TELEVISION

Building Big- Season 1

With David Macaulay

Series: Building Big
4.3
(27)
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Episodes
6
Rating
TVG
Year
2000
Language
English
Publisher
PBS

About

Bridges, domes, skyscrapers, dams, and tunnels take center stage on PBS with BUILDING BIG, a five-part miniseries on megastructures, hosted by renowned author-illustrator David Macaulay. BUILDING BIG explores the history behind some of the world's greatest feats of engineering and the ingenuity of the engineers, architects, and builders who designed and built them.

Related Subjects

Episodes

1 to 3 of 6

1. Bridges

1h

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What enables a simple arch bridge to support such great weight? What holds up a suspension bridge? Bridge the world with award-winning author-illustrator--and captivating storyteller--David Macaulay (The Way Things Work) and meet the brilliant designers who dared to extend roads and railways with ingenious but sometimes flawed designs.

2. Domes

1h

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How does a dome support itself? Ever since the Roman Emperor Hadrian topped his Pantheon with a dome, this roof-with-class has been the prestige building form. Big domes cover civilization's most revered structures, from great cathedrals to mosques to houses of government. Host David Macaulay uncovers the tricky technology of domes, from the Pantheon to the geodesic marvels of Buckminster Fuller and beyond.

3. Skyscrapers

1h

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What does it take to erect a skyscraper 100 stories tall? From the medieval towers of Italy's San Gimignano to today's race to build the world's tallest skyscraper, host David Macaulay chronicles our aptitude for altitude. On the way up, he highlights the remarkable achievements of the Gothic cathedral builders and the almost-disaster of New York's Citigroup (formerly Citicorp) Center.

4. Dams

1h

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How does a dam resist the crush of millions of gallons of water? Host David Macaulay surveys the dam -- the biggest, costliest structure of all -- from Hoover's concrete arch confronting the Colorado River to the Aswan High Dam, a veritable underwater mountain sitting on the Nile riverbed, holding back a lake the size of England.

5. Tunnels

1h

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What keeps a tunnel from collapsing? Tunnels have advanced from dangerous, claustrophobic passages to spacious, safe subterranean networks as roomy as shopping malls. Host David Macaulay takes viewers underground to explore the history and ingenuity behind some of the world's tunneling marvels.

6. Thinking Big and Building Small

1h

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Thinking Big and Building Small is a fun, hands-on way for kids to learn the secrets of superstructures. This companion to the PBS series BUILDING BIG with David Macaulay lets you explore the greatest manmade wonders of the world, discover how designers overcome engineering challenges, and build your own mini-structures.

Extended Details

  • Closed CaptionsEnglish

Artists

Larry Kleindirector
WGBHproducer
David Macaulayactor