Summary: One of the strongest buildings on the planet, Torre Mayor is constructed to withstand seismic movement that would obliterate the average skyscraper. Built in the wake of Mexico City's devastating 1985 earthquake, the tower is both a monument to engineering and a haven of safety in one of the world's most active seismic zones. This program focuses on the brilliant safety solutions behind Torre...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008
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Summary: Once a trendy haven for beach bums, Surfers Paradise is fast becoming the Miami of the southern hemisphere, thanks to developers aiming to make it a resort for the rich and famous. Surfers' skyline is changing too, with the massive Q1 Tower now dominating the landscape. This program looks at the imposing structure from more than one angle, studying its extraordinary design elements while...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008
View online at AVOD
Summary: As globally recognized landmarks go, the Sydney Opera House is tough to beat. But the city of Melbourne has impressive features of its own. This program looks at the high life while going down under-exploring Melbourne's 300-meter Eureka Tower, the tallest residential building in the world and the most exclusive address in the southern hemisphere. Featuring interviews with architect Nonda...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008
View online at AVOD
Summary: In 1991, One Canada Square, the UK's tallest skyscraper, changed the London skyline. But the Cesar Pelli-designed icon did not rise up in the heart of the British capital. As this program describes, the developers undertook a billion-dollar gamble by creating an international financial center, symbolized by this obelisk-shaped tower, in the city's East End docklands. Viewers will learn about...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008
View online at AVOD
Summary: No setting is more important in the history of office tower design than the famous skyline of Manhattan. After the 9/11 attacks scarred the cityscape, architects began to rethink the priorities involved in dramatically vertical building design. This episode profiles 7 World Trade Center, the first building to be constructed on Ground Zero. Viewers will encounter the structure's surprising...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008
View online at AVOD
Summary: Any serious study of the modern skyscraper must acknowledge its precursor-the Gothic cathedral. This program examines the design, construction, and history of Cologne Cathedral-which, for a grand total of four years, was the tallest building in the world. Dr. Barbara Schock-Werner, the cathedral's resident chief architect, describes political and cultural conditions during Cologne's initial...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008
View online at AVOD
Summary: The traditional skyscraper is an environmentally unsound, energy-guzzling monster. But in 1997, celebrated British architect Norman Foster created a contradiction in terms: the world's first ecologically sensitive skyscraper. As a result, the Commerzbank Tower in Frankfurt changed the construction of giant corporate buildings forever. This episode features a walking tour of the building and an...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008
View online at AVOD
Summary: What happens when a city loses its trademark industry and the trademark architectural icon that goes with it? That was the problem facing the Swedish shipbuilding city of Malmo when the Kockums Crane was dismantled in 2002. This program illustrates the city's radical solution-a dramatic reinvention of its skyline and its socioeconomic image with the Turning Torso apartment building. Viewers...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008
View online at AVOD
Summary: It is an increasingly common scenario: a developer wants to build a tower in a depressed urban area, and must fill half the building before permits are issued. What's the ace in the hole? A superstar architect who brings media attention to the project. This program recounts such a story, in which Petronas Towers and Canary Wharf creator Cesar Pelli waved his magic design wand over the Cira...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008
View online at AVOD
Summary: For 25 years it was the tallest building in the world, and it still holds that title in the United States. However, when the
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008