Summary: This video investigates three buildings whose appearances suggest that they are about to topple over at any moment: the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Torres Puerta de Europa in Madrid, and the Torre de Collserola in Barcelona.
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
View online at AVOD
Summary: This video celebrates 2,000 years of engineering achievement in Europe by looking at the two most fundamental building materials of the Modern Age, iron and steel. Two of Gustave Eiffel's greatest achievements, and one of the finest works in steel and glass in Paris, are featured.
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Leisure activities are as fundamental to society as work or rest. This video looks at the challenges of building arenas for popular entertainment. Venues for pastimes from different ages are represented: a Roman amphitheater, a Victorian glasshouse, and a modern stadium.
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008
View online at AVOD
Summary: The cantilever is one of the most basic structural forms. This video explains the cantilever principle as it's applied in northeastern England and then marvels at the great Victorian achievement of the Forth Rail Bridge before seeing how the cantilever has been developed into new and exciting forms in Seville, Spain.
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: The sea has always posed a challenge to the expansion of human civilization. This video looks at three structures that all have to deal with the threat of the sea: a lighthouse, flood gates, and an oil rig.
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
View online at AVOD
Summary: Though many people think concrete is a modern material, it is almost as old as architecture itself. This video journeys through time to see concrete's early use in Italy, the rise of reinforced concrete, and a daring and beautiful modern masterpiece in France.
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: As a structure, the dome is considered a thing of great beauty and is often believed to have mystical properties. But domes are also supremely functional and ideal for sheltering congregations of all sizes. This video visits a variety of domes in Italy, France, and the U.K.
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
View online at AVOD
Summary: This video examines how the need to protect communities from external threats over the centuries has given the engineer a crucial role on which lives depend. Viewers will travel from a medieval castle in Scotland to a citadel in southern France before looking at the modern defenses used to protect the population from the sea.
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
View online at AVOD
Summary: The arch is one of the most reliable and enduring of structural forms. In this video, 2,000 years of the arch's development are reflected in three stunning examples: rounded Roman arches in France, pointed and flat Gothic arches in Cologne, and modern arches in Hamburg.
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: The ability to tap the natural resources of the planet is crucial to our world, and a great challenge to an engineer. This video travels around Europe to show viewers a hydroelectric power station in the U.K., a wind turbine in Sweden, and a solar furnace in the Pyrenees.
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: From the earliest rope bridges in mountain gorges to the superlong sea crossings of today, the suspension bridge has been a consistently successful form. This video visits bridges in Britain, Denmark, and the Czech Republic to see how they work.
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Building upward has long been a means for people to show off their wealth or power. This video explores the ambitions and limitations of the engineers of skyscrapers. Visits to a medieval Manhattan in Italy, the first true European skyscraper, and Europe's tallest building, in Germany, are featured.
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
View online at AVOD
Summary: This video goes underground to explore how spaces can be created beneath our feet, and the many different ways such spaces can be put to use. A mine in the U.K., a Norwegian mountain hall, and the site of an underground railway station under construction in London are the featured destinations.
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007