How Did They Build That?
Smithsonian Channel Running
Across the globe, radical architects, ingenious engineers, and skilled builders are creating structures so outrageous, they defy logic...and often even gravity. From a Manhattan skyscraper that looks like a Jenga tower to a Singapore glass dome big enough to house a mountain to a high rise in Italy with a built-in forest, we examine the world's most extraordinary buildings, bridges, and lifts, reveal their design secrets, and discover the incredible stories of their construction as we try to answer the question: How Did They Build That?
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Smithsonian Channel
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Seasons & Episodes
Season 1
8 episodes
E01
Cantilevers & Lifts
Mon, Jan 4 2021 2:00 AM GMT+0000
60 min
A Manhattan skyscraper designed to appear as if gust of wind could topple it over. A Paris museum described as an engineer's "jigsaw puzzle from hell," with 3,500 individually designed glass panels. And a cliffside elevator in Zhangjiajie so remotely located, it had to be built entirely by hand. Join us as we travel the globe to witness astonishing structures that pushed architecture and the laws of physics to the edge. Then meet the brilliant minds who designed and built these wonders and discover the stories behind their construction.
E02
Towers & Roofs
Mon, Jan 11 2021 2:00 AM GMT+0000
60 min
A bent Manhattan building that actually caused panic in the streets. A cultural center in Athens that features a massive floating roof in an earthquake zone. A university complex in stifling Singapore that was built without air conditioning. In this episode, we examine the American Copper Building, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre, and "The Hive" at Nanyang Technical University, meeting the brilliant minds who designed and built them, and revealing their engineering secrets.
E03
Biomes & Rebuilds
Mon, Jan 18 2021 2:00 AM GMT+0000
60 min
How did engineers design a glass dome big enough to house a mountain? How did builders tear apart and reconstruct a London railway station without disrupting service? And how did legendary architect Frank Gehry make a big impression in Vegas, not with a casino but with a jaw-dropping hospital? Witness modern design at its most daring and ingenious as we visit Singapore's Gardens by the Bay, the London Bridge station, and the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and reveal the stories and engineering secrets behind their construction.
E04
Viaducts & Hotels
Mon, Jan 25 2021 2:00 AM GMT+0000
60 min
How did engineering innovation allow for a bridge to stand 1,000 feet above the river it crosses? How did engineers flip the rule book upside down to build a hotel nestled into a 300-foot-deep abandoned quarry? And what happens when you attempt to build a forest in the sky in the middle of a city? Join us as we visit the Millau Viaduct in France, the Wonderland Hotel near Shanghai, and the Bosco Verticale in Milan and reveal the incredible stories and brilliant minds behind these remarkable structures.
E05
Supertalls & Firehouses
Mon, Feb 1 2021 2:00 AM GMT+0000
60 min
What happened when one of the world's most radical architects tried to reinvent a 100-year-old fire station in Rotterdam's port area? How on Earth does an ultra-slim skyscraper, 88 stories high and just 30 yards across, stay standing up in windy Manhattan? And how did designers create a building that rises up out of Scotland's River Tay. Join us as we examine the feats of engineering that led to the truly out-of-this-world Port House, the gravity-defying 432 Park Avenue, and the revolutionary V&A Dundee museum.
E06
Arches & Opera Houses
Mon, Feb 15 2021 2:00 AM GMT+0000
60 min
How did Dutch engineers build a massive new horseshoe-shaped complex full of apartments on top of a swamp? How did the simple inspiration for a Chinese opera house lead to one of the most advanced buildings in the world? And how did a 180-year-old British structure find its place in the modern world? Meet the visionary designers and brilliant engineers behind the Rotterdam's Markthal, the Guangzhou Opera House, and the Great Court of the British Museum, and discover the behind-the-scenes stories of how they were built.
E07
Sky Gardens & Seismic Stations
Mon, Feb 22 2021 2:00 AM GMT+0000
60 min
Across the globe, visionary architects and brilliant engineers are often asked to defy the odds--and sometimes gravity itself--in order to build something spectacular. This episode, we visit Singapore's Pinnacle@Duxton, featuring the world's longest sky gardens. Then we hit the beaches of Brighton to see how the 450-foot, ultra-slender i360 viewing tower survives the coastal winds. Finally, we head to Naples where a stunning new rail hub, the Napoli Afragola station, was built in the shadow of Vesuvius and in an earthquake zone.
E08
Arctic Modules & Auditoria
Mon, Mar 1 2021 2:00 AM GMT+0000
60 min
Every construction job comes with obstacles...but some are much bigger than others. In this episode, we travel to the world's most extreme climate to see how engineers built the British Antarctic Survey, a research station that can move locations when danger strikes. Then we visit the Auditorio de Tenerife in the Canary Islands, with an exterior so revolutionary, a new machine had to be custom built to make it. Finally, we head to Scotland's Falkirk Wheel, a rotating boat lift that connects two canals with massive height differences.
Season 2
10 episodes
E01
Riverparks & Artworks
Mon, Jul 11 2022 12:00 AM GMT+0000
60 min
Visiting the Hearst Tower in New York City, a 56,000-square-foot private museum named the Audain Museum in Vancouver, and Library Learning Centre in Vienna to learn about how they were built.
E02
Swamps & Swagger
Mon, Jul 18 2022 12:00 AM GMT+0000
60 min
Engineers explain the constructions of architect Santiago Calatrava's university building in Florida, architect Frank Gehry's museum in Spain, and cultural center The Shed in New York City.
E03
Retrofits & Airport Glitz
Mon, Jul 25 2022 12:00 AM GMT+0000
60 min
Visiting the Hearst Tower in Manhattan and Jewel Changi Airport in Singapore to understand how they were built; covering how designers and engineers attempt to create a museum worthy of Salvador Dali in Florida.
E04
Elevated & Elegant
Mon, Aug 1 2022 12:00 AM GMT+0000
60 min
Travelling from Canada to Belgium to the Southern U.S. to examine an eye-popping school, museum, and railway station as well as revealing how they were all built.
E05
Skywalks & Suspensions
Mon, Aug 8 2022 12:00 AM GMT+0000
60 min
Uncovering the design and engineering secrets behind the Grand Canyon Skywalk, the award-winning Audain Museum located in Whistler, British Columbia, and more.
E06
Upside Down & Under Sea
Mon, Aug 15 2022 12:00 AM GMT+0000
60 min
Visiting the Vancouver House, Norway's Under restaurant, and the 11-story glass and steel Seattle Central Library in order to discover how these particular visionary buildings were created.
E07
Steep & Stunning
Mon, Aug 22 2022 12:00 AM GMT+0000
60 min
Travelling the globe to learn the engineering secrets behind various designs, such as the world's steepest mountain railway, a remodelled 145-year-old museum, and a futuristic condo.
E08
Breakthroughs & Bridges
Mon, Aug 29 2022 12:00 AM GMT+0000
60 min
Visiting London's Gherkin, Seattle's Evergreen Point Floating Bridge, and Lyon's Musée des Confluences to uncover how and why they were built.
E09
Mirrors & Marble
Mon, Sep 5 2022 12:00 AM GMT+0000
60 min
Visiting Australia's One Central Park, the Oslo Opera House, and the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco to reveal their architectural secrets.
E10
Radical & Resplendant
Mon, Sep 5 2022 1:00 AM GMT+0000
60 min
A look at the design and engineering stories behind D.C.'s Museum of African American History, the Montreal Tower which is the tallest inclined structure in the world, and the Equinor building in Oslo.
Season 3
10 episodes
E01
Fantastic & Futuristic
Mon, Aug 19 2024 1:00 AM GMT+0000
60 min
A sculptural new transportation hub for New York's World Trade Center is beset by challenges. Amsterdam gains a striking building inspired by a mountain valley. And a new launchpad for space travel prepares for liftoff in the New Mexico desert.
E02
Jungles & Bricks
Mon, Aug 26 2024 1:00 AM GMT+0000
60 min
A gravity defying university building in Sydney Australia is clad in 320,000 bricks. Â Engineers grapple with making an angular arts center tornado proof in Oklahoma. Â And a plant-filled office building made out of three giant spheres takes shape in Seattle.
E03
Canyons & Curves
Mon, Sep 2 2024 1:00 AM GMT+0000
60 min
E04
Parking & Sparkling
Mon, Sep 9 2024 1:00 AM GMT+0000
60 min
E05
Heights & Balance
Mon, Sep 16 2024 1:00 AM GMT+0000
60 min
E06
Tricks & Trains
Mon, Sep 23 2024 1:00 AM GMT+0000
60 min
E07
Floating & Lifting
Mon, Sep 30 2024 1:00 AM GMT+0000
60 min
E08
Subways & Sightlines
Mon, Oct 7 2024 1:00 AM GMT+0000
60 min
E09
Curved & Cables
Mon, Oct 14 2024 1:00 AM GMT+0000
60 min
E10
Boxes & Birds
Mon, Oct 21 2024 1:00 AM GMT+0000
60 min
Season 4
10 episodes
E01
Space Stations & Super Inventions
Mon, Jul 28 2025 1:00 AM GMT+0000
60 min
E02
Medals & Marinas
Mon, Aug 4 2025 1:00 AM GMT+0000
60 min
E03
Speedcore & Steambend
Mon, Aug 11 2025 1:00 AM GMT+0000
60 min
E04
High Waters & Harsh Winds
Mon, Aug 18 2025 1:00 AM GMT+0000
60 min
E05
Ecobuilds & Earthquakes
Mon, Aug 25 2025 1:00 AM GMT+0000
60 min
E06
Shipyards & Slender Builds
Mon, Sep 8 2025 1:00 AM GMT+0000
60 min
E07
Summit & Submerge
Mon, Sep 15 2025 1:00 AM GMT+0000
60 min
E08
Facelifts & Scaffolds
Mon, Sep 22 2025 1:00 AM GMT+0000
60 min
E09
Super Stadiums & Extraordinary Elevators
Mon, Sep 29 2025 1:00 AM GMT+0000
60 min
E10
Floating Parks & Upcycled Towers
Mon, Oct 6 2025 1:00 AM GMT+0000
60 min