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s05e04 · 2026-08-18
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How Did They Build That?
Smithsonian Channel Documentary Next s05e05 · 2026-08-25
What it is
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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s05e05 · 2026-08-25
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8 this season · 43 totals01e01 Cantilevers & Lifts 2021-01-04 02:00
Cantilevers & Lifts
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.
s01e02 Towers & Roofs 2021-01-11 02:00
Towers & Roofs
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.
s01e03 Biomes & Rebuilds 2021-01-18 02:00
Biomes & Rebuilds
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.
s01e04 Viaducts & Hotels 2021-01-25 02:00
Viaducts & Hotels
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.
s01e05 Supertalls & Firehouses 2021-02-01 02:00
Supertalls & Firehouses
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.
s01e06 Arches & Opera Houses 2021-02-15 02:00
Arches & Opera Houses
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.
s01e07 Sky Gardens & Seismic Stations 2021-02-22 02:00
Sky Gardens & Seismic Stations
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.
s01e08 Arctic Modules & Auditoria 2021-03-01 02:00
Arctic Modules & Auditoria
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.