All language subtitles for How.Did.They.Build.That.S03E04.Parking.and.Sparkling.1080p.HULU.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H264-WhiteHat_track3_[eng]

[music]

[Jay]
How do you construct

a 1,400-foot office building

that towers over
one of Manhattan's

busiest train stations?

This massive excavation was two
feet from millions of commuters.

[Jay] How do you realize
an architect's vision

for a wine museum that's all
dizzying curves?

[Corina] It looks like a giant
decanter of delicious wine

just waiting to be tasted.

[music]

[Jay] And what happens
when you set out to build

a parking garage that's a work
of architectural beauty?

This is where we thought,
"Oh, my God, architects,

I think they're gonna kill us."

[music]

[Jay] This is the age
of the extraordinary.

[Dr. Agbedor]
It's totally different

from anything around it.

It's like a visitor
from another planet.

[Jay] Where ingenious engineers
have unleashed

unchecked creativity.

Now, their secrets are revealed

as we discover
the amazing stories

of their construction.

[Mat] You look at this building

and your brain
just screams at you,

"This building does not
make sense!"

[Jay] To try
and understand...

...how did they build that.

When you think of the world's
greatest skyscrapers,

chances are many of your
favorite, most iconic examples

can be found in New York City.
And that isn't about to change,

because with space
on Manhattan Island

in increasingly short supply,

it seems that now
more than ever,

when it comes to building big
in the Big Apple,

the only way is up, and up,
and up, and up.

[music]

[Jay]
The Manhattan skyline

is one of the most instantly
recognizable on the planet.

And Midtown is home to some
of its best-loved buildings.

It's the heart of the world.

From a structural engineer's
perspective, this is the place.

[Jay] The thought
of making it better

is difficult to imagine.

But in 2015,
work began on a tower

that aimed to do just that.

[music]

[Dr. Mabry] It is breathtaking.

It tapers into the sky like
it's reaching for the stars.

[Jay] Building
the 1,400-foot-tall tower

would mean surgically
excavating 60 feet down,

right next to Grand Central.

Demolishing an entire city block
in New York City,

Midtown Manhattan,
is not an easy task.

[Jay] At $3.3 billion,
it would be the most expensive

office building
in America's history.

This wasn't just
a significant investment.

This was an all-in bet
by this company.

And there was no margin
for error.

[Jay] Five years
and 26,000 tons of steel later,

this is One Vanderbilt.

So, how did they build it?

Completed in 1930,
and at 1,046 feet tall,

the Chrysler Building became
the world's tallest building.

That is, until a year later,
when it lost its crown

to the 1,250-foot-tall
Empire State Building.

Almost a century later,
Midtown Manhattan has one of

the highest concentrations
of skyscrapers in the world

and is home to some
of the biggest names

in global business.

But some of its office buildings
are showing their age.

Quite frankly, Midtown was
becoming a bit tired, a bit old.

You know, the average
building age in Midtown

was over 75 years old.

[Jay] Companies are beginning to
look

for modern offices elsewhere.

[Marc] We had to fight back.

We had to swing that pendulum
back in favor of Midtown,

because that is where
Grand Central is.

That's where you have
the subway lines,

the commuter transit hubs,
the busses.

[Jay] Marc Holliday's vision is
for

a cutting-edge tower
right next to Grand Central,

which will replace an entire
block's worth of buildings.

Securing the site takes 10 years
of negotiations with the city

and some 200 tenants,

and a commitment of
$220 million worth

of public improvements
in and around the station,

Now they need a design
that will do justice

to the iconic neighborhood.

I wanted One Vanderbilt
to essentially be a modern

interpretation of those
great historic buildings.

[Jay] He brings in architects
Kohn Pedersen Fox.

[James] You know, what we
arrived at was a tapered form.

And then we broke that
singular form into two,

and then three and then four.

There's almost the implication
of some appearance of infinity

because of that tapering
to nothing.

[Jay] It's a striking,
beautiful design.

Building it, though,
will be far from easy.

First, the team will need
to excavate down 60 feet

beside the station

in one of the most
commuter-dense corners

in the world.

To create a foundation
strong enough

to support the tower,
all 1,401 feet of it,

they'll need to execute

the biggest continuous concrete
pour in New York City's history.

On a building of this scale,
time is money,

so the construction crew
will need to find a way

of getting the 26,000-ton
steel frame up

as quickly as possible.

While the engineers will have
to make sure that the structure

can handle a dramatic cutout
at street level

designed to open up views
to Grand Central.

If they pull it off,
they will have created

1.7 million square feet
of 21st century office space.

And a new landmark for the city.

This, at the time, was the most
expensive commercial project

ever built in the United States.

And when you're dealing
in billions of dollars

in one single investment,
you gotta make sure you deliver

on time, on schedule.

[Jay] The $3.3 billion budget

calls for the project
to be finished by October 2020.

In early 2015,
the clock starts ticking.

It takes 19 months to clear
a block's worth of buildings.

Then, in the summer of 2016,

the team prepares to start
excavating the foundations.

[music]

It's a massive challenge
and risks damaging

surrounding buildings,
including Grand Central.

[music]

How are we going to core
60 feet down into the ground

to pour new foundation
on top of active railways

when a party wall,
which was only a few feet thick,

separated this site
from millions of commuters?

Any failure, we would be

sort of looking right into
the morning rush hour.

The pressure to not destroy
one of New York's

most iconic landmarks is huge.

[Jay] The team has to brace
the surrounding structures

with specially built
piers and beams,

then remove ton upon ton
of rock.

It would be great if they would
let us blast,

but they don't let you blast.

We would have to break apart
the rocks with hammers.

We had a large excavator
up at street level

that would reach down
and bucket the material out

and load it into trucks.

[Jay] It takes 10 months.

But by early 2017,
the job is done

without damaging
the surrounding buildings

or disrupting a single train.

[Marc] They did an amazing,
immaculate, surgical job.

There were people commuting who
had no idea that two feet away,

uh, these excavating machines
were drilling and removing rock.

[Jay] With the deadline
in just three years' time,

the team moves on
to the challenge

of constructing the foundations.

[Edward] You can imagine
a 1,400-foot-tall building

with this many
million square feet,

how much it weighs

and how big the foundation
has to be.

[Jay] The plan is
to drill rock anchors

connected to one another
with a huge slab

100 feet wide and long,
9 and a half feet deep.

It will be made from
4,200 cubic yards of concrete,

and reinforced with

a million pounds
of recycled steel.

To maintain its strength,
400 truckloads of concrete

will have to be poured nonstop.

Midtown is one of the busiest
business and tourist districts

in the entire world.
Space is extremely limited.

So the coordination of every
single construction vehicle

had to be planned
with the utmost precision.

[Jay] On Friday,
February 3, 2017,

selected traffic lanes
around the site are closed.

They wait for the rush hour
to pass.

The starting gun is fired.

Then 40 trucks begin
feeding pumps

stationed around the hole.

Each one of those concrete
trucks had to be unloaded

within two hours
of leaving the plant.

[Jay] To make things
more complicated,

the concrete is arriving from
four separate locations

in the city.

[Brian] After two hours,

it can start to set
within the drum.

[Jay] They can only hope
that traffic's in their favor.

[music]

[Jay] In Midtown Manhattan...

...the concrete foundations
needed to support

a huge new skyscraper
must be poured without stopping.

If you stop,
you create a joint,

a real joint that you don't want
to have in the slab.

[Jay] To avoid this, the crews
are working round the clock.

We had 40 trucks,
over 400 loads of concrete.

[Jay] Twenty-seven hours
and a Herculean effort later,

the biggest continuous
concrete pour

in New York City history
is complete.

[music]

It's now summer 2017,
and with three years left

to finish the job
work begins on the tower.

[Ellie] When building
high-rise buildings,

construction engineers
will often start

with a central core.

This is the spine of the
building and gives it rigidity.

[Jay] The problem is,
building the concrete core

requires a huge tower crane
that will block the other cranes

on site until the core is
high enough.

And that means work
on the steel frame

will have to be put on hold.

[Marc] Every month of delay
would cost this project

$20 million per month.

If that's not enough incentive
to make sure that you get done

not just on time,
but ahead of schedule,

then I don't know what is.

[Jay] To speed things up,

they decide to flip the process
on its head.

First, the engineers design
an extra-strong steel frame

that can support itself
for 12 stories

without the concrete core.

To build it, they used two
ingenious self-climbing cranes

that essentially
raise themselves up

on the steel structure
as each floor is created.

You have to spend more money
on steel to have the stability

to have the tower cranes climb
up within the core themselves.

[Jay] The extra cost
is more than recovered

by the steel-first approach,

which shaves four months
off the schedule.

The team quickly
follows behind,

creating the central supporting

concrete core
and pouring the concrete floors.

Once we have concrete
on metal deck,

we can start getting ready

to enclose the building
to get us watertight.

[Jay] Meanwhile,
the engineers embrace

their next challenge.

At the fifth floor,
the architects want

to cut away a section
of the building

to open up the view
from the street

to its historic neighbor.

One of the goals of the design
of the building is to honor,

and respect, and celebrate
Grand Central Terminal.

It's a well-loved building.

It's one of the greats
of our city.

[Jay] The problem is that
the design leaves a corner

of the vast building
hanging in mid-air.

The team need to find a way
to transfer the forces generated

by the huge tower
safely into the ground.

They use something called
transfer trusses.

These are essentially

zig-zagging pieces of steel
joined together

that transfer the weight
from one column on the outside

of the building
to another further back.

[Jay] On a building
of this scale,

they have to be strong
and stiff enough

not to flex under
the enormous weight.

The deeper you make it,
the stronger it is

and the stiffer it is.
And they're floor-to-floor deep.

[Jay] To make them,
huge pieces of steel

weighing as much as 22 tons
and up to 30 feet long

and 3 feet wide
are specially prefabricated

before being put together
on site.

Now the rest of the tower
can begin to rise to the sky.

Taking inspiration
from Grand Central's

Oyster Bar ceiling,

its clad in
glass and terracotta panels

are as energy efficient
as they are beautiful.

Thanks to the steel-first
construction method,

by September 2019,

they're ready for
the building's crowning glory.

A 128-foot-tall spire,

which has to be hoisted
1,314 feet into the air.

[James] It's actually
a very big piece of building.

It weighs more than, you know,
30 houses put together.

[Jay]
On September 18, 2019,

a crew wait on the top floor
to install it.

The signalman gives the
all clear.

Slowly the load is brought
all the way up

to the top of the building.

The crane operator swings
the load over into the position.

They start putting
some bolts in.

They detach it from the crane.

The spire's complete.

It was just the moment to me
that signified we were there.

We were all the way at the top.

It was kind of a piece
of urban theater.

You'll never forget it.

[music]

[Jay] In September 2020,

what's then the most expensive
office building in New York City

stands complete.

Incredibly, despite
the challenges of building

through the COVID-19 pandemic,

the team finishes
one month early.

It's the greatest achievement
this company has ever

been party to, and we're
proud of it every single day.

[Jay] Four years later,
it's flying in the face

of a challenging market,

with 99% of the offices
occupied.

And for the price of a ticket,

anyone can enjoy the view
from the 91st floor.

I think that One Vanderbilt
is this generation's

Empire State Building.

[music]

[Jay] Thanks to its use
of recycled materials,

energy-efficient lighting,
and high-performance glazing,

the building is at the forefront
of sustainability.

Even while its delicate
terracotta cladding

and dramatic spire
honor the past.

[music]

The Vanderbilt project
is the kind of experience

I'll never have again,
and one that connects me to

New York City.

One Vanderbilt is
one of the stars in my crown,

I guess you could say.
How is that?

[music]

[music]

It goes without saying
that the best wine in the world

does not come in a box.

So when the French city
of Bordeaux

wanted to build the best
wine museum in the world,

they weren't going to put that
in a box either.

Oh, no,
I'm getting iridescent aluminum.

I'm getting printed glass.

I'm getting a sparkling building
that's seriously

worth celebrating.

Cheers.

[music]

[Jay] If you love wine,
likelihood is

you've heard of Bordeaux
in southwest France.

But these days, it's also famous
for an intoxicating museum.

[music]

[Corina] It looks like a
giant decanter of delicious wine

just waiting to be tasted.

[Jay] A swirling, curving,
150,000-square-foot building.

[speaking French]

[Jay] Creating the curves
tested its engineers.

[music]

[speaking French]

[Jay] And forced
its builders to climb

to new heights.

Literally.

Imagine dangling from a harness
at 165 feet trying to put these

delicate glass panels
onto the building.

[Jay] This is Cité du Vin--
the City of Wine.

It took three years
and $47 million to create.

So how did they build it?

[music]

[Jay] It's 2008,
and the city of Bordeaux

in southwest France
has a big problem.

Despite the world famous wines

produced in the surrounding
countryside,

with no central attraction
to pull in wine lovers,

the city itself is not
attracting as many tourists

as it wants.

[speaking French]

[Jay] The city decides
it needs a new museum

dedicated to wine.

Its ambition goes beyond
celebrating the local industry

to tell the story of wine's role
over the last 8,000 years.

[Jay] Such a grand ambition
requires a building to match.

Architect Anouk Legendre takes
a research trip to Bordeaux,

where she tastes a wine so good,
it helps inspire the design.

[Jay] Anouk and the team
come up with a building

that swirls and curves like the
wine being aerated in the glass

before rising up
into a dramatic tower.

But its complex shape
gives the engineers

a daunting set of challenges
to overcome.

They'll start by building
foundations and a concrete core

to support the floors
and form the spine of the tower.

It will climb 165 feet.

But then things
get really tricky.

To create the unique
curving form,

they'll need to design and build
a complex superstructure

from 600 individual pieces.

Then they'll have to wrap it
in a waterproof membrane

before embarking
on the huge challenge

of cladding the bulbous,
swirling shape

in sheets of aluminum and glass.

It will be a task like none
the team has ever faced.

[music]

[Jay] Work begins
in January 2014.

The team lays the foundation,
then start to build upwards

using concrete columns
and floor slabs.

So far, so straightforward,
but now they have to figure out

how to create the building's
undulating form

around this concrete core.

The architect's idea

is to create a vast, curved
structural frame to sit on top.

[Jay] Simple in principle,
but the irregular shape

of the frame means it's made up
of 600 individual curved pieces,

no two alike.
Making them won't be easy.

Curves are so much harder
to build than straight lines.

They take more skill,
more time, and more money.

[Jay] Building a frame
as complicated as this

from steel would be
astronomically expensive.

So the team looks to a material
that's even stronger,

but also
a fraction of the price.

[Corina] Glue-laminated timber
is made up of layers of wood

all glued up on top
of one another.

[Jay] The layers make it
exceptionally strong,

but also lightweight.

[speaking French]

[Jay] Glulam is sustainable
and versatile.

You can create
much longer lengths

than with standard timber,

and it can be transformed
into almost any shape

thanks to technology

which is quite literally
cutting edge.

[music]

[Corina] Computer-controlled
mills are a high-tech way

of cutting timber.

You can program the shape
that you want,

and the machine does the work.

[Jay] The cutting machine's
set to work creating the arches,

each up to 100 feet wide,
uses 42,000 cubic feet

of glue-laminated French spruce
and Douglas fir,

all of it renewable.

Now, the arches can be
transported to the site,

where, like the ribs
of an enormous whale,

the structure takes shape.

Finally all 600 pieces
are assembled.

[music]

[Jay] The team now
has its next big challenge

to grapple with.

To create a shimmering liquid
effect,

the architect wants to clad
the lower part of the building

in shining aluminum,
which morphs

into golden glass panels
on the tower.

It's inspired by
the colors of the river,

the sky and the surrounding
buildings.

[Jay] Installing the facade
won't be easy, though.

The awkward,
bulbous shape of the building

makes access difficult.

[speaking French]

[Jay] To solve the problem,
the team calls in

specialist workers.

[Jay] They first
seal the building

with a waterproof membrane.

Now they must add the fixings
for the cladding.

These have to be strong enough
to cope with high winds

in the exposed
riverside setting.

[Jay] But securing
the glass without spoiling

the building's sleek look
is a tall order.

[music]

[Jay] In Bordeaux,
southwest France,

the team behind
a new wine museum

must find a way

to fix glass panels
to the building

without compromising
the architect's vision.

[Jay] The elegant solution
is a specially designed system

which holds the glass
at either side,

but not at the top or bottom.

It leaves each panel free
to move in response to the wind,

without transferring any force
to the neighboring panes.

[music]

[Jay] First,
the aluminum goes in.

Then comes the most
challenging part--

installing 980 pieces of glass.

[music]

Each has been
specially screen printed

with an intricate design,

and each fits
only in the position

it's being designed for.

[Jay] By December 2015,

after four months of
working around the clock,

it's time for
the moment of truth.

Now, though, it's not just
the complex puzzle

they have to worry about,
but the weather, too.

[Jay] All eyes are
on the workers

as they lift the final piece
into place.

[music]

[music]

[Jay] In June 2016,

the museum finally
opens to the public.

The swirling, curving facade
glitters in the Bordeaux sun,

reflecting the waters
of the River Garonne.

[music]

[Jay] Inside,
the exposed timber ribs

of the structural frame,

reminiscent of the inside
of a ship

or maybe a wine barrel,

cradle 32,000 square feet
of exhibition space.

It attracts over
390,000 visitors a year

from all over the world.

[music]

[Jay] Inside, the glulam frame
that made the building possible

is reminiscent of a wine barrel.

It cradles 32,000 square feet
of exhibition space.

[music]

Asked to put together a list

of the most stunning buildings
in the world,

chances are it won't include
a parking garage.

Well, that's about to change,
because down in Miami,

there's a seven-story beauty
that not only has room

for 300 cars,

it also has its own shops,
restaurants,

and a penthouse apartment
with views to die for.

Parking has never looked
this good.

[music]

[Jay] What do you get when you
take a developer

determined to make his mark,

architects with a reputation
for building the unusual,

and the worldwide city problem

of too many cars
and nowhere to put them?

[music]

A parking garage
that's all fine lines,

delicate angles,
and dramatic views.

The building is incredible.

It's possibly the most
extravagant parking garage

I've ever seen.

[Jay]
It's so beautiful,

the developer decides to build
himself a penthouse apartment

on top of it.

But making this fragile
house of cards stand up

was a feat of engineering.

I would say this is the most
challenging project

that I've done.

[Jay] It took three years of
planning

and $65 million to create.

So how do they build it?

[music]

In the early 20th century,
the island of Miami Beach

was a largely undeveloped
mangrove swamp.

Then in the 1920s,
auto parts mogul Carl Fisher

spotted its potential as a
resort for the rich and famous,

kickstarting its transformation
into a glamorous destination

known for its striking
Art Deco architecture.

[music]

[Jay] Greater Miami
and Miami Beach

now attract about 24 million
tourists each year,

swelling the local population,

and having a big impact
on the streets.

[music]

Somebody is upset.
That's a parking issue.

Frustrated people trying
to park.

You can't get around Miami
without a car,

so everyone has a car,
and then you add tourism

to the mix and you've got
a situation where

parking becomes nearly
impossible.

[Jay] So when developer
Robert Wennett

snaps up a plot of land
on Miami Beach,

he sees it as the perfect place
for a parking garage.

But to do it justice, he decides
to create something unexpected.

Parking is like a warehouse
for cars.

How do I make parking
super interesting?

And that was really
the architectural brief

that I started out with.

[Jay] Then, as Wennett
gets to know the site,

his vision becomes even bolder.

[Robert] When I went
to the project, I thought,

"Wow, this is the most
spectacular view

I've ever seen in the city."

So I thought, "Well, this would
be an incredible project

to put my house on top of the--
on top of the garage."

[music]

[Jay] To help realize his
vision,

Wennett looks 4,800 miles away
to Switzerland,

home to Herzog and de Meuron,

the architects responsible for
the Beijing Olympic Stadium

and the Jenga Tower in New York.

They relish the challenge.

It's parking.
It's about movement.

You have technical requirements
for spaces,

but not that much else,

so we were allowed to really
be experimental.

[music]

[Jay] That might be something of
an understatement,

because while it will have space
for 300 cars,

the design's similarities
with your average parking garage

stop there.

First, they need
to create foundations

to support the garage
on what is a former swamp.

Next, the seven super thin
concrete floors

will need to be strong enough
to carry the cars,

tough enough to survive
Miami's corrosive climate,

and beautiful enough to fulfill
the architect's vision.

Somehow, the slender,
sloping columns

will have to hold up
the floors above.

On top, they'll add
almost 6,500 square feet

of incredible penthouse,

complete with
a garden and a pool.

Creating this beautiful,
precarious-looking

house of cards will be
a serious test for the team.

When we first saw the design,
we see these thin slabs,

long cantilevers,
columns which were going

in different directions.

And our original thought was,

"Okay, this is going to be
a tough one."

[Jay] It's now 2008, and
before they even break ground,

the whole project
gets even tougher.

[phones ringing]
[people shouting]

[Jay] When the world is gripped
by a financial crisis.

Miami is one of the cities
that was most impacted

by the financial crash,
and there were foreclosures

all over the place.

You know, it was this place,
this feeling of-of uncertainty

about what the future held
for the city.

[Jay] Developer
Robert Wennett

has already committed millions
to the project.

Now the stakes are even higher.

[Robert] There's no construction
whatsoever going on.

And nobody was leasing anything.

And it was one of the most
risky times.

[Dr. Mabry] It must have been
terrifying.

At that moment in time,

construction was almost
at a standstill.

Basically, you know, I had
all of my net worth at risk.

And if the project failed,

then I probably
would have been bankrupt.

[music]

[Jay]
Despite the enormous risk,

construction begins
on the foundations.

They need to be strong enough
not just to hold the weight

of the building,
but also 300 cars.

On a site
that used to be a swamp,

that's a problem.

The soil had, you know,
quite a bit of sand.

It also had lime rock,
but that lime rock formation

was not really strong enough.

[Jay] Shallow foundations
are out of the question.

They drill down 40 feet until
they hit anything strong enough

to support the foundation piles.

But even these deep piles
won't be enough on their own.

[Corina] The architects have
designed the parking garage

with a minimal number
of columns.

And each column
channeling weight far more

than a single pile could hold.

[Jay] The engineers
decide the solution

is to create a pile cap.

[Tanya] One pile is not enough,
so you have to have four,

five, or six piles
for each column.

That load needs to go
into these five piles.

How do you do that?

You transfer it by putting that
cap over that group of piles.

And that's what
we call a pile cap.

[Jay] The pile cap
may have overcome the problem

of the foundations,

but now the real
challenge begins.

In 2009, they're ready to start
work on the garage itself.

The architects have chosen
exposed concrete for the finish,

but getting that right is
fraught with problems.

In Miami,
you have high temperatures,

which can cause the concrete
to rapidly dry,

and that will make it crack.

But you're also right next
to the Atlantic Ocean,

so you have a lot of salt
in the air,

which would cause it
to crumble and deteriorate.

[Jay] Overcoming both
of these problems means crafting

a special concrete mix
for the build.

[Dr. Mabry] There's an art
to concrete

that most people don't realize.

First, they need to reduce
the water-to-cement ratio,

which means less evaporation
and shrinkage.

And if they add fly ash,

it reacts with the calcium
hydroxide and stops damp,

salty air from penetrating
the structure.

[Jay] But even once
they've perfected the mix,

having the finished building
and exposed concrete

means there's nowhere to hide.

Once they pour concrete,
there's nothing we can do.

Any mistake,
nobody will forgive it,

because you will always
see all the fixing

and attempts to rectify it,

it just was not--
it was out of question.

[Jay] With so much riding
on the perfect concrete finish,

the architects leave
nothing to chance,

often visiting the site
to inspect the finish.

I still feel nervous.

I mean, everything was
important, the color,

how are we gonna do that
edge of slab,

how is that pipe going in there.

I thought what we think is good
may not be good enough for them.

[music]

Looking at what it looks like,
there were tiny little

air pockets,

and this is where we thought,

"Oh my God,
I think architects,

I think they're going
to kill us."

[music]

[Jay] In Miami,

work is underway
on a parking garage

designed to look like a
beautiful house of cards.

The team is anxiously waiting
for the architects' verdict

on the concrete,
which contains tiny air bubbles.

They came and said, "We like it.
It looks more real."

And I thought, "Wow, I thought
they're gonna say this is bad."

[music]

[Jay]
With the ground floor in,

and the concrete signed off,
the team prepares

for the complicated job
of pouring the floor above.

[Jay] The design
calls for the floors

to be delicately thin.

That has to be done right,
and a lot of thought

has to be put into
the thickness of the slab.

You know, post tensioning
was really the only solution.

[music]

[Corina] Post tensioning
is a really clever way

of making super thin floors.

First, the steel cables are laid
and anchored at each end.

Then you pour the concrete
on top.

Once the concrete dries,
the steel cables are stretched

and tightened, which applies
a really strong amount of force

to the concrete slab,
making it stronger.

[Jay] The next challenge
is creating the columns.

The architects' design

demands they're different shapes
and sizes.

[Tanya] Each column was
designed individually.

They're non-typical, right?
So every column was designed

based on the load
which it was supporting.

[Jay] The amount
of reinforcement

and exactly where to place it

has to be meticulously
calculated for each column.

Getting it wrong could prove
disastrous.

[Dr. Mabry] If any of the steel
reinforcements ends up exposed,

it won't only ruin the finished
look of the building,

but it will also be corroded
by the salty air,

weakening the structure
and leading to collapse.

[Jay] With everything riding on
the project,

developer Robert Wennett
is on site

to ensure that doesn't happen.

Robert was quite meticulous.
I would say that.

I was there 24/7 from basically,
the time we started construction

until we delivered the project.

The project represented
everything about my career

in this one moment of time.

And so, you know,
I just couldn't let it fail.

[Jay] As each floor is safely
completed,

Wennett can start to relax.

Once the garage started
taking shape, you know,

you could really see that this
is something super unique.

[Jay]
Against all the odds,

the risk of bankruptcy,

the sleek design
challenging the engineers,

in spring 2010,

the extraordinary garage
is finished.

[music]

This project is very special
for me, personally.

In the end, we can all be proud
of what we worked on.

[music]

Out of all the parking garages
I've been in,

this is by far
the coolest in the world.

[Jay] The elegant building
changes the perception

of what parking garages can be.

Costing $30 a day to park,

it delivers a truly
unique experience.

[music]

The most special thing
is being able to go up

to the seventh floor.
And there is, from all angles,

you can see pretty much
the entire South Beach.

The fact that we really weren't
building a normal parking garage

was, I think, both the challenge
and the extraordinary success

of this project.

[Jay] The garage is crowned by
the most incredible

seven-bedroom penthouse.

Complete with landscaped
garden and a pool.

The architects were involved
in every detail of the design.

The great thing about that
penthouse is that in this very

raw concrete expression,
there's this kind of jewel box

that sits above
the parking garage.

[Jay] A home
as unexpected and beautiful

as the structure it sits upon.

[music]

[music]

♪ MTV ♪