Tuesday TV Touchbase: How Did They Build That?

 

Sometimes when watching television and I'm not into comedy, drama or action, I turn to science!

Today's Tuesday TV Touchbase takes a look at a show that spotlights marvels of engineering ingenuity called How Did They Build That?

A New York City skyscraper bent halfway up?

A Singapore sky garden that reaches 500 meters into the sky?

A medical research facility in Las Vegas that looks like a ball of crumpled tin foil? 

A luxury hotel in China built underground?

A high rise in Italy with a built-in forest? 

How did they build that? 

The show How Did They Build That explores that question with interviews with architects and engineers from around the globe that provide insights how impossible designs are made real with an emphasis on safety and efficiency.   

Four of the projects spotlighted in How Did They Build That? 

I was particularly impressed with the Bailong Elevator, the world’s tallest outdoor elevator in China which carries tourists up the steep vertical cliff face of a mountain. The elevator is carried up along 6 reinforced cables; any one of them is capable of holding the elevator aloft and there are six of them. In addition, there are braking mechanisms, latches along the entire shaft of the elevator AND something to cushion a landing at the bottom of the shaft.

Watching this, I couldn't help think how American investors would regard such attention to detail for safety in deference to saving money.

"Why do we need 6 cables when 1 is strong enough to hold this elevator car?"

"Why do we need latches along the whole shaft?"

"Why do we need a cushion at the bottom of the shaft? What are the odds that all 6 cables, all the brakes and all the latches fail?"

The episode with the train station in Frances that bends and flexes at odd angles as it crosses railroad tracks shows the structure is built with comfort and energy efficiency in mind even as the exterior defies all aesthetic expectations.

The levels of engineering needed to bring these structures to life are extraordinary in their technical detail and their imagination.

The answers to the question How Did They Build That are entertaining and thought provoking, making for some very interesting television.

Until next time, remember to be good to one another and try to keep it down? I'm trying to watch TV over here.