All language subtitles for How.Did.They.Build.That.S03E07.Floating.and.Lifting.1080p.HULU.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H264-WhiteHat_track3_[eng]

[Jay] How do you make a
1.2 million-square-foot

conference center

that's as welcoming to wildlife

as it is to people?

To attempt a green roof
on this scale

was a huge undertaking,
a huge risk.

[Jay] How do you build
a beautiful bridge

that can also rise
160 feet in the air?

You can move the bridge
with one hand, huh, you know?

It's, uh...it's crazy.

[Jay] And how do you
construct a 668-foot-tall,

cocoon-shaped tower

in an earthquake zone?

You've gotta make sure that

your beautifully
designed building

doesn't essentially
rip itself apart.

[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.

[Dr. Mabry]
It is simply mindblowing.

I mean, how do you come up with
an idea like that?

[Jay] To try and understand...

...how did they build that.

Next time
you're up in Vancouver,

I recommend you check out
the greenest convention center

in Canada.

It has a 6-acre living roof
with 400,000 plants

and a lawn which takes
six gardeners two weeks to mow.

Since opening back in 2009,

there's been a real buzz
around this building.

That'll probably be the
quarter of a million honeybees

who call it home.

Vancouver, British Columbia

sits over a series of islands
on the edge of the Pacific.

Since the millennium,

the city has been
restoring this coastline

and bringing back
its biodiversity.

So, how do you build a huge
new waterfront convention center

that will have a positive
impact on this landscape?

We have to feel responsible
for what happens on this site.

It's gonna impact
the whole waterfront.

[Jay] The answer is
this extraordinary,

eco-friendly structure
that straddles the shore

and the ocean.

Constructing anything on water

is way more difficult
than building on land.

[Jay] Creating
wildlife-friendly areas

below the waterline
and above it.

[Corina]
Six acres of living landscape.

Just imagine how much weight
that's adding to the roof.

[Jay] All wrapped up
in a spectacular, asymmetrical,

1.2 million-square-foot
building.

There isn't really
a precedent in Canada

for a building,
a structure of this size.

[Jay] This is Vancouver
Convention Centre West.

So, how did they build it?

[music]

[Jay] It's the early 2000s.

LMN Architects
have been given the job

of designing a new
convention center for Vancouver

over three times
the size of its predecessor.

This is one of
the biggest projects

we've ever designed.

We have to push the envelope.

[Jay] An 11-acre waterfront
site is chosen by the city.

But the plot isn't
big enough for what they need.

We were wanting
to keep it intimate,

but we needed
the square footage as well.

So we needed to build
at least 40% of it over water.

[Jay] As if that
wasn't challenging enough,

the city also wants the team

to rejuvenate
this part of the coast.

Known as Coal Harbour,
it's a former industrial site

which has undergone
gradual redevelopment.

This site was
the last remaining piece

of the downtown waterfront
that had not been restored.

[music]

[Jay] The team needs to
create an epic new building

for the city

that will leave this
part of the shoreline

in a better state
than they found it.

First, they'll have to find
a way to fit a building

bigger than the plot
onto the waterfront site.

This will mean
building out into the bay

on a specially designed platform

which is strong enough
to support the building.

They'll need to figure out
how to squeeze

a massive event space
and enough parking

into the striking structure

with its views across the water.

But what will make
this building really special

will be the way
it helps the local environment.

Under the waterline,
they need to design and build

a pioneering habitat

to encourage
local wildlife to return.

And the whole center will
need to support a green roof

the size of six American
football fields.

[music]

[Jay] It's 2003.
Design work is underway,

and the first curveball comes

when Vancouver
is chosen to host

the 2010 Winter Olympics.

There was a decision
that the convention center

should serve the Olympics
as the press center.

[Jay] The building will
play host to reporters

from over 80 countries.

It's an honor,

but it sets off
a seven-year ticking clock.

So that may seem
like a long time,

but in building development,
that's a pretty short order.

[music]

[Jay] Time is of the essence.

So before they even finish
designing the building,

they start constructing
a solid base

called a marine deck.

The typical foundation
for marine decks

like the one used here

includes driving piles
into the seabed

and topping them with pile caps.

These are large concrete blocks
that evenly distribute the load,

creating a foundation
stable enough for construction.

[Jay] For this building,
they will need

a 1000-foot-long deck.

That means driving 900 piles
200 feet down

until they reach the bedrock.

With the Olympics approaching,

maintaining the necessary pace
requires military efficiency.

The marine deck was built
from the east towards the west

and was in a kind of
assembly line-type process,

where pile driving
was started in one end,

and then was--
pile caps were started

while the pile driving
was moving further west.

[Jay] With the piles in,

the concrete deck
takes shape on top.

It's a huge job,

but after two years,
20,000 tons of steel,

and 34,000 cubic yards
of concrete,

finally they have a base
for a new conference center.

[music]

[Jay] The next challenge
is to engineer the structure.

The architects want
big, open spaces inside

and huge sloping glass windows
on the outside,

and an enormous
green roof on top.

Coming up with a structure
that's strong enough

to achieve all of this

is extremely complicated
to get right.

You don't really see
the complexity of it

until you see it
in 3D and 3D modeling.

Nothing comes together square.

Everything's got an angle,
a two-directional angle, slopes.

[music]

[Jay] The team
opts for a steel frame,

which will handle
these challenges

better than concrete.

Steel is the perfect material
for spanning large areas.

It's strong. It's durable.

It's relatively light
compared to concrete

and doesn't need
nearly as much maintenance.

[Jay] But in engineering terms,

what is considered light
is relative.

Some of the pieces
of structural steel

weigh 730 pounds per foot.

[Robert] These trusses would be
delivered to the project site

on very large trucks

and then have to be
hoisted into place

with very large cranes
on the marine deck.

So the marine deck
had to include capacity

for these large cranes

to be able to literally
build the building on top of it.

[Jay] The next challenge
the engineers face

is making sure the building
will be strong enough.

Vancouver is a high seismic zone

with large earthquakes
that happen

every 300 to 500 years.

And the next
big earthquake is expected

in the next hundred years.

[Jay] To ensure
the conference center

is prepared for the threat,

the team designs
and fits seismic braces.

These huge springs act like
shock absorbers on a car

if the building gets hit.

As it sways one way or another,

it's getting a little bit
of help out of this spring,

increasing or decreasing in load

as the building
sways one way or another.

[Jay] It's a great solution

that will allow the team
to finish the huge frame

by June 2007,

two and a half years
away from the Olympics.

But before that,

the team has to work out
a way of making the building

a safe habitat for
an endangered local fish.

One of the really fundamental
things that's important

in this region
is the salmon migration.

And the baby salmon
will swim along the shore.

They want to be in shallow water

so that they can
avoid predators.

[Jay] The team has a bold idea.

To help stem the rapid decline
in the population,

they want to create shelter
for migrating young salmon

and other species
in the underwater parts

of the building.

The daunting task
of designing it

falls to new project
engineer Daniel Leonard.

[Daniel] I had just
graduated from university.

And they came to me,
uh, on my first week

and said that they had
this really challenging aspect

of the project that
they wanted me to lead.

[Jay] The problem is
there's no blueprint

for a structure like this.

You're basically told,
"Please do something

"that's never been done before

"in the shortest
amount of time possible,

and do it on time
and on budget."

[music]

[Jay] In Vancouver,

the team behind a new
waterfront conference center

is racing to
finishing it in time

for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

First, though,
they need to work out

how to create
an environment around it

that will protect the endangered
local sockeye salmon.

Their solution is
to create a series of

precast concrete benches

that will mimic
the natural shoreline,

periodically exposed
and covered up by the tide,

with plenty of hiding places
for ocean plants and animals.

[Daniel] The benches
were built with ridges

and also tidal pools in them

to provide the maximum
amount of habitat

for the surface area
that was provided.

The materials were chosen

to replicate
that shoreline as well.

Exposed aggregate concrete
to allow marine growth

to attach to
the exposed aggregate.

[Jay] Because these benches
will hang off the building

and below the high tide line,

there's no way that they
can cast the concrete in place.

All of the leg units
and the plank units

were built at a, uh,
precast concrete factory

on Vancouver Island,
and then they were barged over.

And then a massive
300-ton-capacity crane

was used to pick up the legs

and to swing them in place

and to clip them onto
the inside of the foundation.

And all of the legs,
all 76 of them,

were installed in four days.

[Jay] Scientists
will carefully monitor

the impact of the structure on
the sockeye salmon population.

For now, though,

with the Olympic deadline
fast approaching,

the team turns
its attention to the roof.

[music]

[Jay] The ambition is
to transform all 6 acres of it

into the largest
green roof in Canada.

Vancouver is actually
one of the leaders

in green roof development.

Uh, it has a long history.

Some of the earliest green roofs

are just in
this neighborhood here.

[Jay] Green roofs
look beautiful,

cool buildings,
attract wildlife.

But creating one this
large is unprecedented.

[Reece] To attempt
a green roof on this scale

was a huge, huge undertaking
and huge risk.

[Jay] The first
problem is making sure

the roof isn't too heavy.

[Corina] Six acres
of living landscape.

Just imagine how much weight
that's adding to the roof.

[Jay] The engineers
calculate that the structure

can take up to 6 inches
of compacted soil.

More than that,

and there's a risk
it could collapse.

Work starts by adding
an even layer of gravel

topped with soil.

[Reece] We had
truckloads of gravel,

truckloads of soil.

That was all craned up.

And then we had
conveyor belts set up

to distribute the soil.

[Jay] To add to the challenge,

some sections of
the roof slope steeply.

So the team needs to
add special stabilization mats

with pockets to stop everything
from sliding downhill.

Then they are ready for
the mammoth planting job.

Six acres, 400,000 plants,
and 40,000 bulbs

involved in planting this space.

[Jay] All of the plants
are native to the area

in order to make sure they
thrive on the exposed roof.

And all of them must go
in the exact right spot.

[Hannah] There was
this kind of grid

that had the corresponding
colored tags.

So let's say, you know,
the native strawberries

were gonna be in
the pot with the blue tag

and the asters are gonna be
in the pot with the yellow tag.

[Jay] With the Olympics
less than a year away,

800 people are needed
for the final push

to finish the building's
crowning glory--

the steeply sloping roof.

At times it was tough
when we were working up here.

The biggest challenge
creating this space

was the safety element.

It was very cumbersome
and, uh, uncomfortable

to be attached to a lifeline.

But it was absolutely necessary
to work along the perimeter,

which is about 50 feet
from the leading edge.

[Jay] It takes months
of backbreaking work

to complete the job.

[Hannah] You are continually
bending over to plant.

You had to move
at a decent pace.

It was tough, but it was fun.

[music]

[Jay] In 2010,

Vancouver Conference Centre West

is revealed to
the world's press.

The opening day
of the 2010 Olympics

was such an exciting day.

We were lucky to welcome people
from all over the world.

[Jay] The 1.2
million-square-foot center

has the largest
ballroom in Canada,

and the main hall
can hold 15,000 people.

But it's not just human
visitors it appeals to.

[Daniel] The habitat
structure has

a lot of marine life
growing on it.

And that marine life
actually grew much faster

than anybody anticipated
within months of construction.

And it's continued on
over the past 14 years.

[Jay] The roof
has also flourished

and is attracting pollinators.

And, irrigated by
recycled wastewater,

it's helped to make the center

one of North America's
greenest buildings.

[Craig] The building
is currently related as

a EE Platinum.

And that is the highest standard
of sustainability rating

you can get as
a building like this.

[Mark] It's an
emotional experience,

to see a building
that is occupied by fish

and by bees
and by birds and by plants

and by humans.

Working on the Vancouver
Convention Centre,

it was a reminder of
how deeply interconnected

everything in our world is.

[music]

When the beautiful
French city of Bordeaux

needed a new bridge
across the river Garonne,

they didn't want some
regular, boring bridge,

something that
just carried vehicles

from one side of
the river to the other.

Where's the fun in that?

No, they wanted
something different.

So different, in fact,

that when elevated to allow
tall ships to pass below,

it doesn't look much
like a bridge at all.

It looks more
like a work of art,

which it most definitely is.

[Jay] This is the magnificent

Jacques Chaban Delmas Bridge.

[music]

[Dr. Mabry] Watching it open,

you feel like you're in, like,
one of the Transformers movies.

[Jay] A mechanical marvel

that can lift
eight lanes of roadway

160 feet.

It's like it was alive, no?
This bridge.

[Jay] Built over
one of southwest France's

busiest rivers.

It was totally crazy, no?

[Jay] It required
gravity-defying engineering.

The bridge lifting span
by itself

weighs around 5 million pounds.

[Jay] It now stands as Europe's
tallest vertical lift bridge.

So, how did they build it?

[Jay] It's 2008,

and the beautiful,
historic city of Bordeaux

in southwest France is changing.

Historically,
development was concentrated

on the left bank
of the river Garonne.

But now, new neighborhoods are
springing up across the water.

As Bordeaux grows,

traffic is becoming
a bigger and bigger problem.

The city is one of
the most congested in France,

and its transport
infrastructure,

especially its bridges,

are at a breaking point.

[speaking French]

[Jay] The city
needs a new bridge.

But the ideal spot to build one

is over a part of
the river used by cruise ships

to access
the city's historic port.

The requirements
were to design a bridge

that could allow
tall ships to pass

and carry pedestrians and cars
and a tram in the future.

[Jay] They can't
just build a high bridge

because it needs to connect
to the existing roads

on the riverbank.

So, they settle on
what's known as

a vertical lifting bridge.

A vertical
lifting bridge is when

the whole central span
lifts straight up into the air.

The problem is
that it usually takes

a whole lot of clunky
mechanical gear

in order to make it possible.

So they're like
the ugly ducklings

of the bridge world.

[Jay] While a vertical
lifting bridge

might be what the city needs,

an ugly duckling is
the last thing it wants.

[Cecilia]
The town of Bordeaux,

it is a 18th century
historical town

with a harmony and a skyline.

Super beautiful.

And the bridge
will be the middle,

so the project
must be in harmony.

[Jay] The specialist
bridge architects

take inspiration
from the steeples

of Bordeaux's
many ancient churches.

[Cecilia]
It was the adrenaline moment

to find
the design of the pylons.

It was so...exciting.
[laughs]

[music]

[Jay] The design combines
beauty and practicality.

But building it won't be easy.

Working on the busy river,

they'll need to create
foundations in the water

and find a way
to protect it from being hit

by passing ships

before constructing
four elegant,

250-foot-tall pylons.

The massive road deck will have
to be brought in in sections

and carefully positioned.

Then, they'll need
a lifting system

that's small enough to be
hidden inside the towers,

but powerful enough to lift

the huge
2750-ton central section,

which will carry
eight lanes of traffic,

as well as pedestrians
and cyclists.

It will be a mammoth test
for the whole team.

[speaking French]

I was a little bit,
uh, afraid, too.

Uh...[laughs]

It was stretch for me.

[Jay] It's October 2009.

Construction begins,

and immediately
the team is faced with

its first challenge--

creating underwater
concrete foundations

that will be
strong enough to hold up

four 250-foot-tall
concrete pylons.

Building the foundations
of a bridge over deep water

is always challenging.

[Jay] Because
the river's busy here,

it's even more complicated.

Rather than create
the foundations on site,

they plan to prefabricate
six concrete foundation boxes

in a dry dock up the river.

Then they'll float
them into position

and secure them to piles
sunk into the riverbed.

The two largest boxes will
become the bridge foundations.

The four smaller ones are
there to protect the structure

from potential ship impacts.

In 2010, 3 miles
from the bridge site,

the team starts to
work on the boxes.

Each will be made using between
3000 to 6000 tons of concrete

reinforced with steel.

And they're working
against the clock.

[speaking French]

[Jay] After five months,

the first foundation
boxes are ready.

The dry dock is flooded,

and then they set out
along the Garonne.

It's a tense moment
for the team.

[speaking French]

[Jay] To keep the boxes steady,

each needs
two tugs pulling it.

Navigating
the carefully planned route,

avoiding sandbanks
and the most dangerous currents,

takes four days and nights,

with the team working in shifts.

[music]

[Jay] Now the box can be
carefully slotted into place

and flooded with water
to sink it to the waterbed.

Then, the water
is replaced with concrete

to make it permanent.

[speaking French]

[Jay] Over the next few weeks,

the rest of the boxes follow,

and the team begins work on the
four reinforced concrete pylons.

[music]

[Jay] Next, though, is possibly
the team's greatest challenge--

creating the road that
will run between them.

The crossing will be made
of smaller fixed sections

on each side acting as ramps

and a massive middle
section 380 feet long

that will rise and lower.

So 120 meters long,
30 meters wide,

uh, 2500 tons of steel,

and, uh, and in one piece,
so it was crazy.

[Jay] What makes
things even trickier

is that the only company that
can make these massive slabs

is based in Venice, Italy.

These sections are so big

that they can't be
brought by road.

They have to be floated to site.

[Jay] Only, this journey
is a 3000-mile trip

across the Mediterranean Sea

and into the Atlantic Ocean,

and it's not easy sailing.

[speaking French]

[Jay] But, after
three tense weeks at sea,

the decks finally
arrive on site,

ready to be fitted.

That's if the team
can find an opening

in the river's hectic schedule.

The Garonne is a
very busy river.

It was not permissible
to block the channel

for long periods of time.

[music]

[Jay] The team needs to lift
this 2500-ton slab into position

as quickly as possible.

It's too heavy for a crane,

so, once again, they turn
to the river for help.

On a high tide,
the barge will float the spans

above their final position.

Winches will take them
through 90 degrees

to line up with
the fixing points.

Then, wait for the tide to fall
and lock them back in place.

But the tides
have to be just right.

[music]

[Jay] In Bordeaux,

the team building
a vertical lifting bridge

over the river Garonne

is relying on the tides
to help them position

the enormous central span.

It's a clear morning
in the summer of 2012.

The tides are set to be perfect.

And the city is watching.

A lot of people in Bordeaux
was here to see this moment.

[Jay]
The high tide helps to float

the 380-foot-long
central span into position.

It must be inched into place
with pinpoint accuracy.

As the tide falls again,

the central piece locks
onto the pylons perfectly.

It was a fantastic moment.

[music]

[Jay] Now the team
faces its final challenge--

making sure this
huge central span

can be lifted
effortlessly into the air.

The lifting span by itself
weighs about 5 million pounds.

In order to raise that,

that's an incredible
amount of energy.

[Jay] As if that
wasn't tough enough,

the lifting system
needs to fit into

the bridge's elegant,
narrow pylons.

The secret to
this phenomenal deadlift

is counterweights.

[Dr. Mabry] Counterweights
are an engineer's ace card.

By balancing the weight
of what you're lifting

with something almost as heavy
moving in opposition to it,

you can minimize
the lifting force needed.

[Jay] The team calculates
that in each tower,

they need
a 660-ton counterweight,

supported by
four massive pulley wheels

with super-reinforced cables.

We were able to create a very,
very long, thin counterweight,

which is, uh, not typical
in a vertical lift bridge.

[Jay] If they've
got the balancing act right,

they'll only need
four modest engines

to lift the enormous bridge.

Those motors are actually
only 150 horsepower

due to the balance
that we were able to achieve,

which greatly reduces
the power consumption.

[Jay] Good for the
city's energy bill

and good for the planet.

You can move the bridge
with one hand, huh.

You know, it's, uh, it's crazy.

[Jay] March 17, 2013,

and the bridge
is finally finished.

After 10 years of planning,
design, and construction,

it's time for
the people of Bordeaux

to test their new bridge.

[speaking French]

[music]

The bridge opened flawlessly.

The French military sailboat
came through the bridge,

a beautiful image.

[Thomas]
The first time I see it go up,

I remember that, uh,
there was no noise, nothing.

It's beautiful, yeah.

[Jay] The bridge,
combined with a new tram system,

has helped ease traffic

in what was one of France's
most congested cities.

And it continues to perform
staggering feats of strength

with faultless elegance.

We cannot build
anything better than this...

than this...than
this bridge here.

[Paul] We did something
great together.

Wow, we did it.

[music]

[music]

Think you know
what a school looks like?

Well, visit Tokyo
and think again

because this
stunning tower houses

not one,
but three separate schools

and 10,000 students within
its super-strong cocoon design,

as well as
a retractable helipad.

Helicopters on
the run to school?

Wow.

Oh, and if you're wondering

just how strong
super strong is,

in 2011, the tower was caught
in a magnitude 9.1 earthquake.

Structural damage?

Zero.

[music]

[Jay] Introducing Mode Gakuyen,

or the Cocoon,
as it's affectionately known.

This building really
just looks beautiful.

[Jay] One of the tallest
colleges in the world,

it's as clever
as it is stunning.

This building has
a retractable roof

that helicopters
can also land on.

Did you have that
at your university?

'Cause I didn't.

[Jay] With a design that
was breathtakingly ambitious...

[speaking Japanese]

[Masato]
When I first saw the design,

I thought it was
a good challenge.

[Jay] ...it would take every
ounce of ingenuity and effort

to finish it.

Making a structure
as complex as this

is exhausting.

[Jay] Yet the final result

would transform
the Tokyo skyline

with a skyscraper
unlike any other,

loved by those who use it.

This building is
a very iconic place

and I really love to study here.

[Jay] So, how did they build it?

[music]

[Jay] At the end
of the 20th century,

Japan was languishing
in a recession.

But by the mid 2000s,

there are signs of
a burgeoning recovery.

Investment is up,

and people are beginning to
feel positive about the future.

So, the Japan
Educational Foundation

decides now is
the perfect time to expand.

[speaking Japanese]

[Jay] In one of the world's most
densely populated countries,

finding space to build is tough.

The plot they found
is less than an acre,

and on it, they've gotta
fit three new colleges.

The lands were not as big
as we would like to be.

[Dr. Agbedor]
Space for development in Japan

is premium.

If you wanna build
anything here,

you have to be
an incredible problem solver.

[Jay] The man tasked with
finding the solution

is architect Paul Tange.

Of course there is
a functional requirement.

But they wanted to see something

that they have
never seen before.

We finally came up with
the idea of cocoon.

[Jay] The inspiration
for the cocoon design

comes from the students
that will study here.

We nourish them, cherish them,

give them everything
we have, knowledge,

and eventually they will
come to beautiful butterfly

and then fly off to the world.

[Jay] Constructing a building
that looks like a cocoon

will demand ingenious design
and creative engineering.

First, it's gonna be
a very big building

in a earthquake zone,

so its foundations
need to be super strong.

Then, they will have to work out
how to squeeze 10,000 students

into one building on
a site that isn't big enough.

Next, they'll wanna
construct a curtain wall

from huge glass panels,

somehow using them to create
the natural look of a cocoon.

Finally, they'll have
to work out how to land

an emergency helicopter on
a building with a curved top.

The design Tange and the team
come up with is incredible,

but there's a huge problem.

[Dr. Agbedor] They've got
a beautiful design,

something that
makes a skyscraper

look like a work of art.

But they can't build it.

Japanese building regulations

won't allow them
to build something

the size that they need.

[Jay] In Japan,
there are tight restrictions

on how large
you can build skyscrapers

to stop them from
blocking sunlight and air flow.

But fitting in 10,000 students

means they need to
exceed the restrictions

in a big way.

It's almost more than 30%,

which is quite a lot to achieve.

[Jay] After lengthy discussions,

the architects manage
to persuade the government

that this area of Tokyo needs
more young, talented people,

and they get the go-ahead.

In May 2006,
construction begins,

and with it comes
the first major challenge.

Much of Tokyo is built
on clay, silt, and sand,

which is too soft
to support an enormous building

like the cocoon.

We knew that the soil
under the foundation

was not strong enough

to support the weight
of the tall building.

[Jay] The first
thing they have to do

is dig down to
find solid ground.

We used piling,

so that piles
were reached deeper soil,

which is stronger.

Then the stronger
soil can support

the weight of the building

so that the building
doesn't sink.

[Jay] Once they have
created the 36 piles,

they lay
a huge slab across the top

to bond them all together.

The concrete slab,
it transfers

the weight of the building

to the soil directly.

[Jay] In July 2006,

they finally have
a solid foundation

to build
the 668-foot-tall building.

Now they can start on the tower.

With the small plot size,
it will start narrow,

allowing
light down to the street,

and then bulge in the middle
to allow for more floor space.

But the curving shape
makes it complicated to build,

especially in a country that's
known for huge earthquakes.

Curved structures
are at great risk

of twisting during
an earthquake.

That's called torsional forces.

So you've gotta make sure

that your
beautifully designed building

doesn't essentially
rip itself apart.

[music]

[Jay] In Tokyo,
the team building

a curving,
cocoon-shaped skyscraper

needs to make it strong enough
to withstand earthquakes.

They decide to wrap the tower
in a strong steel exoskeleton

made from triangles.

Known as a diagrid,
this will resist any tremors.

Triangular frame
is much stronger than

rectangular frame,

because triangle is
very difficult to deflect

compared to the rectangle.

Covering the building with
triangular, or diagrid, frame

was advantageous
against the lateral force.

[Corina] It's like a web of
triangles all joined together.

And as they push up
against each other,

they support one another.

[Jay] The steel diagrid frame

is then tied into a
central concrete and steel core

to make the building
even stronger.

The inner frame is mainly
against the gravity laws

and the external frame

is mainly against
the lateral forces.

[Jay] In February 2008,

they now have a building
that is strong enough.

The next challenge
is creating the curtain wall

from approximately
3600 glass panels.

Because the panels are big,
an entire story high,

it will be difficult to
transport the complete panels

through the congested,
narrow streets of Tokyo.

It was decided to
assemble on site

rather than transporting
the completed panel

from the factory.

[Jay] With such a small plot

already jam packed
with construction activity,

the problem now is
where to put them together.

Ingeniously, they turn to
the empty elevator shaft area.

The next challenge
is working out

how to make the manmade
glass exterior of the building

look like a natural cocoon.

Nature does complex things
seemingly easily.

And when humans
try to replicate it,

then they realize
just how difficult

it actually is.

[Jay] Their clever solution
is to decorate the curtain wall

with an organic pattern.

The irregular patterns
within each curtain wall

creates this amazing
optical illusion

that you're looking
at a woven cocoon.

[Jay] First,
they add strips of aluminum

mirroring the diagrid
steels behind.

From outside,
it looks like the same

as the cross-bracing pattern.

[Jay] Then, they add
dotted lines to the glass,

which will come together
to form a randomized pattern

resembling woven threads
crisscrossing the building.

[Paul] We have to do it
with a computer to make sure

as much as repetitive patterns,

but create the better,
uh, irregular looks to it.

So that was a,
a challenging part.

[music]

[Jay] It's also challenging
getting them up the building.

[Paul] If there's a windy day,

it's difficult
to bring up the pieces.

It's very dangerous,
for that matter.

[Jay] The panels might shatter,

raining glass on people below.

Again, the elevator shaft
comes to the rescue.

They realize they can use it
to crane the panels to the top,

protected from the wind.

Each shaft is wind free,
which is quite safer place.

[Jay] Now they can
just lower them

a short distance into place.

[music]

[Jay]
Creating the curtain wall

with its cocoon pattern.

[music]

[Jay] In March 2008,

there is one final
hurdle to overcome.

Every tall building in Japan

has to have a platform
for helicopters

in case of a fire.

The architect
wanted a cocoon shape.

They didn't like
to have a flat surface on top.

So, it is a new challenge.

[Jay] One for which
the team has a great solution.

If they can't build it
on the roof of the building,

then they will build
it inside the top.

We designed a retractable roof.

Back of the exoskeleton,

there is a platform
already installed.

Hovering space is supported by

three pairs of cross-braces.

The roof is opened
and closed manually

by hand control in emergency.

[Jay] Creating
a retracting platform

that feels more
James Bond than Tokyo college.

After two years
of creative construction

and problem-solving engineering,

in October 2008,

the spectacular Cocoon Tower
throws open its doors

to students attending Japan's
first vertical university.

[music]

The design of the cocoon
is very beautiful.

[Man] I personally
like the view.

Especially in the evening.

I can see the evening skyline.

[Woman] I like this
Cocoon Tower's looks 'cause

this tower is,
like, looks fashionable

and so iconic.

[Jay] It's as much art
as it is architecture,

adding something truly unique
to the built-up Tokyo skyline--

an extraordinary cocoon shape

that is worthy of all
the challenges the team faced.

[Dr. Mabry] Projects
that are this elaborate,

this complicated,

are rare.

That's what makes them exciting.

[music]

[music]

♪ MTV ♪