15 different levels 220 00:09:51,125 --> 00:09:53,627 within a height of just 75 feet. 221 00:09:53,694 --> 00:09:55,695 [Jeffrey] Uh, stepping on the floors 222 00:09:55,829 --> 00:09:56,697 was very difficult. 223 00:09:56,830 --> 00:09:58,899 It's because they change all the time, 224 00:09:58,999 --> 00:10:01,702 and, uh, having to rethink, 225 00:10:01,802 --> 00:10:03,938 "How do we support that floor level?" 226 00:10:04,038 --> 00:10:05,606 was pretty complex. 227 00:10:05,672 --> 00:10:08,775 [dramatic music] 228 00:10:09,442 --> 00:10:10,811 [Jay] Holding up the floors 229 00:10:10,911 --> 00:10:14,314 is gonna take a whole lot of engineering magic. 230 00:10:18,085 --> 00:10:21,422 [Jay] It's spring 2018, and in Colorado Springs, 231 00:10:21,555 --> 00:10:24,424 engineers are striving to find a way to support 232 00:10:24,558 --> 00:10:26,393 the complex spiraling floors needed 233 00:10:26,493 --> 00:10:29,663 to make the new US Olympic and Paralympic Museum 234 00:10:29,763 --> 00:10:31,932 a world leader in accessibility. 235 00:10:32,065 --> 00:10:34,267 [Jeffrey] We used almost every trick in the book 236 00:10:34,401 --> 00:10:35,870 to help support this building. 237 00:10:36,237 --> 00:10:38,372 We used columns to support it, 238 00:10:38,472 --> 00:10:40,608 we had to use cantilevers, 239 00:10:40,708 --> 00:10:43,744 uh, to support some of the floors. 240 00:10:43,877 --> 00:10:47,681 Uh, we hung some floors from another floor above. 241 00:10:47,781 --> 00:10:49,549 Sometimes we had to build something here, 242 00:10:49,683 --> 00:10:53,820 and then, um, uh, build something below it. 243 00:10:54,621 --> 00:10:57,858 [Jay] It takes ten months to complete the main structure. 244 00:10:58,793 --> 00:11:02,129 Finally, though, they can move on to the next challenge. 245 00:11:02,229 --> 00:11:04,230 [serious music] 246 00:11:04,297 --> 00:11:05,733 [Jay] The architects wanna showcase 247 00:11:05,833 --> 00:11:07,401 the building's muscular shape 248 00:11:07,468 --> 00:11:10,871 by wrapping it in a sleek aluminum skin. 249 00:11:11,738 --> 00:11:16,210 It was to create this feeling of movement and energy 250 00:11:16,277 --> 00:11:17,544 across a façade. 251 00:11:17,611 --> 00:11:18,845 [serious music] 252 00:11:18,945 --> 00:11:20,448 [Jay] But figuring out the design 253 00:11:20,548 --> 00:11:22,716 for an aluminum cladding needed 254 00:11:22,816 --> 00:11:24,985 on a building with twists and curves 255 00:11:25,086 --> 00:11:26,654 is far from easy. 256 00:11:26,787 --> 00:11:30,223 I think that the skin was the biggest challenge 257 00:11:30,323 --> 00:11:33,260 because at the time, it was at the cutting edge. 258 00:11:33,794 --> 00:11:36,330 [Jay] It's only thanks to modern technology 259 00:11:36,463 --> 00:11:37,798 that they managed to design 260 00:11:37,898 --> 00:11:40,600 the intricate pattern of folded panels. 261 00:11:40,700 --> 00:11:42,936 [Benjamin] It's really a 21st-century thing; 262 00:11:43,036 --> 00:11:45,206 the ability to have digital environments 263 00:11:45,272 --> 00:11:48,675 where you can map complex shapes. 264 00:11:49,476 --> 00:11:51,545 [Jay] Now they have to build it. 265 00:11:52,145 --> 00:11:54,080 The team constructs a frame from steel 266 00:11:54,147 --> 00:11:56,583 which is strong enough to hold the skin in place, 267 00:11:56,683 --> 00:12:00,654 but flexible enough for all the twists. 268 00:12:00,720 --> 00:12:02,856 [dramatic music] 269 00:12:02,956 --> 00:12:05,993 [Jay] Onto this, they attach diamond-shaped panels 270 00:12:06,093 --> 00:12:07,461 made from aluminum, 271 00:12:07,561 --> 00:12:12,333 9,000 of them, and every single one is unique. 272 00:12:12,433 --> 00:12:15,069 [Holly] Each panel got a barcode on it 273 00:12:15,169 --> 00:12:16,670 right away, from the very beginning, 274 00:12:16,804 --> 00:12:21,208 so that each one is identified and had its address. 275 00:12:21,942 --> 00:12:24,612 [Jay] Getting the panels into the correct position 276 00:12:24,712 --> 00:12:27,281 is still a huge job. 277 00:12:27,748 --> 00:12:32,019 Each has to be accurate to within an eighth of an inch. 278 00:12:32,519 --> 00:12:34,388 [Jeffrey] As the contractor was building it, 279 00:12:34,522 --> 00:12:35,689 they surveyed it, 280 00:12:35,823 --> 00:12:39,693 they had drones scanning the building, uh, 281 00:12:39,793 --> 00:12:42,796 just to verify that they were meeting the tolerances 282 00:12:42,863 --> 00:12:47,033 and locations of all the parts and pieces correctly. 283 00:12:47,133 --> 00:12:49,703 [dramatic music] 284 00:12:49,803 --> 00:12:54,675 [Jay] By October 2019, the 9,000th panel is in place, 285 00:12:54,775 --> 00:12:57,845 and the team is ready for its final challenge. 286 00:12:58,645 --> 00:13:02,683 The city wants the museum to be linked to a neighboring park. 287 00:13:03,050 --> 00:13:05,986 The problem is that means building a bridge over 288 00:13:06,086 --> 00:13:09,956 14 rail freight lines that run alongside. 289 00:13:10,958 --> 00:13:12,559 [Holly] One of the most critical things 290 00:13:12,626 --> 00:13:14,561 is figuring out how to get this bridge in 291 00:13:14,662 --> 00:13:16,730 and not disturb the active rail line. 292 00:13:17,097 --> 00:13:19,265 [Elizabeth] It had to go 250 feet across, 293 00:13:19,399 --> 00:13:22,770 and it had to clear the tracks, and we couldn't stop the trains. 294 00:13:23,270 --> 00:13:25,839 [Jay] Elizabeth Diller and her team's solution 295 00:13:25,939 --> 00:13:28,575 is to ship in the bridge already made. 296 00:13:28,709 --> 00:13:31,244 The bridge was actually fabricated in Texas, 297 00:13:31,344 --> 00:13:33,079 in six sections, 298 00:13:33,180 --> 00:13:35,716 and then it was shipped to the other side of the tracks. 299 00:13:36,417 --> 00:13:38,719 [Jay] Here, the sections are welded into 300 00:13:38,785 --> 00:13:40,453 one complete structure. 301 00:13:40,955 --> 00:13:42,189 Then, they launch 302 00:13:42,289 --> 00:13:46,126 a carefully masterminded operation to install it, 303 00:13:46,460 --> 00:13:48,095 working around the train schedule. 304 00:13:48,729 --> 00:13:50,631 The really thrilling and exciting part 305 00:13:50,731 --> 00:13:54,535 was to, uh, have these modular, robotic movers. 306 00:13:54,601 --> 00:13:57,537 [dramatic music] 307 00:13:57,637 --> 00:14:00,574 They had, like, someone guiding it from a remote. 308 00:14:00,674 --> 00:14:04,211 [dramatic music] 309 00:14:04,311 --> 00:14:06,513 [Jay] They know how they're going to move 310 00:14:06,647 --> 00:14:08,248 the enormous bridge into place, 311 00:14:08,315 --> 00:14:10,951 but now, the pressure is really on. 312 00:14:11,017 --> 00:14:12,519 [dramatic music] 313 00:14:12,653 --> 00:14:14,755 [Jay] They have just eight hours 314 00:14:14,855 --> 00:14:17,290 before the next train rolls through. 315 00:14:17,390 --> 00:14:20,861 [dramatic music] 316 00:14:20,994 --> 00:14:22,863 [Holly] They brought the bridge into place 317 00:14:22,963 --> 00:14:24,999 and rolled it across the tracks. 318 00:14:25,099 --> 00:14:30,303 [serious music] 319 00:14:30,437 --> 00:14:34,975 [Jay] The team can't relax until the final bolt is in place. 320 00:14:35,075 --> 00:14:40,280 [serious music] 321 00:14:40,347 --> 00:14:41,848 [Holly] And I think that they did it in 322 00:14:41,948 --> 00:14:43,517 less than eight hours, actually. 323 00:14:43,650 --> 00:14:45,318 It was really an amazing feat. 324 00:14:48,489 --> 00:14:50,991 [awe-inspiring music] 325 00:14:51,091 --> 00:14:54,328 [Jay] The incredible museum opens to the public 326 00:14:54,428 --> 00:14:55,863 in July 2020, 327 00:14:56,197 --> 00:14:59,366 the building inspiring its visitors 328 00:14:59,867 --> 00:15:01,568 as much as the exhibits inside. 329 00:15:01,702 --> 00:15:03,837 [awe-inspiring music] 330 00:15:03,938 --> 00:15:06,073 [Elizabeth] This project is unique. 331 00:15:06,373 --> 00:15:09,443 It liberated us from some of the conventions of 332 00:15:09,543 --> 00:15:11,578 the way we've been thinking about structures. 333 00:15:12,579 --> 00:15:15,549 [Jeffrey] This was a career-defining project. 334 00:15:15,649 --> 00:15:17,517 Uh, just the iconic nature. 335 00:15:17,584 --> 00:15:19,986 The architectural design of the building 336 00:15:20,053 --> 00:15:23,190 is unlike anything that I've ever done before. 337 00:15:24,191 --> 00:15:27,394 [Jay] With captioned and audio-described exhibits, 338 00:15:27,861 --> 00:15:29,930 American Sign Language interpretation, 339 00:15:30,063 --> 00:15:32,799 and, of course, the innovative ramp design, 340 00:15:33,066 --> 00:15:36,336 it leads the way for museum accessibility. 341 00:15:37,204 --> 00:15:39,039 [Michelle] This experience has been by far 342 00:15:39,139 --> 00:15:41,041 the best that I've been able to have with a scooter, 343 00:15:41,141 --> 00:15:43,877 as I was able to tour the entire building 344 00:15:44,011 --> 00:15:45,178 with my family. 345 00:15:45,712 --> 00:15:47,080 [Corey] It was really great. 346 00:15:47,180 --> 00:15:49,583 There wasn't anywhere I couldn't go. 347 00:15:50,417 --> 00:15:52,686 [Jay] A shimmering, twisting tribute 348 00:15:52,786 --> 00:15:55,689 pays homage to the incredible athletes. 349 00:15:56,356 --> 00:16:01,128 Team USA needs a place to house not only just the history, 350 00:16:01,228 --> 00:16:02,396 but the dreams. 351 00:16:03,297 --> 00:16:05,800 [Michelle] For athletes, I think the museum represents 352 00:16:05,900 --> 00:16:09,303 that hard work, that grit, that determination 353 00:16:09,637 --> 00:16:11,572 to make Team USA 354 00:16:11,639 --> 00:16:15,275 and to celebrate the greatness of sport. 355 00:16:16,276 --> 00:16:17,444 [Tyler] Being a Paralympian, 356 00:16:17,544 --> 00:16:19,346 I couldn't think of anything else 357 00:16:19,446 --> 00:16:20,614 that we could've done differently 358 00:16:20,714 --> 00:16:22,816 to make this museum a welcoming home 359 00:16:22,950 --> 00:16:25,085 for every athlete in the world. 360 00:16:25,185 --> 00:16:27,454 This is one of the most exciting projects 361 00:16:27,554 --> 00:16:28,822 I've worked on. 362 00:16:28,955 --> 00:16:31,491 Capturing that Olympic and Paralympic spirit, 363 00:16:31,625 --> 00:16:32,626 it's really amazing. 364 00:16:32,759 --> 00:16:36,296 [inspiring music fading out] 365 00:16:37,598 --> 00:16:45,071 [laidback percussion music] 366 00:16:46,406 --> 00:16:50,944 When it comes to leaning towers that defy the laws of gravity, 367 00:16:51,077 --> 00:16:54,181 Italy has quite a reputation to live up to. 368 00:16:54,281 --> 00:16:56,050 So, when it came to building 369 00:16:56,150 --> 00:16:58,652 a bespoke and head-turning new skyscraper 370 00:16:58,752 --> 00:17:00,554 in the fashion capital of Milan, 371 00:17:00,654 --> 00:17:03,456 you can bet your shirt that what they came up with 372 00:17:03,557 --> 00:17:06,693 would seriously raise the bar in architectural high fashion. 373 00:17:07,194 --> 00:17:08,362 [single piano note] 374 00:17:08,662 --> 00:17:09,797 [Jay] Milan. 375 00:17:10,297 --> 00:17:13,834 A city that leads the world in matters of style. 376 00:17:14,468 --> 00:17:19,206 With buildings inspired by two and a half thousand years 377 00:17:19,340 --> 00:17:21,642 of classic Italian architecture. 378 00:17:21,942 --> 00:17:25,913 We are Milano, and we are stylish people. 379 00:17:26,847 --> 00:17:30,317 [Jay] It's now home to a gravity-defying office tower. 380 00:17:30,951 --> 00:17:33,086 Who says skyscrapers have to be straight? 381 00:17:33,853 --> 00:17:36,790 [Jay] A dizzying glass-clad curve 382 00:17:36,890 --> 00:17:39,192 nearly 600 feet tall. 383 00:17:40,060 --> 00:17:41,962 Making a skyscraper bend 384 00:17:42,029 --> 00:17:44,364 feels like you're breaking the laws of physics. 385 00:17:44,464 --> 00:17:45,999 [dramatic music] 386 00:17:46,100 --> 00:17:47,802 [Jay] It's an architectural marvel 387 00:17:47,868 --> 00:17:50,704 that tested the limits of engineering. 388 00:17:51,472 --> 00:17:52,839 [Mauro] From the beginning, we thought, 389 00:17:52,973 --> 00:17:55,142 "Well, this is a little bit on the edge. 390 00:17:55,242 --> 00:17:56,744 Maybe it's not possible." 391 00:17:56,844 --> 00:18:00,047 [Jay] And tested the skills of its talented creators. 392 00:18:00,147 --> 00:18:01,681 [Daniel] There were many sleepless nights. 393 00:18:01,748 --> 00:18:04,184 How will this really work? Can it really work? 394 00:18:05,052 --> 00:18:07,588 [Jay] This is Il Curvo. 395 00:18:07,721 --> 00:18:09,623 So, how did they build it? 396 00:18:09,724 --> 00:18:12,626 [single piano note] 397 00:18:14,795 --> 00:18:16,664 [contemplative music] 398 00:18:16,764 --> 00:18:19,700 [Jay] It's 2010, and in Milan, 399 00:18:20,101 --> 00:18:22,302 the closure of an exhibition center 400 00:18:22,369 --> 00:18:26,273 leaves an area of downtown in need of regeneration. 401 00:18:27,140 --> 00:18:30,010 The developers hope to create a vibrant community 402 00:18:30,144 --> 00:18:32,980 with workspaces, homes, museums, and parks. 403 00:18:33,047 --> 00:18:34,781 [contemplative music] 404 00:18:34,848 --> 00:18:37,718 [Aldo] This mixed use piece of land 405 00:18:37,851 --> 00:18:40,320 became, uh, really, a part of 406 00:18:40,387 --> 00:18:42,589 the urban regeneration of Milan. 407 00:18:43,023 --> 00:18:44,658 [Jay] The heart of the master plan 408 00:18:44,758 --> 00:18:46,126 of this new development 409 00:18:46,226 --> 00:18:48,495 will be three dazzling office towers, 410 00:18:48,562 --> 00:18:51,331 each designed by a super-star architect. 411 00:18:51,398 --> 00:18:52,999 [contemplative music] 412 00:18:53,099 --> 00:18:57,137 [Jay] First, Arata Isozaki builds Il Dritto, 413 00:18:57,204 --> 00:18:58,472 "The Straight One". 414 00:18:59,206 --> 00:19:02,776 Zaha Hadid follows up with Lo Storto, 415 00:19:02,910 --> 00:19:04,745 "The Twisty One". 416 00:19:05,079 --> 00:19:06,246 The third creation 417 00:19:06,346 --> 00:19:08,215 by renowned Polish-American architect 418 00:19:08,315 --> 00:19:11,752 Daniel Libeskin has a lot to live up to. 419 00:19:12,252 --> 00:19:14,621 I thought, "Here is a chance to really extend 420 00:19:14,754 --> 00:19:18,058 the vocabulary of urban design in this great city 421 00:19:18,158 --> 00:19:21,261 and create something really, totally innovative." 422 00:19:22,463 --> 00:19:24,098 [Jay] Libeskin takes inspiration 423 00:19:24,198 --> 00:19:26,733 from Italy's classical building style 424 00:19:26,800 --> 00:19:28,735 seen all over Milan. 425 00:19:29,870 --> 00:19:31,205 [Daniel] The Italian architecture 426 00:19:31,271 --> 00:19:32,773 is rich with curvatures. 427 00:19:32,873 --> 00:19:34,374 So, this is a very Italian building. 428 00:19:34,474 --> 00:19:37,044 [calm music] 429 00:19:37,111 --> 00:19:39,847 [Jay] Libeskin's design is Il Curvo, 430 00:19:39,947 --> 00:19:41,715 or "The Curved One". 431 00:19:41,948 --> 00:19:45,585 A tower that looks like it wants to tip over. 432 00:19:46,252 --> 00:19:49,390 So, the team's first challenge will be figuring out 433 00:19:49,456 --> 00:19:50,690 what kind of foundations 434 00:19:50,757 --> 00:19:53,393 can handle this epic battle with gravity. 435 00:19:53,493 --> 00:19:55,595 [calm music] 436 00:19:55,695 --> 00:19:57,732 [Jay] Then, they will need to engineer 437 00:19:57,798 --> 00:19:59,099 a special concrete core 438 00:19:59,233 --> 00:20:01,768 that won't buckle under the uneven forces 439 00:20:01,902 --> 00:20:03,771 caused by the building's shape. 440 00:20:03,904 --> 00:20:05,406 [calm music] 441 00:20:05,506 --> 00:20:06,840 [Jay] To create its curve, 442 00:20:07,241 --> 00:20:09,843 they'll need 28 different floor plates. 443 00:20:09,943 --> 00:20:11,278 [calm music] 444 00:20:11,378 --> 00:20:14,214 [Jay] And they'll need to work out how to deal with 445 00:20:14,314 --> 00:20:18,352 the different forces each of these floors will create. 446 00:20:19,153 --> 00:20:21,454 Bespoke glass panels will be designed to cover 447 00:20:21,588 --> 00:20:23,390 each bending floor. 448 00:20:23,490 --> 00:20:25,058 [calm music] 449 00:20:25,125 --> 00:20:27,961 [Jay] And on top, they will need to somehow create 450 00:20:28,061 --> 00:20:30,197 the building's final masterpiece: 451 00:20:30,263 --> 00:20:34,201 a 600-ton, self-supporting glass roof. 452 00:20:34,301 --> 00:20:36,803 [calm music fading out] 453 00:20:37,938 --> 00:20:39,573 [Jay] It's 2015. 454 00:20:39,673 --> 00:20:44,078 Two towers are nearly finished when work begins on Il Curvo. 455 00:20:44,578 --> 00:20:47,948 For the building to stand up and stay put, 456 00:20:48,048 --> 00:20:50,617 the first thing the team needs to get right 457 00:20:50,751 --> 00:20:51,985 are the foundations. 458 00:20:52,085 --> 00:20:53,988 The big issue for foundation is that 459 00:20:54,088 --> 00:20:56,389 the tower should not sink over time. 460 00:20:56,456 --> 00:20:59,960 It should just stay there and absorb all the stresses, 461 00:21:00,060 --> 00:21:02,697 and put that into the soil, into the ground. 462 00:21:03,164 --> 00:21:06,967 So, we will not have a Pisa Tower effect. 463 00:21:07,668 --> 00:21:11,071 The Tower of Pisa leans because the soil underneath 464 00:21:11,171 --> 00:21:12,472 is different on both sides. 465 00:21:12,873 --> 00:21:15,943 The thing is, the foundations don't take that into account. 466 00:21:16,410 --> 00:21:18,545 They can't risk that happening here. 467 00:21:18,646 --> 00:21:20,881 [machines whirring] 468 00:21:20,981 --> 00:21:22,816 [Jay] The foundation system they choose 469 00:21:22,883 --> 00:21:27,220 is a wide, stable raft of concrete that sits on piles. 470 00:21:28,189 --> 00:21:30,391 [Mauro] It's a 2.5-meter-thickness raft, 471 00:21:30,524 --> 00:21:32,893 which is one of the biggest casting operations 472 00:21:32,993 --> 00:21:37,998 doing without, uh, interruption, in, uh, in Italy. 473 00:21:38,965 --> 00:21:42,869 [Jay] It takes 36 hours and a steady stream of trucks 474 00:21:42,969 --> 00:21:46,374 pouring 200,000 tons of concrete. 475 00:21:46,507 --> 00:21:49,576 But now, they have a massive foundation block 476 00:21:49,676 --> 00:21:51,345 that isn't going anywhere. 477 00:21:51,445 --> 00:21:56,049 [serious music] 478 00:21:56,183 --> 00:21:58,819 [Jay] The work below ground was easy 479 00:21:58,885 --> 00:22:01,055 compared to what they have to figure out next. 480 00:22:01,555 --> 00:22:04,725 The most important point is also the most obvious one: 481 00:22:04,791 --> 00:22:06,093 how do you stop a curved building 482 00:22:06,226 --> 00:22:07,461 from falling over? 483 00:22:07,962 --> 00:22:10,764 [Jay] As any fitness instructor will tell you, 484 00:22:10,897 --> 00:22:14,634 the secret to great stability is having a solid core. 485 00:22:14,768 --> 00:22:17,838 In a normal building, that's pretty straightforward. 486 00:22:18,538 --> 00:22:22,075 With a symmetrical tower, the core is right in the middle. 487 00:22:22,175 --> 00:22:25,245 So, pressure is applied equally downwards. 488 00:22:25,746 --> 00:22:27,247 But Il Curvo's shape means 489 00:22:27,381 --> 00:22:30,751 the core is being pulled in all directions. 490 00:22:31,685 --> 00:22:34,187 [Jay] This is because to create the curve, 491 00:22:34,654 --> 00:22:35,956 the floor plates sit in 492 00:22:36,056 --> 00:22:38,726 slightly different positions to one another. 493 00:22:38,826 --> 00:22:41,061 [contemplative music] 494 00:22:41,162 --> 00:22:42,763 [Jay] As they go up the building, 495 00:22:42,863 --> 00:22:46,132 some of the floors have more of their area on the one side, 496 00:22:46,233 --> 00:22:47,267 some on the other. 497 00:22:47,768 --> 00:22:50,070 [Daniel] Each floor is in a different position in space. 498 00:22:50,170 --> 00:22:51,872 There's no floor exactly above you, 499 00:22:51,972 --> 00:22:54,140 and no floor exactly below you. 500 00:22:55,275 --> 00:22:57,077 [Jay] But this means the forces 501 00:22:57,177 --> 00:22:59,513 each floor puts on the core are different 502 00:22:59,579 --> 00:23:03,216 and risk it cracking under the strain. 503 00:23:03,984 --> 00:23:05,686 Part of the solution lies in 504 00:23:05,820 --> 00:23:07,854 building in special tension cables 505 00:23:07,955 --> 00:23:09,522 into the concrete. 506 00:23:09,656 --> 00:23:12,760 Those cables are pulled and then blocked into the concrete, 507 00:23:13,027 --> 00:23:16,330 so we have a big traction in the cables 508 00:23:16,430 --> 00:23:19,332 that compress the concrete, so the whole shaft, 509 00:23:19,432 --> 00:23:21,835 the whole core is always under compression 510 00:23:21,935 --> 00:23:23,803 so it doesn't lose, uh, stiffness. 511 00:23:24,137 --> 00:23:25,305 [Jay] On its own, 512 00:23:25,372 --> 00:23:27,874 reinforcing the core won't be enough. 513 00:23:28,141 --> 00:23:32,979 The team also needs to add extra columns on each level. 514 00:23:33,547 --> 00:23:35,215 In a typical rectangular building, 515 00:23:35,682 --> 00:23:38,151 engineers could use one design throughout. 516 00:23:38,218 --> 00:23:40,053 [serious music] 517 00:23:40,187 --> 00:23:41,355 [Jay] But not here. 518 00:23:42,256 --> 00:23:45,192 So, unevenly stacked floors mean the pressures on 519 00:23:45,325 --> 00:23:47,694 each of these columns is different. 520 00:23:48,095 --> 00:23:51,564 Basically, there's no one-size-fits-all solution. 521 00:23:51,865 --> 00:23:54,868 [Jay] Each column must be individually designed 522 00:23:54,968 --> 00:23:56,403 and fabricated to deal with 523 00:23:56,503 --> 00:23:59,173 the precise load it needs to carry. 524 00:23:59,506 --> 00:24:00,807 It takes a whole lotta math 525 00:24:00,907 --> 00:24:03,344 and even more concrete and steel. 526 00:24:03,410 --> 00:24:07,014 But Il Curvo's structure can now quickly take shape. 527 00:24:07,114 --> 00:24:11,051 [contemplative music] 528 00:24:11,118 --> 00:24:13,620 [Jay] The next job is to get the glazing right. 529 00:24:13,720 --> 00:24:17,458 And some similarly bendy buildings 530 00:24:17,558 --> 00:24:19,626 have shown what happens when it goes wrong. 531 00:24:20,227 --> 00:24:22,395 Palazzo Lombardia in Milan 532 00:24:22,662 --> 00:24:24,265 and 20 Fenchurch Street, 533 00:24:24,365 --> 00:24:27,067 AKA the Walkie Talkie, in London, England 534 00:24:27,134 --> 00:24:29,903 were both built with curving glass. 535 00:24:30,003 --> 00:24:32,740 When the sun's rays first hit these new towers, 536 00:24:32,873 --> 00:24:37,077 their smooth curves caused an unexpected problem. 537 00:24:37,177 --> 00:24:39,346 [serious music] 538 00:24:39,446 --> 00:24:41,014 Like a magnifying glass, 539 00:24:41,115 --> 00:24:43,450 these buildings focused the sun's rays 540 00:24:43,584 --> 00:24:45,119 all into one place, 541 00:24:45,219 --> 00:24:47,588 damaging nearby cars and buildings. 542 00:24:47,688 --> 00:24:50,123 [serious music] 543 00:24:50,257 --> 00:24:51,391 [Daniel] How to make sure that 544 00:24:51,492 --> 00:24:52,926 the reflectivity of the building, 545 00:24:53,026 --> 00:24:55,028 particularly on the concave side, 546 00:24:55,128 --> 00:24:58,832 does not impact people and heat on the outside. 547 00:24:58,932 --> 00:25:02,269 Because, you know, a curvature takes the light and focuses it. 548 00:25:02,336 --> 00:25:05,271 [serious music] 549 00:25:05,338 --> 00:25:08,342 [Jay] How will they create a glittering, curved façade 550 00:25:08,442 --> 00:25:11,044 without frying the streets below? 551 00:25:15,248 --> 00:25:17,517 [Jay] In Milan, the team behind building 552 00:25:17,617 --> 00:25:19,086 a new curving skyscraper 553 00:25:19,220 --> 00:25:21,355 need to make sure its glass façade 554 00:25:21,455 --> 00:25:24,190 won't focus the sun on people below, 555 00:25:24,291 --> 00:25:27,494 like ants under a magnifying glass. 556 00:25:27,961 --> 00:25:29,529 It was a real challenge 557 00:25:29,629 --> 00:25:32,032 because the façades are 558 00:25:32,132 --> 00:25:34,402 very different from each other. 559 00:25:34,502 --> 00:25:37,204 In fact, the southern elevation is concave, 560 00:25:37,338 --> 00:25:40,674 while the northern part is convex. 561 00:25:41,475 --> 00:25:44,979 [Jay] The team's ingenious, but simple solution 562 00:25:45,045 --> 00:25:46,847 is to make the concave side 563 00:25:46,914 --> 00:25:49,516 from a series of stepped vertical panes. 564 00:25:49,849 --> 00:25:52,819 It will give the illusion of a curve from a distance, 565 00:25:52,886 --> 00:25:55,388 but break up the reflected light. 566 00:25:55,755 --> 00:25:58,859 Each level steps in, in, in and out as it goes, 567 00:25:59,326 --> 00:26:02,730 so that the reflectivity is parallel to the ground, 568 00:26:02,830 --> 00:26:04,632 never focusing into the ground. 569 00:26:04,732 --> 00:26:07,001 [serious music] 570 00:26:07,134 --> 00:26:09,069 [Jay] Passing pedestrians will now be safe. 571 00:26:09,170 --> 00:26:12,873 But it does mean all 2400 glass cells 572 00:26:12,973 --> 00:26:15,141 have to be individually made. 573 00:26:16,444 --> 00:26:17,678 It took a long time. 574 00:26:17,778 --> 00:26:21,481 In one day, it was possible to create 575 00:26:21,615 --> 00:26:23,984 about 14, 15 cells. 576 00:26:24,084 --> 00:26:26,152 No more given the high complexity. 577 00:26:26,286 --> 00:26:27,421 [Jay] Once on site, 578 00:26:27,488 --> 00:26:30,758 fitting these 15 foot by 5 foot panes 579 00:26:30,858 --> 00:26:33,293 is a high-wire job. 580 00:26:33,693 --> 00:26:34,995 Especially higher up, 581 00:26:35,128 --> 00:26:37,731 where the building curves back onto itself 582 00:26:37,832 --> 00:26:40,067 with no supporting structure below. 583 00:26:40,468 --> 00:26:42,403 It takes eight painstaking months, 584 00:26:42,503 --> 00:26:44,738 but finally, they reach the top. 585 00:26:45,939 --> 00:26:47,474 [Gian Luca] The installation of the final glass cell 586 00:26:47,574 --> 00:26:49,476 was a very emotional moment. 587 00:26:49,610 --> 00:26:52,546 This was where we could relax. 588 00:26:52,612 --> 00:26:56,983 We'd achieved our first goal. 589 00:26:58,452 --> 00:27:00,487 [Jay] As the tower nears completion, 590 00:27:00,621 --> 00:27:03,490 the team faces one final challenge. 591 00:27:03,857 --> 00:27:05,826 Normally the roof of a skyscraper 592 00:27:05,893 --> 00:27:07,794 is used for practical purposes, 593 00:27:08,095 --> 00:27:10,297 and Il Curvo is no different. 594 00:27:10,597 --> 00:27:12,633 Many of the services of the building 595 00:27:12,733 --> 00:27:14,668 are up in that space. 596 00:27:15,235 --> 00:27:17,504 [Jay] The problem is that maintenance cranes, 597 00:27:17,637 --> 00:27:19,806 ventilation, and water recovery systems 598 00:27:19,906 --> 00:27:22,142 are hardly glamorous. 599 00:27:22,943 --> 00:27:26,213 And Daniel Libeskin doesn't want his curvy masterpiece 600 00:27:26,313 --> 00:27:28,114 ruined by ugly equipment. 601 00:27:28,615 --> 00:27:31,385 [Daniel] The top of any building is incredibly important. 602 00:27:31,485 --> 00:27:33,553 From the Empire State to any building, 603 00:27:33,687 --> 00:27:34,955 you look at the top-- 604 00:27:35,055 --> 00:27:37,424 what does it look like in the, in the, in the sky? 605 00:27:37,824 --> 00:27:41,529 [Jay] Libeskin's idea is to conceal all the machinery 606 00:27:41,629 --> 00:27:45,499 inside a glass roof over a hundred feet tall; 607 00:27:45,700 --> 00:27:47,701 a beautiful idea. 608 00:27:47,835 --> 00:27:51,405 To pull it off 450 feet in the air, 609 00:27:51,739 --> 00:27:55,843 the team invents a 600-ton steel and glass structure 610 00:27:55,976 --> 00:27:59,146 that's stable during each step of construction without support. 611 00:27:59,847 --> 00:28:04,385 The design in, in construction is like a very big puzzle. 612 00:28:04,985 --> 00:28:09,122 It's uh, uh, very crowded steel structures. 613 00:28:09,956 --> 00:28:13,460 We work with, uh, millimeters between each part. 614 00:28:13,893 --> 00:28:16,864 [Jay] When the steel framework is finally in place, 615 00:28:17,197 --> 00:28:19,600 it stands 130 feet tall 616 00:28:19,733 --> 00:28:22,736 with not a ventilation shaft in sight. 617 00:28:22,837 --> 00:28:26,039 [Marco] For me, it's one of the best place of the tower, 618 00:28:26,106 --> 00:28:27,540 because it, uh, this, 619 00:28:27,641 --> 00:28:30,277 this factor is, uh, is, uh, fantastic. 620 00:28:30,377 --> 00:28:33,713 [percussion music fading out] 621 00:28:35,882 --> 00:28:40,654 [Jay] It's 2020, and Il Curvo is finally finished, 622 00:28:41,222 --> 00:28:43,724 completing the striking trilogy of towers 623 00:28:43,791 --> 00:28:47,027 that redefines Milan's skyline. 624 00:28:47,861 --> 00:28:51,064 Completing this project was very satisfying for me. 625 00:28:51,131 --> 00:28:52,533 And every time I see it, 626 00:28:52,633 --> 00:28:56,236 it fills me with great happiness. 627 00:28:56,336 --> 00:28:58,606 [Jay] The team has engineered and built something 628 00:28:58,739 --> 00:29:00,907 that shouldn't have been possible. 629 00:29:00,974 --> 00:29:02,509 [Mauro] I personally was skeptical 630 00:29:02,643 --> 00:29:04,811 about the shapes of these buildings 631 00:29:04,945 --> 00:29:06,981 when I saw the proposal at the beginning. 632 00:29:07,181 --> 00:29:10,750 Now, I'm totally convinced, and the city is, too. 633 00:29:15,488 --> 00:29:17,324 But it's an important tower, 634 00:29:17,424 --> 00:29:20,860 it's one of the iconic building in Milano, 635 00:29:21,495 --> 00:29:23,797 and, and this is my office. 636 00:29:24,397 --> 00:29:25,766 [Jay] In the process, 637 00:29:25,833 --> 00:29:29,336 they've created a new icon of Italian architecture. 638 00:29:30,003 --> 00:29:31,405 [Corina] For hundreds of years, 639 00:29:31,505 --> 00:29:34,174 Italy's been famous for having one leaning building, 640 00:29:34,275 --> 00:29:35,842 and now it has two. 641 00:29:37,778 --> 00:29:40,347 [Daniel] If you're an architect, never start by thinking, 642 00:29:40,448 --> 00:29:41,414 "Can it be built?" 643 00:29:41,481 --> 00:29:43,083 Because the answer will be always no. 644 00:29:43,184 --> 00:29:47,488 Start with something that you have no idea if it can be built. 645 00:29:47,588 --> 00:29:50,557 [inspiring music] 646 00:29:50,657 --> 00:29:58,999 [laidback percussion music] 647 00:30:01,469 --> 00:30:02,602 Next stop, Chicago, 648 00:30:02,669 --> 00:30:04,672 where a new student center was needed for 649 00:30:04,805 --> 00:30:06,807 the Illinois Institute of Technology. 650 00:30:06,907 --> 00:30:09,309 Now, not only would the building have to function 651 00:30:09,409 --> 00:30:11,645 beneath a noisy train line, 652 00:30:11,745 --> 00:30:15,482 it also would have to complement the existing 1940s campus 653 00:30:15,582 --> 00:30:17,484 designed by Bauhaus School legend 654 00:30:17,584 --> 00:30:19,053 Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. 655 00:30:19,453 --> 00:30:20,955 No pressure, guys. 656 00:30:21,055 --> 00:30:23,623 [contemplative music] 657 00:30:23,690 --> 00:30:26,293 [Jay] Chicago, Illinois is America's railroad capital. 658 00:30:26,393 --> 00:30:29,095 [contemplative music] 659 00:30:29,196 --> 00:30:30,464 [Jay] From its long-distance lines 660 00:30:30,531 --> 00:30:32,365 fanning out from Union Station 661 00:30:32,499 --> 00:30:34,801 to the 122 miles of 662 00:30:34,935 --> 00:30:37,804 the rapid transit system's elevated tracks, 663 00:30:37,904 --> 00:30:41,007 the railroads have had a big impact on the city. 664 00:30:41,141 --> 00:30:43,143 [contemplative music] 665 00:30:43,243 --> 00:30:44,478 [Jay] On the South Side, 666 00:30:44,578 --> 00:30:46,480 the Illinois Institute of Technology 667 00:30:46,614 --> 00:30:49,149 was cut in half by an elevated rail line 668 00:30:49,249 --> 00:30:52,953 until a brilliant architect and clever engineers 669 00:30:53,020 --> 00:30:55,756 came up with an astonishing solution. 670 00:30:55,856 --> 00:30:59,025 [awe-inspiring music] 671 00:30:59,125 --> 00:31:02,929 [Jay] This is the McCormick Tribune Campus Center, 672 00:31:03,397 --> 00:31:06,934 a brand-new building squeezed under the railroad tracks, 673 00:31:07,034 --> 00:31:09,870 which brought the university back to life. 674 00:31:10,004 --> 00:31:11,972 What an amazing structure. 675 00:31:12,940 --> 00:31:16,377 [Jay] Engineers had to silence the roar from overhead. 676 00:31:17,144 --> 00:31:19,880 The train measures at a hundred decibels. 677 00:31:20,247 --> 00:31:23,884 It's the equivalent to a jet engine at 300 meters. 678 00:31:24,351 --> 00:31:26,520 [Jay] It had to be built without interfering with 679 00:31:26,620 --> 00:31:28,321 the trains running through it. 680 00:31:28,388 --> 00:31:30,391 There's a train every eight minutes. 681 00:31:30,491 --> 00:31:32,592 Just imagine working around that. 682 00:31:33,093 --> 00:31:35,162 [Jay] So, how did they build it? 683 00:31:35,229 --> 00:31:36,930 [single piano note] 684 00:31:38,665 --> 00:31:42,169 [contemplative piano music] 685 00:31:42,236 --> 00:31:44,204 [Jay] Located in Chicago's South Side, 686 00:31:44,805 --> 00:31:47,007 the Illinois Institute of Technology 687 00:31:47,074 --> 00:31:50,210 is a university with a proud history. 688 00:31:51,278 --> 00:31:55,148 The original campus was designed in the 1940s and '50s 689 00:31:55,215 --> 00:31:58,084 by one of the world's most important architects, 690 00:31:58,686 --> 00:32:00,621 Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, 691 00:32:00,988 --> 00:32:04,525 one of the founding fathers of modernist design. 692 00:32:04,858 --> 00:32:07,494 Mies van der Rohe's design philosophy 693 00:32:07,628 --> 00:32:10,130 was one of less is more. 694 00:32:10,230 --> 00:32:12,800 He wanted to make the campus a statement of the modern era-- 695 00:32:12,900 --> 00:32:15,101 that is, logical and linear architecture 696 00:32:15,435 --> 00:32:17,404 for a technological society. 697 00:32:18,272 --> 00:32:20,875 [Jay] With 20 buildings all designed around 698 00:32:20,975 --> 00:32:22,943 an orderly 24-foot grid system 699 00:32:23,043 --> 00:32:26,279 in Mies's signature stripped-back style, 700 00:32:27,013 --> 00:32:28,115 in its day, 701 00:32:28,215 --> 00:32:30,751 the university's breathtaking simplicity 702 00:32:30,817 --> 00:32:31,952 was revered. 703 00:32:33,153 --> 00:32:35,889 But by the late 1990s, 704 00:32:35,989 --> 00:32:37,825 it's being seen through different eyes. 705 00:32:38,292 --> 00:32:40,961 [Donna] This campus was considered one of 706 00:32:41,061 --> 00:32:43,997 the least beautiful campuses in America, 707 00:32:44,498 --> 00:32:48,001 and there may have even been a survey that said that. 708 00:32:49,403 --> 00:32:52,940 [Jay] The campus just isn't suited for modern student life, 709 00:32:53,040 --> 00:32:56,376 and there's a major problem in sorting that out. 710 00:32:56,643 --> 00:33:00,047 Campus is split in half by an elevated rail line 711 00:33:00,147 --> 00:33:02,016 that runs throughout Chicago. 712 00:33:02,516 --> 00:33:04,117 [Dr. Mabry] It means the original plan, 713 00:33:04,184 --> 00:33:07,855 the area directly below was to be landscaped gardens. 714 00:33:08,322 --> 00:33:10,657 But the idea falls by the wayside, 715 00:33:10,757 --> 00:33:14,261 and the land evolved into an unsightly parking lot. 716 00:33:14,861 --> 00:33:17,564 [Jay] On the one side, there are the student dorms. 717 00:33:18,065 --> 00:33:20,367 On the other, the classrooms. 718 00:33:20,768 --> 00:33:23,670 For the students, whichever side of the train tracks 719 00:33:23,770 --> 00:33:26,106 that you were on was the wrong one. 720 00:33:27,107 --> 00:33:31,444 [Jay] It's a problem that's becoming impossible to ignore. 721 00:33:31,511 --> 00:33:33,046 [Donna] As it runs through campus, 722 00:33:33,180 --> 00:33:36,283 it creates a lot of noise and vibration. 723 00:33:38,085 --> 00:33:41,722 When people were outside, if a train went by, 724 00:33:41,822 --> 00:33:45,525 they had to stop conversation and wait 725 00:33:45,659 --> 00:33:48,595 until they could be, uh, heard again. 726 00:33:49,864 --> 00:33:51,632 [Jay] So, in 1998, 727 00:33:52,132 --> 00:33:55,169 the university decides to do something about it. 728 00:33:55,936 --> 00:33:58,539 [Donna] They wanted a significant building. 729 00:33:58,639 --> 00:34:00,574 Not one that just solved the problem, 730 00:34:00,674 --> 00:34:04,611 but one that really talked about the future of architecture 731 00:34:04,711 --> 00:34:06,547 in the same way that Mies had 732 00:34:06,647 --> 00:34:08,582 when he put his buildings here on campus. 733 00:34:08,716 --> 00:34:10,751 [serious music] 734 00:34:10,851 --> 00:34:13,120 [Jay] They launch a worldwide competition 735 00:34:13,587 --> 00:34:17,224 to design a soundproof, five-story building 736 00:34:17,324 --> 00:34:19,059 to go beside the tracks, 737 00:34:19,126 --> 00:34:22,329 near to one of the historic Mies van der Rohe buildings. 738 00:34:22,930 --> 00:34:26,967 But Dutch architect Rem Koolhas disregards the brief. 739 00:34:27,868 --> 00:34:30,604 Koolhaas suggested not a five-story building, 740 00:34:30,704 --> 00:34:32,573 but instead a one-story building 741 00:34:32,673 --> 00:34:35,809 that wiggle itself underneath the train track. 742 00:34:36,577 --> 00:34:40,213 No one had seen a scheme like this before. 743 00:34:40,680 --> 00:34:42,916 So, it felt quite adventurous. 744 00:34:44,084 --> 00:34:46,687 [Jay] Koolhaas's design wins the competition, 745 00:34:46,787 --> 00:34:49,323 and will send the team who have to build it 746 00:34:49,423 --> 00:34:51,491 into uncharted territory. 747 00:34:51,591 --> 00:34:54,127 [orchestral music] 748 00:34:54,228 --> 00:34:56,964 [Jay] First, they'll have to find a way to safely support 749 00:34:57,064 --> 00:34:59,566 the hundred-year-old railroad overhead. 750 00:35:00,234 --> 00:35:03,971 Then, they'll need to design a bespoke acoustic structure 751 00:35:04,037 --> 00:35:06,807 capable of muffling the noise of the trains, 752 00:35:06,874 --> 00:35:09,809 which can be built while they're still running. 753 00:35:11,011 --> 00:35:12,346 To unite the campus 754 00:35:12,446 --> 00:35:14,548 and give the students the facilities they need, 755 00:35:14,648 --> 00:35:16,016 they'll then have to squeeze 756 00:35:16,116 --> 00:35:19,386 an entire 110,000-square-foot building 757 00:35:19,486 --> 00:35:21,354 beneath the elevated line. 758 00:35:21,488 --> 00:35:23,056 [inspiring music] 759 00:35:23,190 --> 00:35:24,691 [Jay] To complete Koolhaas's vision, 760 00:35:24,824 --> 00:35:27,427 the building must be linked to one of the original 761 00:35:27,527 --> 00:35:29,663 Ludwig Mies van der Rohe structures 762 00:35:29,729 --> 00:35:32,966 without detracting from its historic features. 763 00:35:33,033 --> 00:35:36,870 [serious music] 764 00:35:36,970 --> 00:35:39,940 [Jay] In late 2000, work begins. 765 00:35:40,007 --> 00:35:42,209 [serious music] 766 00:35:42,309 --> 00:35:44,244 [Jay] And the first problem engineers face 767 00:35:44,344 --> 00:35:48,516 is the railroad that runs over the site of the new building. 768 00:35:48,616 --> 00:35:51,251 [serious music] 769 00:35:51,351 --> 00:35:53,019 [Greg] The Chicago fire department 770 00:35:53,153 --> 00:35:57,191 was concerned about a fire on the tracks 771 00:35:57,291 --> 00:36:00,761 now that there's a building under it and around it. 772 00:36:00,861 --> 00:36:02,730 [serious music] 773 00:36:02,830 --> 00:36:04,231 [Jay] In the event of a fire, 774 00:36:04,331 --> 00:36:06,967 the old iron railway structure could buckle, 775 00:36:07,067 --> 00:36:10,237 even collapse quicker than more modern materials... 776 00:36:11,605 --> 00:36:13,874 ...with a building full of students underneath. 777 00:36:14,241 --> 00:36:17,478 The solution is to replace the iron columns 778 00:36:17,578 --> 00:36:20,780 with huge, highly engineered concrete piers 779 00:36:20,881 --> 00:36:24,384 sunk 64 feet down into the bedrock. 780 00:36:24,484 --> 00:36:25,852 [dramatic music] 781 00:36:25,919 --> 00:36:28,755 [Greg] We got something like four hours of 782 00:36:28,888 --> 00:36:32,859 fire separation between the tracks and the building, 783 00:36:32,926 --> 00:36:35,729 with the thought being that within four hours, 784 00:36:35,829 --> 00:36:39,166 we should be able to completely evacuate the building 785 00:36:39,266 --> 00:36:40,834 in the event of an emergency. 786 00:36:42,569 --> 00:36:45,773 [Jay] It takes six months to create the 18 new supports, 787 00:36:45,873 --> 00:36:49,409 but by the summer of 2021, 788 00:36:49,542 --> 00:36:52,612 they're ready to move on to their next challenge: 789 00:36:53,280 --> 00:36:54,949 finding a way to deaden 790 00:36:55,082 --> 00:36:56,684 the deafening sound of the trains 791 00:36:56,784 --> 00:37:00,320 roaring overhead at 55 miles per hour. 792 00:37:01,555 --> 00:37:04,358 [Greg] The train measures at 100 decibels. 793 00:37:04,691 --> 00:37:09,696 Normal conversation can continue at 70 decibels. 794 00:37:11,765 --> 00:37:13,767 [laidback percussion music] 795 00:37:13,867 --> 00:37:16,636 [Jay] So, how will they turn down the volume? 796 00:37:21,174 --> 00:37:22,676 [Jay] In Chicago, Illinois, 797 00:37:22,743 --> 00:37:26,079 a new student campus center is being built directly beneath 798 00:37:26,213 --> 00:37:29,115 the elevated tracks of one of the city's train lines. 799 00:37:30,884 --> 00:37:34,188 To reduce the deafening sound of trains going overhead, 800 00:37:34,288 --> 00:37:36,823 their bold plan is to wrap the tracks 801 00:37:36,890 --> 00:37:40,794 in a specially designed stainless steel acoustic tube. 802 00:37:42,029 --> 00:37:43,430 For it to work, 803 00:37:43,530 --> 00:37:46,533 the engineers first need to minimize the vibrations. 804 00:37:47,067 --> 00:37:48,702 They do that by constructing 805 00:37:48,802 --> 00:37:50,504 a completely independent framework 806 00:37:50,604 --> 00:37:52,339 to support the tunnel. 807 00:37:52,440 --> 00:37:56,444 It has no structural contact with the track or the building. 808 00:37:56,544 --> 00:38:00,180 By not having the structure of the building, 809 00:38:00,547 --> 00:38:04,785 the tube, and the CTA tracks touch one another, 810 00:38:04,918 --> 00:38:08,322 we were not transferring the vibration of the tracks 811 00:38:08,455 --> 00:38:11,125 into the tube or into the building. 812 00:38:12,126 --> 00:38:14,395 [Jay] It takes several months to build the supports 813 00:38:14,495 --> 00:38:16,029 in the bottom half of the tube. 814 00:38:16,363 --> 00:38:19,133 But simply wrapping the trains in steel 815 00:38:19,233 --> 00:38:21,868 and preventing vibrations won't be enough. 816 00:38:21,968 --> 00:38:24,638 The other key principle that acoustic engineers look for 817 00:38:24,739 --> 00:38:26,239 is sound insulation. 818 00:38:26,306 --> 00:38:27,741 The louder the sound, 819 00:38:27,841 --> 00:38:30,377 the more mass you need between the source 820 00:38:30,478 --> 00:38:32,479 and the people you're trying to protect. 821 00:38:32,612 --> 00:38:34,548 [dramatic music] 822 00:38:34,614 --> 00:38:37,017 [Jay] Deafening the 100-decibel trains 823 00:38:37,117 --> 00:38:41,622 will take an enormous 9,200 cubic yards of concrete, 824 00:38:42,089 --> 00:38:44,324 laid in an eight-inch-thick slab. 825 00:38:44,424 --> 00:38:49,062 The concrete in the underbelly was really the, the mass, 826 00:38:49,129 --> 00:38:52,533 the separation to control the sound and the noise. 827 00:38:52,766 --> 00:38:54,334 [electronic music] 828 00:38:54,434 --> 00:38:57,438 [Jay] With the concrete poured, the tube is almost complete. 829 00:38:58,005 --> 00:39:01,241 All that remains is to build the top half. 830 00:39:01,341 --> 00:39:03,109 On most construction sites, 831 00:39:03,210 --> 00:39:04,945 this would be fairly straightforward. 832 00:39:05,345 --> 00:39:08,415 But here, it's anything but. 833 00:39:09,549 --> 00:39:11,218 [Donna] The Chicago Transit Authority 834 00:39:11,351 --> 00:39:14,822 has many regulations and strictures 835 00:39:14,922 --> 00:39:17,557 for how construction can happen. 836 00:39:18,359 --> 00:39:19,460 And they didn't want 837 00:39:19,560 --> 00:39:22,329 train service to be interrupted at all. 838 00:39:22,696 --> 00:39:24,898 [Jay] The upper part of the tube is made up of 839 00:39:24,998 --> 00:39:27,234 23 individual steel arches, 840 00:39:27,368 --> 00:39:31,538 which need to be craned in place over the live tracks. 841 00:39:33,373 --> 00:39:36,844 [Greg] That's when we really had to be careful 842 00:39:36,944 --> 00:39:39,546 in engaging with the trains. 843 00:39:40,547 --> 00:39:43,451 [Jay] It takes meticulous planning and preparation 844 00:39:43,551 --> 00:39:45,286 before they're ready to start. 845 00:39:45,386 --> 00:39:47,020 [contemplative music] 846 00:39:47,120 --> 00:39:49,189 [Greg] We chose a time when 847 00:39:49,322 --> 00:39:51,525 the fewest number of trains were running, 848 00:39:51,925 --> 00:39:55,495 and that happened to be midnight on a Friday night. 849 00:39:55,595 --> 00:39:57,230 The cranes were set up, 850 00:39:57,364 --> 00:39:59,333 they had the structural steel hoops. 851 00:39:59,700 --> 00:40:02,335 [Jay] The team works quickly during gaps between trains, 852 00:40:02,769 --> 00:40:06,306 dropping their tools each time one needs to pass. 853 00:40:07,307 --> 00:40:10,610 [Greg] The trains would slow down to almost a crawl, 854 00:40:10,677 --> 00:40:12,646 you know, just for safety concerns. 855 00:40:12,746 --> 00:40:14,882 [contemplative music] 856 00:40:14,982 --> 00:40:17,884 And they sat the first one in place. 857 00:40:19,019 --> 00:40:21,055 Couldn't have worked out any better. 858 00:40:21,188 --> 00:40:23,189 There were kind of cheers on the site. 859 00:40:24,458 --> 00:40:25,559 [Jay] Three days later, 860 00:40:25,692 --> 00:40:28,028 the freestanding tube is complete. 861 00:40:28,162 --> 00:40:29,663 [hopeful music] 862 00:40:29,964 --> 00:40:31,631 [serious music] 863 00:40:31,732 --> 00:40:33,667 [Jay] With the difficult part of the build out of the way, 864 00:40:33,734 --> 00:40:35,803 work starts on the new campus building, 865 00:40:35,903 --> 00:40:38,271 which will run under the tracks. 866 00:40:39,306 --> 00:40:42,109 It's been designed to neatly connect to 867 00:40:42,209 --> 00:40:43,610 the original commons building, 868 00:40:43,710 --> 00:40:45,713 which has its support columns arranged 869 00:40:45,813 --> 00:40:47,681 on the same 24-foot grid. 870 00:40:47,781 --> 00:40:49,516 [dramatic music] 871 00:40:49,616 --> 00:40:51,818 [Jay] But some parts of the architecture community 872 00:40:51,918 --> 00:40:53,487 fear that once complete, 873 00:40:53,554 --> 00:40:56,690 the new building will overwhelm the old. 874 00:40:56,790 --> 00:40:58,358 [dramatic music] 875 00:40:58,491 --> 00:41:02,296 [Donna] There were meetings to try to effect a way 876 00:41:02,430 --> 00:41:05,932 in which the design could sit happily 877 00:41:06,032 --> 00:41:08,569 with this existing Mies building. 878 00:41:09,069 --> 00:41:11,605 [Jay] Architect Rem Koolhaas finds a simple, 879 00:41:11,705 --> 00:41:14,075 yet ingenious way to connect the buildings 880 00:41:14,175 --> 00:41:17,078 without spoiling the view of the commons. 881 00:41:17,711 --> 00:41:22,682 The compromised solution was that the glass type used in 882 00:41:22,749 --> 00:41:25,418 the last bay of the new elevation 883 00:41:25,819 --> 00:41:28,222 would be a super clear glass. 884 00:41:28,889 --> 00:41:32,927 And that would allow you to see that this existing building 885 00:41:33,060 --> 00:41:37,063 by Mies was actually, uh, something to be understood 886 00:41:37,865 --> 00:41:39,265 from all sides. 887 00:41:40,100 --> 00:41:42,937 [Jay] And Koolhaas has one final flourish 888 00:41:43,070 --> 00:41:44,537 to honor Mies's work. 889 00:41:44,604 --> 00:41:49,843 We excavated down and exposed a portion of the foundation 890 00:41:50,210 --> 00:41:52,046 of the existing commons building. 891 00:41:52,713 --> 00:41:57,418 So, as you move around inside the campus center, 892 00:41:57,551 --> 00:42:00,221 you see this historic Mies van der Rohe building 893 00:42:00,287 --> 00:42:04,224 that appears to be kind of lifted up on a pedestal. 894 00:42:05,192 --> 00:42:07,995 [gentle string music] 895 00:42:08,128 --> 00:42:09,830 [Jay] In September 2003, 896 00:42:09,930 --> 00:42:14,234 after five years of planning, designing, and construction, 897 00:42:14,334 --> 00:42:17,304 the campus center opens its doors to the students. 898 00:42:17,971 --> 00:42:21,275 The building's corridors track the routes they once took 899 00:42:21,375 --> 00:42:23,343 as the traveled under the elevated train 900 00:42:23,443 --> 00:42:25,879 between dorms and classes. 901 00:42:25,979 --> 00:42:29,516 But now, instead of dashing through a parking lot, 902 00:42:29,983 --> 00:42:34,321 they can linger in spaces designed for hanging out. 903 00:42:35,556 --> 00:42:37,090 [Male Student] Personally, I love it. 904 00:42:37,157 --> 00:42:38,892 It's the crossroads where everybody comes together, 905 00:42:38,992 --> 00:42:40,827 and it's just where a lot of 906 00:42:40,927 --> 00:42:43,130 the special moments during college happen. 907 00:42:43,764 --> 00:42:45,799 [Male Student] This is where all the students go for food 908 00:42:45,899 --> 00:42:47,268 and sometimes studying. 909 00:42:47,802 --> 00:42:49,837 And if we wait long enough, sometimes a train will pass, 910 00:42:49,970 --> 00:42:51,739 and the students get really excited from that. 911 00:42:51,806 --> 00:42:54,808 [calm string music] 912 00:42:54,941 --> 00:42:56,977 [Jay] Thanks to the ingenious science 913 00:42:57,110 --> 00:42:58,645 behind the acoustic tube, 914 00:42:58,778 --> 00:43:02,016 with noise levels well below the target 70 decibels, 915 00:43:02,216 --> 00:43:06,387 even the quietest of activities is now possible here. 916 00:43:07,054 --> 00:43:09,189 [Female Student] We're in our student-run radio station 917 00:43:09,256 --> 00:43:10,524 on campus. 918 00:43:10,624 --> 00:43:12,693 All of the recording and stuff happens right here. 919 00:43:13,193 --> 00:43:15,362 You can definitely hear the train when it goes by, 920 00:43:15,429 --> 00:43:17,164 just sort of, like, a little rumble. 921 00:43:17,531 --> 00:43:20,568 It's not anything that is distracting. 922 00:43:21,302 --> 00:43:24,437 It just sort of adds a little character to the shows. 923 00:43:24,538 --> 00:43:27,073 [calm string music] 924 00:43:27,207 --> 00:43:30,377 [Jay] Now the design students have a new masterpiece 925 00:43:30,477 --> 00:43:31,946 to inspire them. 926 00:43:32,046 --> 00:43:34,681 As an architecture student, this is the perfect campus. 927 00:43:35,715 --> 00:43:36,984 You've got Mies van der Rohe 928 00:43:37,084 --> 00:43:39,519 really showing off new Bauhaus style 929 00:43:39,586 --> 00:43:41,088 to the full extent, 930 00:43:41,521 --> 00:43:45,625 and then you've got Rem Koolhaas twisting it a bit. 931 00:43:46,993 --> 00:43:48,396 [Greg] Mies's quote was, 932 00:43:48,529 --> 00:43:50,897 "I leave my buildings to you 933 00:43:50,997 --> 00:43:52,800 to do with them what you'd like." 934 00:43:52,900 --> 00:43:56,870 So, I think Mies would've been very pleased 935 00:43:56,970 --> 00:43:59,573 with the state of the campus now. 936 00:43:59,706 --> 00:44:03,343 [calm string music fading out] 937 00:44:07,681 --> 00:44:19,092 [dramatic orchestral music] 938 00:44:19,192 --> 00:44:31,338 [dramatic choral music] 939 00:44:34,408 --> 00:44:36,309 ♪ MTV ♪