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(energetic electronic guitar music)

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This time we reveal the massive challenges

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behind creating a modern city.

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We've got one shot to get this right.

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The second time is gonna cost you big money.

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From a radical space saving skyscraper

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taking shape in the heart of London...

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If we were to drop anything from up here,

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got serious implications down on the ground.

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To the window cleaners risking their lives

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to keep Las Vegas shining.

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If I don't make it tell my children I love 'em.

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And the team behind creating

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visionary city architecture.

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(intense instrumental music)

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Half the world's population live in urban areas,

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and the number is rising every second.

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Each day is a race again time to house, feed, water,

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and move more than 3.5 billion people.

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It's an impossible daily challenge.

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The slightest glitch can bring a city to its knees.

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And every 24 hours it has to be done all over again.

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This is the story of How Cities Work.

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(swelling orchestral music)

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(gentle percussive music)

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The world's cities are growing

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at a faster rate than every before.

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An estimated 75 million people around the world

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move to an urban area every year.

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As our metropolises become more and more crowded,

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architects, designers and builders

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face a constant challenge:

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how to create new and modern spaces in cities

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where every square centimeter has already been developed.

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One solution has proved popular worldwide.

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Since the year 2000, over 4,000 skyscrapers

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have been built around the world.

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Today, in Central London,

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one of the city's most revolutionary skyscrapers

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is entering the final stages of construction.

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This is 20 Fenchurch Street,

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a 64,000-square-meter commercial office building

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nicknamed the Walkie-Talkie

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because of its unusual flared shaped.

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But what makes this building so distinctive

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is also what makes it almost impossible to build,

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as Director of Construction Cormac MacCrann

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knows all too well.

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Generally our buildings go straight up,

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they're square or rectangles,

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so when you see a building like this you say, "Oh my God,"

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and that was our challenge:

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how we were going to build this building

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that went in a counterintuitive way

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to every other building in the city.

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The dramatic curving sides of this skyscraper

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are not just for show; they have been designed

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to solve a crucial urban problem: overcrowding.

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The architect had a great idea.

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He said normally skyscrapers go straight up

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or they taper in as you get up.

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Let's do it the other way. Let's invert it.

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{\an8}The building is unique

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{\an8}in that it has a smaller footprint at the bottom.

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The smallest one is level three,

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which is 1,900 square meters,

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and it increases as you go up to level 34,

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which is 3,300 square meters.

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By increasing the size of each floor

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as the building rises,

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the Walkie-Talkie can provide 40% more floor space

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than a more conventional skyscraper of the same height.

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We can get a density, an occupational density,

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in this building of something like eight people

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per square meters, compared to, in the old days,

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it would be one per 12 square meters.

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(workers chattering)

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Today, Cormac's team

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must install part of the Walkie-Talkie's roof,

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called a hockey stick, before the arrival in three hours

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of a main arched roof beam.

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{\an8}We have the fins coming, the actual roof pieces

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{\an8}coming in tonight, so we have to get these in and ready.

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Hockey sticks are the vertical columns

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that will support each of the 34 arched roof beams.

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If you went into an aircraft hanger, for instance,

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you'd see something like this.

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The challenge is aircraft hangers are built on the ground.

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We're building this 160 meters up in the air.

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We've never done that before. It's never been done before.

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(chattering)

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When we first started on the job

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it was pretty much a straightforward job going up,

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but soon as you get to the roof,

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it's just different altogether,

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it's a different way of thinking.

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(chatter on radio)

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{\an8}We're just about to land one of the hockey sticks

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{\an8}that make up the sides of the roof.

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I actually enjoy the height.

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One of the best views in London.

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There's only a few buildings taller than this.

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(workers chattering)

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(chatter on radio)

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(machine whirring)

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Ah, fuck's sake.

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(chatter on radio)

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That's us in.

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With the hockey stick in place

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the crew are ready for the main event.

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Yeah, we'll just check all our lifting gear are ready.

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I've heard them readying the cranes

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for when the wagon turns up, and rock and roll.

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As night begins to fall on London,

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the first of three arched steel roof beams

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arrives at 20 Fenchurch Street...

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into the capable hands of Project Manager Dean Eaves

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and his team.

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Previously we installed the hockey sticks,

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which are the vertical elements.

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Now these three roof members will then connect to that

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to form the complete structure of the roof arch.

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The fin beams each weigh a massive 10 tons

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and must be lifted onto the roof

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right over one of the busiest areas in London.

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(anxious piano music)

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The only option to get the beams up safely

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is to close off a large section

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of Fenchurch Street to the public.

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The sections are too long to offload

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from any of our other delivery route

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so we need Fenchurch Street closed

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to be able to lift them straight up to the roof.

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But closing one of the busiest streets

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in London is only possible at night

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and for a short window of time.

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To rig and lift each piece

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will take approximately 45 minutes to an hour.

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We need to be done by 4:00 a.m.

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The team must work as quickly as possible

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to beat the ticking clock.

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(crewmen chattering)

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And we'll get it all up,

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get the road open again as quickly as possible.

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(tense music)

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180 meters up at the top of the building,

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crane driver Ray Hamilton is responsible

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for making sure the heavy beams reach the roof safely.

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You're approximately 600 feet above London at the moment,

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so really the main variant we've got to worry about

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is the wind, 'cause if the wind picks up

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and catches east, and it begins to spin and rotate,

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and you've got no control over it.

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And right now the wind speeds are looking high.

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The wind's sitting at about 19 mile a hour

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and more at the top.

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(chatter on radio)

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{\an8}I'm a bit concerned that the wind is up at the moment.

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{\an8}Really we're looking at 15 miles an hour

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and under to lift them up.

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It's a laugh at the gods.

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You got all the computers that tells you the forecast

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and various different things,

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but you'll never know until you're there

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at that precise time what it's gonna be like.

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Down on the ground

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the guys are rigging up the beam to the crane.

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We're just attaching the lifting brackets to the piece.

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But there is still no final word

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on whether it is safe to carry out the lift.

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15 miles an hour at the minute.

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So you're getting the gusts with it, aren't you?

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{\an8}He's only getting 15-mile-an-hour winds,

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{\an8}but it's gusting up to 20, 25 mile an hour.

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That's a jump, Tony. 22 there, you see that?

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The size of these pieces that we're lifting,

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they effectively would act like a sail

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if they're caught by the wind.

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If they can't do the lift tonight,

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the beams will have to be sent back to the warehouse,

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delaying the entire construction schedule.

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We got it too far high, yeah?

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Test it. If it's shit, we bring it back down.

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Bring it down, right.

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The crew decide to do a test lift

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to see how the beam reacts in the wind.

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We're gonna a little test lift now.

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If it gets too windy, we'll bring it back down.

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Watch your backs now. We'll start taking it up.

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(crew chattering)

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Nice and steady, yeah, nice and steady.

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(tense music)

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Yeah. Settle down.

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I'm off.

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(suspenseful orchestral music)

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(chatter on radio)

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It takes about four and half minutes

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for the piece to actually get up here.

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So, in that four and half minutes...

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(snaps fingers)

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the wind can change like that.

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But as the first roof fin

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inches its way up the building,

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the crew struggle to keep the giant beam under control.

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I'm gonna lose my rope, Dan!

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I know, Kev. No worries, mate!

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If the wind is too strong,

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crane driver Ray may have to abort the lift.

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(chatter on radio)

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(suspenseful music)

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At about the halfway point

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the beam is caught by the wind and begins to turn.

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Just the wind, even a slight breeze,

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{\an8}with it being as long as it is,

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{\an8}if it catches it, it will just twist in the wind.

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In the crane, Ray has to make the decision

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to continue the lift or bring the piece back down.

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Well it can be easier actually to take it up

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and over the top of the roof than it is to get it back down,

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because you've got the other buildings there,

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so that the spin could actually hurt them,

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so you just need to kinda cross your fingers

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and just go for it, you know?

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At the top of the building,

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Colin Brooks and his team

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are waiting for the beam to arrive.

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Yeah, she's sitting there now, Ray.

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She's sitting round the right way for us.

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(suspenseful music)

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I've got hold of one of the taglines there now, Ray.

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Because of the higher winds,

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the guys must use all their strength

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to steady the beam with guide ropes.

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The wind can start turning the loads round.

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{\an8}And if that happens, it's sort of hands on deck.

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(suspenseful music)
(crew chattering)

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Slowly on the head there, Ray.

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Just coming to our hands there, mate.

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Keep her coming on down for me, mate.

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Keep it coming, buddy.

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Keep it coming, Ray.

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Keep it coming, mate.

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Keep it coming.

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Lovely job, Ray.

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(metal clanging)

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Okay, down we come.

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{\an8}We've de-rigged and sent the tackle back down,

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{\an8}and hopefully we're get another one up very shortly.

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I'm hoping to, Ray.

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As Ray sends the crane hook down

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to pick up the second part of the roof beam,

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the wind begins to die down.

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It was blowing something like 20 odd mile an hour,

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and it died down at the last there to just under 15.

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Happy, mate. Ready when you are.

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(triumphant rock music)

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Taking advantage of the calmer weather,

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the crew bring the next two beams up in quick succession.

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Down a little touch more, mate. Keep it coming,

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keep it coming on down for me. Beautiful, Ray.

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That's us all down for the night now.

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{\an8}Just wrap up last bit of gear,

263
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{\an8}then make sure the crane driver's down safely.

264
00:10:55,564 --> 00:10:57,814
{\an8}We're all gonna jump in the lift and go home.

265
00:10:58,930 --> 00:11:01,040
Tomorrow, installation of this roof beam

266
00:11:01,040 --> 00:11:02,600
will begin.

267
00:11:02,600 --> 00:11:05,440
We've got six of these roof fins up there, mate.

268
00:11:05,440 --> 00:11:08,930
We've got 34 to do altogether, so another 28.

269
00:11:08,930 --> 00:11:10,951
So, still a fair way to go just yet.

270
00:11:10,951 --> 00:11:12,570
(triumphant rock music)

271
00:11:12,570 --> 00:11:15,390
One of London's most revolutionary skyscrapers

272
00:11:15,390 --> 00:11:17,713
takes another step towards completion.

273
00:11:18,966 --> 00:11:20,410
(intense instrumental music)

274
00:11:20,410 --> 00:11:22,260
Each new skyscraper in a city

275
00:11:22,260 --> 00:11:24,593
seeks to make a statement in the skyline.

276
00:11:26,230 --> 00:11:27,810
But as these round, tapered,

277
00:11:27,810 --> 00:11:30,610
and sloping shapes become every more complex,

278
00:11:30,610 --> 00:11:33,363
they have created a new urban challenge:

279
00:11:34,780 --> 00:11:38,541
keeping these multimillion-pound constructions clean.

280
00:11:38,541 --> 00:11:39,610
(energetic rock music)

281
00:11:39,610 --> 00:11:42,830
And nowhere is this more evident than Las Vegas,

282
00:11:42,830 --> 00:11:46,573
where each new construction is as much art as architecture.

283
00:11:49,125 --> 00:11:52,020
(intense rock music)

284
00:11:52,020 --> 00:11:55,300
Sam Shannon, Rick Dillman and their crew of window cleaners

285
00:11:55,300 --> 00:11:57,690
take on jobs that others deem too dangerous

286
00:11:57,690 --> 00:11:59,463
or too difficult to even attempt.

287
00:12:00,942 --> 00:12:02,800
That is freaking big.

288
00:12:02,800 --> 00:12:03,643
What do you think?

289
00:12:03,643 --> 00:12:06,030
I think it's a whole hell of a lot of glass.

290
00:12:06,030 --> 00:12:07,700
We like challenging jobs.

291
00:12:07,700 --> 00:12:09,680
{\an8}I mean, we kind of take pride in the fact

292
00:12:09,680 --> 00:12:12,170
{\an8}that we can work areas where other people can't get to.

293
00:12:12,170 --> 00:12:14,559
The harder it is, the happier we are.

294
00:12:14,559 --> 00:12:16,490
(anxious music)

295
00:12:16,490 --> 00:12:18,570
These are the Panorama Towers,

296
00:12:18,570 --> 00:12:20,660
two luxury apartment buildings built

297
00:12:20,660 --> 00:12:23,603
just over a kilometer from Las Vegas's famous strip.

298
00:12:25,490 --> 00:12:28,300
The towers' distinctive architectural trait

299
00:12:28,300 --> 00:12:32,600
is a curved, inset balcony 95 meters in the air.

300
00:12:32,600 --> 00:12:34,740
Two window cleaning companies have attempted

301
00:12:34,740 --> 00:12:39,550
to clean these 14-meter-tall insets, but both have failed.

302
00:12:39,550 --> 00:12:41,970
You've got all these ledges in between each story.

303
00:12:41,970 --> 00:12:44,870
We'll have to watch out for edge protection.

304
00:12:44,870 --> 00:12:46,930
Normal methods for cleaning high-rises,

305
00:12:46,930 --> 00:12:50,640
such as a steel cradle, wouldn't work on Panorama Towers.

306
00:12:50,640 --> 00:12:53,253
The inset balconies are too awkwardly shaped.

307
00:12:54,180 --> 00:12:57,040
So Sam and his team must get inventive.

308
00:12:57,040 --> 00:12:59,300
We're gonna have to use our rigging expertise

309
00:12:59,300 --> 00:13:01,920
to figure out something that'll allow us to get there.

310
00:13:01,920 --> 00:13:03,840
Seems like we're gonna have to repel down

311
00:13:03,840 --> 00:13:06,010
right in the middle of the balcony.

312
00:13:06,010 --> 00:13:07,880
Sam and Rick decided to abseil

313
00:13:07,880 --> 00:13:11,560
down the side of the building, attached to just two ropes.

314
00:13:11,560 --> 00:13:13,270
There's kinda three types of people:

315
00:13:13,270 --> 00:13:14,297
there's people who won't do it

316
00:13:14,297 --> 00:13:16,020
and the people who will do it if they have to,

317
00:13:16,020 --> 00:13:17,370
and the people who want to do it,

318
00:13:17,370 --> 00:13:19,795
and we're looking for the third guys.

319
00:13:19,795 --> 00:13:21,595
Let's do it.
<v ->Time to work. Woo!

320
00:13:22,569 --> 00:13:25,236
(anxious music)

321
00:13:26,360 --> 00:13:28,500
This is it.
<v ->Woo!

322
00:13:28,500 --> 00:13:30,770
128 meters up on the roof

323
00:13:30,770 --> 00:13:33,210
they start to assemble their gear.

324
00:13:33,210 --> 00:13:34,110
Let's get to it!

325
00:13:35,400 --> 00:13:36,530
They have just one month

326
00:13:36,530 --> 00:13:39,630
to clean 4,800 windows.

327
00:13:39,630 --> 00:13:41,320
It's a decent size job.

328
00:13:41,320 --> 00:13:45,723
We need to try to average about 305, 310 windows a day.

329
00:13:46,670 --> 00:13:47,640
To lower themselves

330
00:13:47,640 --> 00:13:49,080
over the side of the building

331
00:13:49,080 --> 00:13:51,600
the team will use industrial-strength ropes

332
00:13:51,600 --> 00:13:55,560
tied to metal anchors that can hold over four tons.

333
00:13:55,560 --> 00:13:57,020
All right.

334
00:13:57,020 --> 00:13:59,230
But the angular design of this skyscraper

335
00:13:59,230 --> 00:14:01,633
presents a life-threatening hazard for the crew.

336
00:14:03,600 --> 00:14:06,760
The building's sharp edges could sever their ropes.

337
00:14:06,760 --> 00:14:10,440
This is basically a standard rope protector.

338
00:14:10,440 --> 00:14:13,560
Because these edges are so sharp, it cuts through even this.

339
00:14:13,560 --> 00:14:16,170
If this fails, now my ropes are exposed to danger,

340
00:14:16,170 --> 00:14:18,700
my ropes are in danger of cutting.

341
00:14:18,700 --> 00:14:19,960
To prevent disaster

342
00:14:19,960 --> 00:14:22,163
the team have come up with a new invention.

343
00:14:23,340 --> 00:14:25,880
What we've come up with and what's gonna be better,

344
00:14:25,880 --> 00:14:28,330
this is just a basic, rough prototype right now,

345
00:14:28,330 --> 00:14:32,153
is a rigid piece of PVC pipe, and the ropes go inside of it.

346
00:14:33,280 --> 00:14:34,280
Their lives rest

347
00:14:34,280 --> 00:14:37,660
on how well these new rope protectors work.

348
00:14:37,660 --> 00:14:38,913
That'll work!
<v ->Ready?

349
00:14:41,510 --> 00:14:42,623
We ready to do this?

350
00:14:43,470 --> 00:14:45,770
Bam. Let's do this, guys.

351
00:14:45,770 --> 00:14:48,270
(tense music)

352
00:14:51,613 --> 00:14:55,353
Oh, and that's what 400 feet or 125 meters looks like.

353
00:15:07,293 --> 00:15:11,320
If I don't make it, tell my children I love 'em. (grunts)

354
00:15:11,320 --> 00:15:12,230
It gets me every time.

355
00:15:12,230 --> 00:15:14,740
It gives you the butterflies in the stomach,

356
00:15:14,740 --> 00:15:17,543
the adrenaline rush, but that's what keeps me going.

357
00:15:18,396 --> 00:15:23,396
We are working, we're working, and we go, you guys.

358
00:15:23,950 --> 00:15:25,351
Let's go.

359
00:15:25,351 --> 00:15:26,340
(suspenseful music)

360
00:15:26,340 --> 00:15:27,890
Sam, Eugene, and Martin

361
00:15:27,890 --> 00:15:30,330
start making their way around the curve of the building

362
00:15:30,330 --> 00:15:32,163
towards the inset balcony.

363
00:15:33,580 --> 00:15:35,860
The further you go up, the more windy it is.

364
00:15:35,860 --> 00:15:37,720
There is a possibility that it could suck you away

365
00:15:37,720 --> 00:15:41,037
from the building and throw you out in free space.

366
00:15:41,037 --> 00:15:42,163
Ah, yes!

367
00:15:43,410 --> 00:15:46,560
Sam's abseil ropes can only get him so far.

368
00:15:46,560 --> 00:15:48,870
To get into the curved inset balcony

369
00:15:48,870 --> 00:15:50,480
he must use suction cups

370
00:15:50,480 --> 00:15:52,960
that allow him to stay close to the glass.

371
00:15:52,960 --> 00:15:55,979
I'm getting some suction cups while I'm here

372
00:15:55,979 --> 00:15:58,870
so that I can try to relax.

373
00:15:58,870 --> 00:16:00,897
That is, when they work.

374
00:16:00,897 --> 00:16:02,060
(dramatic music)

375
00:16:02,060 --> 00:16:03,520
Woo!

376
00:16:03,520 --> 00:16:05,613
Suction cup doesn't always suck.

377
00:16:06,490 --> 00:16:09,800
My heart rate maybe jumped a beat a couple of times.

378
00:16:09,800 --> 00:16:13,043
It pops, I poop my pants, I get back to work.

379
00:16:14,420 --> 00:16:17,303
Sam finally makes it safely into the inset.

380
00:16:18,160 --> 00:16:20,573
Now he can do the job he came here to do.

381
00:16:22,020 --> 00:16:22,920
All right.

382
00:16:23,780 --> 00:16:25,440
Despite the thousands of dollars

383
00:16:25,440 --> 00:16:27,920
worth of equipment and the daredevil heights,

384
00:16:27,920 --> 00:16:29,710
to actually clean the windows

385
00:16:29,710 --> 00:16:34,010
the guys rely on old favorites: a bucket and sponge.

386
00:16:34,010 --> 00:16:35,430
Just what you need to clean a window:

387
00:16:35,430 --> 00:16:38,313
bunch of rags and a squeegee and some soapy water.

388
00:16:39,510 --> 00:16:41,413
Oh yeah! We like that!

389
00:16:43,080 --> 00:16:46,090
A million-dollar penthouse with a million-dollar view.

390
00:16:46,090 --> 00:16:47,720
What a concept.

391
00:16:47,720 --> 00:16:50,800
And the windows are clean for the first time in seven years.

392
00:16:50,800 --> 00:16:55,201
Only maybe 3,772 windows to go.

393
00:16:55,201 --> 00:16:58,788
(bright instrumental music)

394
00:16:58,788 --> 00:17:00,060
(curious instrumental music)

395
00:17:00,060 --> 00:17:02,270
With over 1,300 skyscrapers

396
00:17:02,270 --> 00:17:04,950
currently rising skywards around the world

397
00:17:04,950 --> 00:17:07,760
and each striving to be more dramatic than the last,

398
00:17:07,760 --> 00:17:09,300
Sam and his crew are unlikely

399
00:17:09,300 --> 00:17:11,563
to be out of a job anytime soon.

400
00:17:13,040 --> 00:17:15,480
But an urban center isn't just defined

401
00:17:15,480 --> 00:17:17,873
by the buildings that we live and work in.

402
00:17:18,970 --> 00:17:20,890
Just as important are the structures

403
00:17:20,890 --> 00:17:23,553
in which we can relax and enjoy ourselves.

404
00:17:24,880 --> 00:17:27,840
Every year at the Serpentine Gallery in London

405
00:17:27,840 --> 00:17:31,080
an architect is tasked with created a pavilion,

406
00:17:31,080 --> 00:17:33,770
a structure entirely for public use.

407
00:17:33,770 --> 00:17:37,710
{\an8}Usually it's a cafe area that they can use

408
00:17:37,710 --> 00:17:41,053
{\an8}for different either conference or lecture, performance.

409
00:17:42,090 --> 00:17:45,270
This year Sou Fujimoto has sought to redefine

410
00:17:45,270 --> 00:17:47,763
how architecture interacts with the city.

411
00:17:49,640 --> 00:17:53,560
His pavilion is made entirely of empty white steel tubes,

412
00:17:53,560 --> 00:17:55,703
arranged in an intricate formation.

413
00:17:56,810 --> 00:17:58,880
The basic inspiration, starting point,

414
00:17:58,880 --> 00:18:02,260
was this beautiful surroundings of the hedged garden,

415
00:18:02,260 --> 00:18:04,410
something between nature and architecture.

416
00:18:04,410 --> 00:18:08,810
So I tried to create something transparent or translucent,

417
00:18:08,810 --> 00:18:11,090
like a really thin cloud.

418
00:18:11,090 --> 00:18:14,020
And up here and in here, when are we grinding those off?

419
00:18:14,020 --> 00:18:16,490
Project Manager Ted Featonby and his team

420
00:18:16,490 --> 00:18:18,790
must have the entire structure installed

421
00:18:18,790 --> 00:18:20,340
and ready for a grand opening

422
00:18:20,340 --> 00:18:23,560
in just six weeks, a mammoth task.

423
00:18:23,560 --> 00:18:25,850
It's got to be ready for the fourth of June,

424
00:18:25,850 --> 00:18:28,600
so sometimes we might have to work overnight.

425
00:18:28,600 --> 00:18:31,050
It's just not an option not to be ready,

426
00:18:31,050 --> 00:18:32,565
and that's the biggest challenge you've got,

427
00:18:32,565 --> 00:18:34,170
you haven't got it over in time.

428
00:18:34,170 --> 00:18:36,200
{\an8}If we consider that this structure

429
00:18:36,200 --> 00:18:38,810
has around 27,000 pieces of steel,

430
00:18:38,810 --> 00:18:40,880
three and half thousand nut-welded nodes,

431
00:18:40,880 --> 00:18:42,150
it's a lot of work that needs to be done

432
00:18:42,150 --> 00:18:43,502
in quite a short space of time.

433
00:18:43,502 --> 00:18:45,780
(light instrumental music)

434
00:18:45,780 --> 00:18:46,940
Building this structure

435
00:18:46,940 --> 00:18:48,493
is a mammoth undertaking.

436
00:18:50,110 --> 00:18:52,600
It all happened here at Stage One,

437
00:18:52,600 --> 00:18:55,533
a steel fabrication company in York, England.

438
00:18:56,960 --> 00:18:58,770
Andy Hicton was the man tasked

439
00:18:58,770 --> 00:19:02,980
with turning Sou Fujimoto's vision into reality.

440
00:19:02,980 --> 00:19:05,720
We are well-known throughout the industry

441
00:19:05,720 --> 00:19:09,520
as doing really very strange and complex devices.

442
00:19:09,520 --> 00:19:12,776
It's a skill that you learn over a number of years.

443
00:19:12,776 --> 00:19:14,250
(bright electronic music)

444
00:19:14,250 --> 00:19:16,750
Welding bars together into cubed frames

445
00:19:16,750 --> 00:19:20,420
sounds easy in theory, but the complexity of the design

446
00:19:20,420 --> 00:19:22,463
was not always easy to follow.

447
00:19:24,510 --> 00:19:26,330
You can get a little bit confused.

448
00:19:26,330 --> 00:19:29,290
You're thinking, well which part of these 60 frame

449
00:19:29,290 --> 00:19:32,109
am I working on here, that I'm putting together?

450
00:19:32,109 --> 00:19:33,920
I'm not sure that's right.

451
00:19:33,920 --> 00:19:35,700
And also the orientation, of course.

452
00:19:35,700 --> 00:19:37,879
You don't want to end up with two layers of the frame

453
00:19:37,879 --> 00:19:41,633
one way, the third layer, oh dear, it's not quite right.

454
00:19:42,590 --> 00:19:45,400
This wasn't the only problem.

455
00:19:45,400 --> 00:19:47,850
Completing a structure of this size and scale

456
00:19:47,850 --> 00:19:49,903
pushed the team to bursting point.

457
00:19:51,133 --> 00:19:54,630
So many have worked on it, get engrossed with it,

458
00:19:54,630 --> 00:19:57,320
you lose a track of time, and you just keep going.

459
00:19:57,320 --> 00:20:00,130
It's a very challenging job in that sense.

460
00:20:00,130 --> 00:20:02,377
It looks simple, and some ways it is,

461
00:20:02,377 --> 00:20:04,680
but other ways it has its unique challenges

462
00:20:04,680 --> 00:20:06,943
which basically drives you mad.

463
00:20:09,600 --> 00:20:11,530
Despite the challenges involved,

464
00:20:11,530 --> 00:20:13,840
the team successfully completed the structure

465
00:20:13,840 --> 00:20:15,873
in time for its journey to London.

466
00:20:17,340 --> 00:20:18,570
The 54 pieces get delivered

467
00:20:18,570 --> 00:20:23,090
on the back of 40-foot RTICs, and each piece is craned off.

468
00:20:23,090 --> 00:20:24,340
Come up slow.

469
00:20:25,540 --> 00:20:27,290
Every one is a bespoke shape.

470
00:20:27,290 --> 00:20:29,960
There's no two pieces the same in the whole structure,

471
00:20:29,960 --> 00:20:32,578
so each has its little challenge.

472
00:20:32,578 --> 00:20:35,240
(anxious instrumental music)

473
00:20:35,240 --> 00:20:36,400
Stop, down on the line.

474
00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:39,020
Today it's time to fit one of the last pieces

475
00:20:39,020 --> 00:20:42,150
to make up the transparent roof of the pavilion.

476
00:20:42,150 --> 00:20:44,460
It is key to its structural integrity.

477
00:20:44,460 --> 00:20:46,700
In a similar fashion to, say, an arch,

478
00:20:46,700 --> 00:20:47,850
where you have a keystone

479
00:20:47,850 --> 00:20:49,240
that drops into the top of the arch,

480
00:20:49,240 --> 00:20:51,930
the final few pieces of the pavilion roof

481
00:20:51,930 --> 00:20:53,655
make the structure stable.

482
00:20:53,655 --> 00:20:54,853
Up slow please, Kev.

483
00:20:54,853 --> 00:20:58,603
(anxious instrumental music)

484
00:21:00,560 --> 00:21:02,660
But the long, thin form of this piece

485
00:21:02,660 --> 00:21:05,290
is causing problems for the crew.

486
00:21:05,290 --> 00:21:06,590
It's flexing everywhere.

487
00:21:08,300 --> 00:21:09,813
Now stop. Come back down, Kev.

488
00:21:10,680 --> 00:21:12,987
The shape of this piece is...

489
00:21:12,987 --> 00:21:15,860
it's quite long and flexible and all, what to lift,

490
00:21:15,860 --> 00:21:18,370
and we don't want to bend or snap any of the bars.

491
00:21:18,370 --> 00:21:20,860
Drop that one right down further back.

492
00:21:20,860 --> 00:21:22,510
Just gonna stiffen it up with a bar of timber

493
00:21:22,510 --> 00:21:24,690
strapped on just to make sure it doesn't bend

494
00:21:24,690 --> 00:21:26,630
and buckle the unit.

495
00:21:26,630 --> 00:21:29,450
It's the first time we've worked with something like this.

496
00:21:29,450 --> 00:21:31,480
You're never in your comfort zone.

497
00:21:31,480 --> 00:21:32,772
Yeah, keep going slow, Kev.

498
00:21:32,772 --> 00:21:36,355
(anxious electronic music)

499
00:21:37,670 --> 00:21:38,903
Okay, Kev, take it up.

500
00:21:41,550 --> 00:21:43,700
The piece is finally in the air,

501
00:21:43,700 --> 00:21:45,093
but this is far from over.

502
00:21:46,294 --> 00:21:47,170
(intense instrumental music)

503
00:21:47,170 --> 00:21:49,210
Because of the structural weakness,

504
00:21:49,210 --> 00:21:51,910
the crane driver must get it into position on the pavilion

505
00:21:51,910 --> 00:21:54,103
as quickly and delicately as possible.

506
00:21:56,230 --> 00:21:58,950
It's a bit like a Meccano set; everything fits together,

507
00:21:58,950 --> 00:22:01,660
and it's just like a massive jigsaw puzzle.

508
00:22:01,660 --> 00:22:02,960
But Ted and his team

509
00:22:02,960 --> 00:22:05,850
are finding out that constructing a piece of art

510
00:22:05,850 --> 00:22:07,680
is not always as straightforward

511
00:22:07,680 --> 00:22:09,885
as building four walls and a roof.

512
00:22:09,885 --> 00:22:13,000
(anxious instrumental music)

513
00:22:13,000 --> 00:22:15,163
This piece of the puzzle doesn't fit.

514
00:22:16,140 --> 00:22:18,120
That looks it. That's where it should be.

515
00:22:18,120 --> 00:22:19,360
We've got extra pins.

516
00:22:19,360 --> 00:22:20,930
See that pin there, where the board is?

517
00:22:20,930 --> 00:22:22,720
Yeah.
<v ->That's these two, isn't it?

518
00:22:22,720 --> 00:22:24,470
This steel cloud is proving

519
00:22:24,470 --> 00:22:26,823
to be a challenging mind game for the team.

520
00:22:27,790 --> 00:22:30,010
Under normal circumstances, normal construction,

521
00:22:30,010 --> 00:22:32,380
you'd pick a piece up, and the orientation

522
00:22:32,380 --> 00:22:34,060
is quite obvious to which way it goes.

523
00:22:34,060 --> 00:22:36,763
But with this everything's the same. It's so complex.

524
00:22:37,690 --> 00:22:40,240
They soon work out their problem.

525
00:22:40,240 --> 00:22:43,505
Is there a single notch stumping out there?

526
00:22:43,505 --> 00:22:44,720
It is, isn't it?

527
00:22:44,720 --> 00:22:46,717
So it's nearly the right way around, isn't it?

528
00:22:46,717 --> 00:22:47,717
Right, up slow, Kev.

529
00:22:48,860 --> 00:22:51,880
The piece is the wrong way round.

530
00:22:51,880 --> 00:22:54,130
And stop, and slow right, slowly.

531
00:22:55,860 --> 00:22:57,539
Down slow.

532
00:22:57,539 --> 00:23:01,289
(anxious instrumental music)

533
00:23:02,620 --> 00:23:03,790
Every little setback

534
00:23:03,790 --> 00:23:06,570
has consequences for the tight schedule.

535
00:23:06,570 --> 00:23:09,810
{\an8}There's always a date where a show happens

536
00:23:09,810 --> 00:23:10,953
{\an8}or an event begins.

537
00:23:12,587 --> 00:23:14,703
It's part and parcel of what we do, really.

538
00:23:15,608 --> 00:23:18,139
That's endurance carpentry.

539
00:23:18,139 --> 00:23:19,470
(upbeat instrumental music)

540
00:23:19,470 --> 00:23:22,260
Over the next weeks, the team work all hours

541
00:23:22,260 --> 00:23:23,860
to deliver the pavilion on time.

542
00:23:26,680 --> 00:23:29,270
And finally, on a beautiful June day,

543
00:23:29,270 --> 00:23:32,833
Sou Fujimoto's creation is unveiled.

544
00:23:32,833 --> 00:23:36,750
(thrilling instrumental music)

545
00:23:39,900 --> 00:23:44,900
It's amazing, because I was so surprised yesterday,

546
00:23:44,910 --> 00:23:47,410
this morning, to see the finished pavilion.

547
00:23:47,410 --> 00:23:50,543
It's beyond my imaginations.

548
00:23:51,680 --> 00:23:54,427
This is a playful piece of architecture,

549
00:23:54,427 --> 00:23:57,130
{\an8}and the people can come and explore it, enjoy it,

550
00:23:57,130 --> 00:23:58,860
{\an8}and take what they want from it.

551
00:23:58,860 --> 00:24:02,170
I really like this atmosphere

552
00:24:03,150 --> 00:24:06,960
where people can freely behave as they like.

553
00:24:06,960 --> 00:24:08,950
People do travel from all over the world

554
00:24:08,950 --> 00:24:10,700
just to come and visit the pavilion.

555
00:24:10,700 --> 00:24:13,600
It has that much of a standard in the architectural world.

556
00:24:16,710 --> 00:24:18,500
Sou Fujimoto's pavilion

557
00:24:18,500 --> 00:24:21,230
is all about architectural freedom.

558
00:24:21,230 --> 00:24:22,960
But not every city in the world

559
00:24:22,960 --> 00:24:24,623
can build whatever they like.

560
00:24:27,400 --> 00:24:28,790
When your city is under threat

561
00:24:28,790 --> 00:24:31,370
from one of the most devastating natural disasters

562
00:24:31,370 --> 00:24:32,290
in the world,

563
00:24:32,290 --> 00:24:35,238
construction becomes a whole different ballgame.

564
00:24:35,238 --> 00:24:37,510
(exciting instrumental music)

565
00:24:37,510 --> 00:24:41,800
This is Rincon Tower, a new high-rise apartment complex

566
00:24:41,800 --> 00:24:43,823
in Downtown San Francisco.

567
00:24:46,440 --> 00:24:48,500
Construction Manager Dave Thompson

568
00:24:48,500 --> 00:24:52,570
has just 26 months to build this 50-story tower

569
00:24:52,570 --> 00:24:56,010
in one of the world's most dangerous earthquake zones.

570
00:24:56,010 --> 00:24:58,410
The building is a concrete construction.

571
00:24:58,410 --> 00:25:02,790
It'll be 550 feet tall, 53 levels.

572
00:25:02,790 --> 00:25:05,516
There will be 299 apartments.

573
00:25:05,516 --> 00:25:06,440
(tense instrumental music)

574
00:25:06,440 --> 00:25:09,340
San Francisco lies just 16 kilometers

575
00:25:09,340 --> 00:25:12,233
from one of the biggest earthquake faults in the world.

576
00:25:13,630 --> 00:25:16,640
When the last big one hit in 1906,

577
00:25:16,640 --> 00:25:19,993
it destroyed over 28,000 buildings in the city.

578
00:25:20,990 --> 00:25:24,770
So today, Dave and his team face a dual challenge:

579
00:25:24,770 --> 00:25:27,390
bringing the project in on time and on budget

580
00:25:27,390 --> 00:25:31,670
while at the same time preventing a 1906-style disaster.

581
00:25:31,670 --> 00:25:33,130
California and San Francisco

582
00:25:33,130 --> 00:25:36,270
have building codes and seismic codes.

583
00:25:36,270 --> 00:25:38,840
All the buildings in San Francisco that are new,

584
00:25:38,840 --> 00:25:40,170
that are being built,

585
00:25:40,170 --> 00:25:43,303
all are designed to meet those codes and criteria.

586
00:25:45,640 --> 00:25:47,320
Earthquake protection is built

587
00:25:47,320 --> 00:25:50,363
into every stage of construction at Rincon Hill.

588
00:25:51,420 --> 00:25:54,860
And leading the race into the sky is the concrete core,

589
00:25:54,860 --> 00:25:57,050
the central backbone of the building

590
00:25:57,050 --> 00:26:00,223
and Rincon Hill's main line of defense against a quake.

591
00:26:01,270 --> 00:26:04,130
The concrete core is the epicenter of the structure.

592
00:26:04,130 --> 00:26:06,630
All of the structural stability originates from there.

593
00:26:06,630 --> 00:26:09,030
All the different movement that gets applied to the building

594
00:26:09,030 --> 00:26:11,750
from seismic events all ends up in the core

595
00:26:11,750 --> 00:26:14,500
and gets distributed into the foundation from the core.

596
00:26:15,850 --> 00:26:18,090
To provide maximum stability

597
00:26:18,090 --> 00:26:19,440
Rincon's core is packed

598
00:26:19,440 --> 00:26:23,520
with over 1,500 tons of steel reinforcing bar...

599
00:26:26,451 --> 00:26:28,783
and poured with high-strength concrete.

600
00:26:33,390 --> 00:26:36,280
Five stories below the core, the concrete floors

601
00:26:36,280 --> 00:26:38,650
or decks of the building are constructed.

602
00:26:38,650 --> 00:26:41,610
But staying on schedule while constructing this structure

603
00:26:41,610 --> 00:26:46,210
is a daily challenge, and it all comes down to efficiency.

604
00:26:46,210 --> 00:26:48,410
{\an8}Right here on this site we're doing a three-day cycle

605
00:26:48,410 --> 00:26:52,518
{\an8}with our concrete structure, and that's pretty unusual.

606
00:26:52,518 --> 00:26:53,901
Okay, coming up.

607
00:26:53,901 --> 00:26:55,030
(chatter on radio)

608
00:26:55,030 --> 00:26:56,530
{\an8}Every time we come up a floor,

609
00:26:56,530 --> 00:26:58,660
{\an8}they also come up and build the floor below us,

610
00:26:58,660 --> 00:27:00,563
{\an8}and we're just following each other.

611
00:27:01,510 --> 00:27:02,850
Because the core will act

612
00:27:02,850 --> 00:27:05,860
as the main structural support during an earthquake,

613
00:27:05,860 --> 00:27:07,980
the decks are tightly locked into it

614
00:27:07,980 --> 00:27:10,653
with concrete-encased reinforcing steel.

615
00:27:12,680 --> 00:27:16,900
The task of pouring a staggering 762 tons of concrete

616
00:27:16,900 --> 00:27:21,900
every three days falls to Alan Olson, senior superintendent.

617
00:27:22,140 --> 00:27:24,270
What we're doing right now is we're placing the concrete.

618
00:27:24,270 --> 00:27:27,290
The concrete is getting dumped into the pump

619
00:27:27,290 --> 00:27:28,430
at the ground level.

620
00:27:28,430 --> 00:27:32,190
It's getting pumped up 28 stories as we speak.

621
00:27:32,190 --> 00:27:34,303
You can see it hitting the deck right now.

622
00:27:35,810 --> 00:27:39,380
Each floor pour is a race against the clock.

623
00:27:39,380 --> 00:27:41,280
From the time the trucks leave the plant

624
00:27:41,280 --> 00:27:44,390
eight kilometers away, the team has only 90 minutes

625
00:27:44,390 --> 00:27:46,703
before the concrete sets and dries.

626
00:27:47,750 --> 00:27:51,163
We've got one shot to get this right. One time.

627
00:27:52,260 --> 00:27:53,580
There is no second chances

628
00:27:53,580 --> 00:27:55,900
when you're pouring a concrete deck.

629
00:27:55,900 --> 00:27:58,900
The second time is gonna cost you big money.

630
00:27:58,900 --> 00:28:01,010
But as concrete floods the deck,

631
00:28:01,010 --> 00:28:05,150
Dan Murphy, an electrical foreman, spots a faulty connection

632
00:28:05,150 --> 00:28:07,510
right in the path of the concrete workers.

633
00:28:07,510 --> 00:28:08,980
{\an8}The electrical foreman just noticed

634
00:28:08,980 --> 00:28:10,780
{\an8}that one of his conduits came disconnected

635
00:28:10,780 --> 00:28:14,050
{\an8}from the junction box there, so he's reconnecting it.

636
00:28:14,050 --> 00:28:16,750
It must be fixed, but if it takes too long,

637
00:28:16,750 --> 00:28:19,840
it could put the entire floor pour at risk.

638
00:28:19,840 --> 00:28:22,050
Once the concrete starts flowing,

639
00:28:22,050 --> 00:28:25,220
I don't want to stop it until we're completely done.

640
00:28:25,220 --> 00:28:26,650
The worst-case scenario

641
00:28:26,650 --> 00:28:29,660
is that the concrete becomes too hard to pour,

642
00:28:29,660 --> 00:28:33,050
getting stuck in the pipes that pump it up the building.

643
00:28:33,050 --> 00:28:34,230
It takes a lot of pressure.

644
00:28:34,230 --> 00:28:36,860
It's coming up 28 stories high.

645
00:28:36,860 --> 00:28:38,390
It'll blow the whole system out,

646
00:28:38,390 --> 00:28:39,830
and it can be very dangerous,

647
00:28:39,830 --> 00:28:42,160
just like shrapnel flying everywhere.

648
00:28:42,160 --> 00:28:43,870
You don't want to hold the concrete pour up,

649
00:28:43,870 --> 00:28:44,790
so you want to get in

650
00:28:44,790 --> 00:28:46,480
if you identify that there's a problem.

651
00:28:46,480 --> 00:28:48,120
Get in, fix it quickly,

652
00:28:48,120 --> 00:28:49,537
so that they can continuing pouring concrete.

653
00:28:49,537 --> 00:28:52,900
It's just when you see this many guys standing around

654
00:28:52,900 --> 00:28:56,001
{\an8}waiting for you to fix something as simple as a broken pipe.

655
00:28:56,001 --> 00:28:57,593
Sorry, guys.

656
00:28:57,593 --> 00:28:59,273
You got a lot of guys waiting on you.

657
00:29:00,690 --> 00:29:01,600
In the nick of time

658
00:29:01,600 --> 00:29:04,363
electrician Dan manages to fix the problem.

659
00:29:07,510 --> 00:29:12,360
Yeah, I just cut out the broke part, glue a new piece in.

660
00:29:12,360 --> 00:29:15,020
That's why they pay me the big bucks, man.

661
00:29:15,020 --> 00:29:16,850
And the cables are buried forever

662
00:29:16,850 --> 00:29:17,973
under the concrete.

663
00:29:19,071 --> 00:29:20,610
(dramatic instrumental music)

664
00:29:20,610 --> 00:29:22,660
The last stage of Rincon's construction

665
00:29:22,660 --> 00:29:25,440
is the installation of the building's windows,

666
00:29:25,440 --> 00:29:27,563
called the curtain wall, or skin.

667
00:29:28,700 --> 00:29:30,610
Mark Herrera is the superintendent

668
00:29:30,610 --> 00:29:32,870
in charge of the operation.

669
00:29:32,870 --> 00:29:35,190
The panel's pulled out from that mobile crane

670
00:29:35,190 --> 00:29:37,230
that's up above, then dropped down to the floor

671
00:29:37,230 --> 00:29:39,630
that they're working with in its fixed position.

672
00:29:41,170 --> 00:29:42,680
To survive an earthquake

673
00:29:42,680 --> 00:29:45,570
a building needs two conflicting attributes:

674
00:29:45,570 --> 00:29:48,870
enough strength to stay standing but enough flexibility

675
00:29:48,870 --> 00:29:51,550
to move with the vibrations of the earth.

676
00:29:51,550 --> 00:29:53,740
In San Francisco, given our history with earthquakes,

677
00:29:53,740 --> 00:29:55,760
the seismic activity we have in this region,

678
00:29:55,760 --> 00:29:57,430
it's very important that the system

679
00:29:57,430 --> 00:29:59,410
have a certain amount of flexibility

680
00:29:59,410 --> 00:30:01,910
to allow for that building to move.

681
00:30:01,910 --> 00:30:03,280
An earthquake would shatter

682
00:30:03,280 --> 00:30:07,850
conventional windows, so instead of being secured tightly,

683
00:30:07,850 --> 00:30:11,420
each curtain wall panel is hung from an individual hook

684
00:30:11,420 --> 00:30:15,900
and can move up to 2.5 centimeters to the left, right,

685
00:30:15,900 --> 00:30:18,540
up, and down without being damaged.

686
00:30:18,540 --> 00:30:20,766
The panels will allow for some shifting

687
00:30:20,766 --> 00:30:22,333
in the event of an earthquake.

688
00:30:23,580 --> 00:30:26,040
By combining efficient construction techniques

689
00:30:26,040 --> 00:30:27,870
with state-of-the-art design,

690
00:30:27,870 --> 00:30:31,450
Dave and his team are staying way ahead of the curve.

691
00:30:31,450 --> 00:30:33,070
It's a phenomenal feat.

692
00:30:33,070 --> 00:30:35,300
It's going off like clockwork here.

693
00:30:35,300 --> 00:30:39,040
It takes a whole team to be able to get a structure going

694
00:30:39,040 --> 00:30:42,293
at this pace, and this team is doing a great job.

695
00:30:43,704 --> 00:30:44,980
(soft electronic music)

696
00:30:44,980 --> 00:30:46,560
In our world's biggest cities

697
00:30:46,560 --> 00:30:48,650
nothing stands still for long.

698
00:30:48,650 --> 00:30:51,530
And as new buildings rise, old ones fall,

699
00:30:51,530 --> 00:30:54,043
creating a constant cycle of change.

700
00:30:55,510 --> 00:30:58,250
In a city as old and as crowded as London,

701
00:30:58,250 --> 00:31:00,840
demolition is often the crucial first stage

702
00:31:00,840 --> 00:31:03,380
of any new construction project.

703
00:31:03,380 --> 00:31:06,730
{\an8}Old cities, especially London, are limited for space,

704
00:31:06,730 --> 00:31:10,360
{\an8}so to get something new in, more often that not

705
00:31:10,360 --> 00:31:11,910
you have to demolish something.

706
00:31:12,840 --> 00:31:14,300
In the last five years

707
00:31:14,300 --> 00:31:17,150
over 200 older buildings have been demolished

708
00:31:17,150 --> 00:31:18,840
to make way for new development

709
00:31:18,840 --> 00:31:20,913
in London's vibrant East End.

710
00:31:23,020 --> 00:31:25,210
Today, Dave Strzelecki and his team

711
00:31:25,210 --> 00:31:28,133
will add this 1960s office block to the list.

712
00:31:29,124 --> 00:31:31,874
(truck rumbling)

713
00:31:32,860 --> 00:31:35,860
But demolishing a five-story building in Central London

714
00:31:35,860 --> 00:31:38,513
in just five weeks is far from straightforward.

715
00:31:40,797 --> 00:31:42,600
That'll do for now.

716
00:31:42,600 --> 00:31:45,710
Within 150 meters of the building is a school,

717
00:31:45,710 --> 00:31:49,650
a busy road, and hundreds of residential homes.

718
00:31:49,650 --> 00:31:51,030
If we were out in an open field,

719
00:31:51,030 --> 00:31:52,440
it would be straightforward.

720
00:31:52,440 --> 00:31:54,280
The challenge of demolition in a city

721
00:31:54,280 --> 00:31:56,050
is that you've got a lot of people

722
00:31:56,050 --> 00:31:58,323
in very close proximity to what you're doing.

723
00:31:59,720 --> 00:32:01,730
With explosives out of the question,

724
00:32:01,730 --> 00:32:04,250
this demolition comes down to the power of man

725
00:32:04,250 --> 00:32:05,853
and his small machines.

726
00:32:07,240 --> 00:32:08,960
The machine are two-and-a-half ton machines.

727
00:32:08,960 --> 00:32:10,740
{\an8}They got breakers on the front,

728
00:32:10,740 --> 00:32:13,000
{\an8}which they munch the concrete.

729
00:32:13,000 --> 00:32:16,323
So, they're ideal for the job, for this job.

730
00:32:18,250 --> 00:32:20,000
The building will be deconstructed

731
00:32:20,000 --> 00:32:22,113
floor by floor from the roof down.

732
00:32:24,250 --> 00:32:27,420
So the first problem is how to get five tons of machine

733
00:32:27,420 --> 00:32:29,013
20 meters up in the air.

734
00:32:31,060 --> 00:32:34,769
That's a job for Dan Watts and his 48-ton crane.

735
00:32:34,769 --> 00:32:36,350
(tense music)

736
00:32:36,350 --> 00:32:39,260
With hundreds of passersby only a few meters away

737
00:32:39,260 --> 00:32:41,310
and a school playground next door,

738
00:32:41,310 --> 00:32:44,020
this lift is fraught with danger.

739
00:32:44,020 --> 00:32:46,130
Worst case scenario is I could have the machine

740
00:32:46,130 --> 00:32:47,680
halfway up in the air up there,

741
00:32:48,533 --> 00:32:49,370
the ground could give way,

742
00:32:49,370 --> 00:32:51,763
and this would go straight through the building.

743
00:32:51,763 --> 00:32:54,680
(chatter on radio)

744
00:32:56,220 --> 00:32:58,260
Dan's job becomes more complex

745
00:32:58,260 --> 00:33:00,943
as soon as the digger is lifted off the ground.

746
00:33:02,075 --> 00:33:03,880
[Crewman On Radio] Keep going, keep going.

747
00:33:03,880 --> 00:33:05,670
He relies on a banksman,

748
00:33:05,670 --> 00:33:08,170
a radio operator who is closer to the action

749
00:33:08,170 --> 00:33:12,043
to tell him to move left, right, up or down.

750
00:33:12,043 --> 00:33:14,540
(chatter on radio)

751
00:33:14,540 --> 00:33:16,930
This is I can't see the machine.

752
00:33:16,930 --> 00:33:19,100
The person who's directing me, the banksman,

753
00:33:19,100 --> 00:33:20,283
I'm in his hands.

754
00:33:21,205 --> 00:33:23,348
Slowly to your left a little bit.

755
00:33:23,348 --> 00:33:24,623
Slowly to your left.

756
00:33:24,623 --> 00:33:25,710
I'm like a puppet.

757
00:33:25,710 --> 00:33:28,220
I can't guess, I can't assume,

758
00:33:28,220 --> 00:33:30,381
'cause that's how accidents happen.

759
00:33:30,381 --> 00:33:31,831
[Banksman On Radio] Turn to your left.

760
00:33:31,831 --> 00:33:33,914
Turn to your left please.

761
00:33:37,044 --> 00:33:38,961
Hold it there. Hold it there.

762
00:33:38,961 --> 00:33:41,644
(indistinct radio chatter)

763
00:33:41,644 --> 00:33:44,736
(anxious music)

764
00:33:44,736 --> 00:33:45,653
Keep going.

765
00:33:53,320 --> 00:33:54,850
After a tense few minutes,

766
00:33:54,850 --> 00:33:57,023
the digger finally lands on the roof.

767
00:33:58,395 --> 00:33:59,800
[Banksman On Radio] And down on the chains, please.

768
00:33:59,800 --> 00:34:00,997
Down on the chains.

769
00:34:02,340 --> 00:34:03,760
No matter how matter times you've done it,

770
00:34:03,760 --> 00:34:06,230
once the machine or anything like that is over there,

771
00:34:06,230 --> 00:34:08,170
there is still a sense of relief

772
00:34:08,170 --> 00:34:09,963
when it's down and it's all done.

773
00:34:11,450 --> 00:34:13,080
But the rest of the gang's work

774
00:34:13,080 --> 00:34:14,493
is only just beginning.

775
00:34:15,490 --> 00:34:17,860
Deconstructing a building piece by piece

776
00:34:17,860 --> 00:34:21,290
involves almost as much work as putting one up.

777
00:34:21,290 --> 00:34:23,600
Steve needs to know exactly what holds

778
00:34:23,600 --> 00:34:26,523
this structure together or risk his team's safety.

779
00:34:27,380 --> 00:34:28,840
The problems are, because we're doing

780
00:34:28,840 --> 00:34:31,470
this particular building floor by floor,

781
00:34:31,470 --> 00:34:35,200
we have to get an assessment on the floors,

782
00:34:35,200 --> 00:34:39,210
i.e. the concrete depths, what reinforcing's in 'em.

783
00:34:39,210 --> 00:34:41,720
If we don't do the assessment of the floors,

784
00:34:41,720 --> 00:34:43,270
that roof could collapse.

785
00:34:43,270 --> 00:34:45,390
Steel props support each floor

786
00:34:45,390 --> 00:34:46,890
below the demolition work,

787
00:34:46,890 --> 00:34:49,340
improving the stability of the building.

788
00:34:49,340 --> 00:34:50,930
We can't blast it, literally

789
00:34:50,930 --> 00:34:55,010
because we're in a very tight situation here

790
00:34:55,010 --> 00:34:56,400
with residents and everything.

791
00:34:56,400 --> 00:35:00,150
It's not done in a day, but a building of this size,

792
00:35:00,150 --> 00:35:03,123
two to three weeks and we can put it on the ground.

793
00:35:07,086 --> 00:35:08,220
(exciting instrumental music)

794
00:35:08,220 --> 00:35:10,520
A week into demolition and Dave Strzelecki

795
00:35:10,520 --> 00:35:12,963
and his team are making good progress.

796
00:35:13,860 --> 00:35:15,472
So we're now in the process

797
00:35:15,472 --> 00:35:18,973
of taking down the walls on this floor, the fourth floor,

798
00:35:19,910 --> 00:35:21,780
before we break through the slab again

799
00:35:21,780 --> 00:35:23,989
and drop down onto the floor below.

800
00:35:23,989 --> 00:35:25,620
(machinery chiseling)

801
00:35:25,620 --> 00:35:28,390
These specialized diggers have their limits.

802
00:35:28,390 --> 00:35:30,860
Because the city is right on their doorstep,

803
00:35:30,860 --> 00:35:32,443
the construction workers must carry out

804
00:35:32,443 --> 00:35:34,750
part of the demolition by hand.

805
00:35:34,750 --> 00:35:37,050
You can't just go crashing about the place

806
00:35:37,050 --> 00:35:40,050
and have anything falling out onto the scaffold.

807
00:35:40,050 --> 00:35:43,020
So we have to use manual work as well

808
00:35:43,020 --> 00:35:45,510
to make sure that we can control that.

809
00:35:46,440 --> 00:35:48,170
Specially-trained metalworkers

810
00:35:48,170 --> 00:35:52,033
follow behind the excavators and dismantle the steel beams.

811
00:35:53,050 --> 00:35:57,250
We cut the steelwork and ease it down,

812
00:35:57,250 --> 00:35:59,763
using a technique called hinge cutting it.

813
00:36:00,860 --> 00:36:04,190
This brings it down in a very controlled manner, slowly,

814
00:36:04,190 --> 00:36:07,078
and it ensures it comes within the job.

815
00:36:07,078 --> 00:36:09,911
(welders hissing)

816
00:36:11,660 --> 00:36:13,120
We're sat on the fourth floor.

817
00:36:13,120 --> 00:36:15,810
Another week's time we'll be another floor down.

818
00:36:15,810 --> 00:36:18,610
That's what we're hoping, a floor a week.

819
00:36:18,610 --> 00:36:21,590
So, four weeks time, we'll be at ground level,

820
00:36:21,590 --> 00:36:24,350
no building left, ready for the developer

821
00:36:24,350 --> 00:36:26,883
to come along and put something new in.

822
00:36:30,966 --> 00:36:33,520
(light percussive music)

823
00:36:33,520 --> 00:36:35,750
Amidst the mass of concrete and steel

824
00:36:35,750 --> 00:36:40,270
that make up a city, parks provide an essential green oasis

825
00:36:40,270 --> 00:36:43,400
for residents to relax and unwind.

826
00:36:43,400 --> 00:36:46,790
But as populations increase and space is limited,

827
00:36:46,790 --> 00:36:48,840
finding and creating new parkland

828
00:36:48,840 --> 00:36:50,573
is more and more challenging.

829
00:36:51,620 --> 00:36:55,950
New York is the densest urban area in the United States,

830
00:36:55,950 --> 00:36:58,200
and here local residents have come up

831
00:36:58,200 --> 00:37:02,080
with an innovative way to maximize green space.

832
00:37:02,080 --> 00:37:03,450
We're standing on the High Line.

833
00:37:03,450 --> 00:37:06,250
The High Line is an old, elevated railroad

834
00:37:06,250 --> 00:37:08,170
that we turned into a park.

835
00:37:08,170 --> 00:37:10,670
{\an8}This was the industrial part of New York,

836
00:37:10,670 --> 00:37:12,210
{\an8}and so it was a freight train

837
00:37:12,210 --> 00:37:15,523
{\an8}that serviced all the factories and warehouses

838
00:37:15,523 --> 00:37:17,023
in this part of Manhattan.

839
00:37:18,010 --> 00:37:19,590
But as lorries took over

840
00:37:19,590 --> 00:37:22,750
the transportation of goods in the '60s and '70s,

841
00:37:22,750 --> 00:37:25,100
the line was eventually abandoned.

842
00:37:25,100 --> 00:37:28,750
It wasn't until the 1990s that Robert decided to work

843
00:37:28,750 --> 00:37:30,759
to save the line from demolition.

844
00:37:30,759 --> 00:37:32,070
(calm electronic music)

845
00:37:32,070 --> 00:37:33,210
When I first came up here,

846
00:37:33,210 --> 00:37:34,640
that's when I really fell in love,

847
00:37:34,640 --> 00:37:38,130
because it was this rusty, old relic,

848
00:37:38,130 --> 00:37:40,600
and there was a mile and a half of wildflowers

849
00:37:40,600 --> 00:37:42,320
running right through the middle of the city.

850
00:37:42,320 --> 00:37:45,690
It just felt like this forgotten piece of New York.

851
00:37:45,690 --> 00:37:47,490
He saw a unique opportunity

852
00:37:47,490 --> 00:37:50,180
to construct a new type of park.

853
00:37:50,180 --> 00:37:53,190
Green space is critical in a city like New York.

854
00:37:53,190 --> 00:37:56,600
We just have so much hardscape, so many people.

855
00:37:56,600 --> 00:37:59,810
There's no more unused space in Manhattan

856
00:37:59,810 --> 00:38:03,370
to create parks, so you have to be creative,

857
00:38:03,370 --> 00:38:06,380
you have to look at spaces that had other uses.

858
00:38:06,380 --> 00:38:07,980
The space was redesigned

859
00:38:07,980 --> 00:38:11,440
to connect the city to nature and to its past,

860
00:38:11,440 --> 00:38:13,200
making the old railway line

861
00:38:13,200 --> 00:38:15,393
one of the centerpieces of the design.

862
00:38:16,400 --> 00:38:17,943
We wanted to put the tracks back,

863
00:38:17,943 --> 00:38:19,630
because we wanted to remind people what this was.

864
00:38:19,630 --> 00:38:22,234
This was a working railroad.

865
00:38:22,234 --> 00:38:25,460
I see kids all the time sort of standing on the tracks,

866
00:38:25,460 --> 00:38:27,240
and I think they're just imagining

867
00:38:27,240 --> 00:38:29,520
a train running right through their neighborhood.

868
00:38:29,520 --> 00:38:31,840
The planting was designed

869
00:38:31,840 --> 00:38:34,110
to recreate that kind of wild landscape

870
00:38:34,110 --> 00:38:35,910
that was originally growing up here.

871
00:38:37,810 --> 00:38:39,430
This unique green space

872
00:38:39,430 --> 00:38:42,720
has transformed this residential area.

873
00:38:42,720 --> 00:38:43,730
The High Line is a place

874
00:38:43,730 --> 00:38:48,030
where people want to live near, work near, shop near.

875
00:38:48,030 --> 00:38:50,770
Last year we had over four million visitors,

876
00:38:50,770 --> 00:38:54,620
so it's really become not just a tourist attraction,

877
00:38:54,620 --> 00:38:57,430
but it's also a real place for New Yorkers.

878
00:38:57,430 --> 00:38:59,410
The High Line's success in New York

879
00:38:59,410 --> 00:39:03,230
has inspired a whole new approach to park architecture.

880
00:39:03,230 --> 00:39:06,810
Now people from all of the world are using it as a model

881
00:39:06,810 --> 00:39:10,060
for how to reclaim old industrial spaces.

882
00:39:10,060 --> 00:39:12,010
It's about keeping some of that history

883
00:39:12,010 --> 00:39:16,248
and some of that past while creating new open spaces.

884
00:39:16,248 --> 00:39:18,950
(upbeat jazz music)

885
00:39:18,950 --> 00:39:21,740
As our cities expand upwards and outwards

886
00:39:21,740 --> 00:39:24,150
to accommodate population growth,

887
00:39:24,150 --> 00:39:26,960
some people are finding their perfect spaces

888
00:39:26,960 --> 00:39:29,854
not on the ground but under it.

889
00:39:29,854 --> 00:39:31,880
(intriguing music)

890
00:39:31,880 --> 00:39:34,400
30 meters under the city of Stockholm,

891
00:39:34,400 --> 00:39:37,540
a Cold War nuclear bunker has been transformed

892
00:39:37,540 --> 00:39:40,910
into a modern-day Bond villain's lair.

893
00:39:40,910 --> 00:39:43,030
Deep underneath the city of Stockholm

894
00:39:43,030 --> 00:39:46,400
a very modern safe house has been constructed.

895
00:39:46,400 --> 00:39:47,560
Well, you can trust this space.

896
00:39:47,560 --> 00:39:50,573
You know it's very safe. You know nobody can come in.

897
00:39:51,600 --> 00:39:53,900
An underground cavern protecting something

898
00:39:53,900 --> 00:39:57,043
so important it can withstand a hydrogen bomb.

899
00:39:58,050 --> 00:40:00,990
You're about 30 meters below the ground,

900
00:40:00,990 --> 00:40:03,253
and it's granite, it's solid rock.

901
00:40:04,750 --> 00:40:06,770
Designed to protect the most modern

902
00:40:06,770 --> 00:40:11,363
of 21st century assets: our internet data.

903
00:40:12,740 --> 00:40:15,080
In today's cities computer data

904
00:40:15,080 --> 00:40:18,260
is almost as important as electrical power,

905
00:40:18,260 --> 00:40:21,950
making the world's 500 billion gigabytes of data

906
00:40:21,950 --> 00:40:25,250
worth more money than almost anything else on Earth.

907
00:40:25,250 --> 00:40:27,610
{\an8}In a modern city, everything that you do,

908
00:40:27,610 --> 00:40:29,920
{\an8}it's so interconnect with the internet.

909
00:40:29,920 --> 00:40:31,400
It contains so much.

910
00:40:31,400 --> 00:40:35,270
It contains banking transaction, it contains communication,

911
00:40:35,270 --> 00:40:37,870
it contains basically everything.

912
00:40:37,870 --> 00:40:40,660
But far from floating in an invisible cloud,

913
00:40:40,660 --> 00:40:43,510
this information is stored in specialized facilities

914
00:40:43,510 --> 00:40:44,833
all around the world.

915
00:40:45,810 --> 00:40:49,570
This room have place for about 8,000 servers,

916
00:40:49,570 --> 00:40:52,520
and out of these servers there are various businesses.

917
00:40:52,520 --> 00:40:55,320
There are small business, big business,

918
00:40:55,320 --> 00:40:59,453
banks, government installations.

919
00:41:00,490 --> 00:41:03,590
We provided the technical facility for the WikiLeaks

920
00:41:03,590 --> 00:41:06,700
during the operation of the Cablegate.

921
00:41:06,700 --> 00:41:08,720
The core of the WikiLeaks business

922
00:41:08,720 --> 00:41:11,290
was located in this facility.

923
00:41:11,290 --> 00:41:15,580
One of these servers in this particular rack is WikiLeaks.

924
00:41:15,580 --> 00:41:18,130
It is from this box that all the stuff

925
00:41:18,130 --> 00:41:21,333
that was cabled out through the world was coming from.

926
00:41:23,622 --> 00:41:24,830
(intriguing instrumental music)

927
00:41:24,830 --> 00:41:26,960
If this data were suddenly lost,

928
00:41:26,960 --> 00:41:28,380
bank accounts could empty,

929
00:41:28,380 --> 00:41:31,100
and a city's infrastructure systems could collapse,

930
00:41:31,100 --> 00:41:32,713
causing complete chaos.

931
00:41:33,820 --> 00:41:37,660
It is Jon Karlung's job to make sure that doesn't happen.

932
00:41:37,660 --> 00:41:40,660
It's critical to uphold this system

933
00:41:40,660 --> 00:41:43,140
to place it in a secure environment.

934
00:41:43,140 --> 00:41:44,880
When Jon and his team stumbled

935
00:41:44,880 --> 00:41:46,870
upon a disused nuclear bunker

936
00:41:46,870 --> 00:41:48,380
right in the middle of the city

937
00:41:48,380 --> 00:41:50,350
they knew they had found the right place

938
00:41:50,350 --> 00:41:52,580
to build a data safe house.

939
00:41:52,580 --> 00:41:55,930
This facility was built in 1943

940
00:41:55,930 --> 00:42:00,090
as a part of a crucial defense for Stockholm.

941
00:42:00,090 --> 00:42:05,090
In the Cold War it was redesigned as a nuclear shelter.

942
00:42:07,780 --> 00:42:10,800
But building in a bunker is no easy task,

943
00:42:10,800 --> 00:42:14,670
as architect Albert France-Lanord found out.

944
00:42:14,670 --> 00:42:17,880
It's a cave, it's rock, it's granite rock,

945
00:42:17,880 --> 00:42:22,880
so there is no straight line, there is no existing drawing.

946
00:42:24,010 --> 00:42:26,660
Albert decided to stick with the bunker theme

947
00:42:26,660 --> 00:42:29,150
and design a modern version of a well-known

948
00:42:29,150 --> 00:42:32,440
underground space: a Bond villain's lair.

949
00:42:32,440 --> 00:42:33,833
We realized very quickly with the client

950
00:42:33,833 --> 00:42:38,370
that we had the same passion for sci-fi movies...

951
00:42:39,354 --> 00:42:43,810
a lot of different old ones, Bond as well of course.

952
00:42:43,810 --> 00:42:45,740
To expand the original bunker

953
00:42:45,740 --> 00:42:48,330
the team spent two years blasting through

954
00:42:48,330 --> 00:42:51,390
4,000 cubic meters of solid granite.

955
00:42:51,390 --> 00:42:53,870
You're not building something;

956
00:42:53,870 --> 00:42:58,400
you're deleting from it to create space.

957
00:42:58,400 --> 00:43:00,180
So it's totally the opposite

958
00:43:00,180 --> 00:43:02,890
of what architecture normally is.

959
00:43:02,890 --> 00:43:05,570
Huge, 40-centimeter-thick steel doors

960
00:43:05,570 --> 00:43:08,273
provide the only entrance to the outside world.

961
00:43:09,730 --> 00:43:11,550
In the center's control room

962
00:43:11,550 --> 00:43:14,840
workers are surrounded by hydroponically-grown plants,

963
00:43:14,840 --> 00:43:17,370
lights that change according to the time of day,

964
00:43:17,370 --> 00:43:19,420
and smoking waterfalls.

965
00:43:19,420 --> 00:43:22,403
I wanted the cave, the rock, to be dominant,

966
00:43:23,510 --> 00:43:27,300
but then the man comes inside this alien world

967
00:43:27,300 --> 00:43:31,450
with water, with light, with plants

968
00:43:31,450 --> 00:43:36,098
and kind of starts its own life inside this rock.

969
00:43:36,098 --> 00:43:38,230
(intriguing instrumental music)

970
00:43:38,230 --> 00:43:40,400
Despite these secure surroundings

971
00:43:40,400 --> 00:43:43,120
there's one problem that could seriously damage

972
00:43:43,120 --> 00:43:45,823
the bunker's data: a power cut.

973
00:43:46,850 --> 00:43:51,850
Europe has seen a 20% jump in demand for power since 1990,

974
00:43:51,990 --> 00:43:55,550
leading to an increased number of electrical blackouts.

975
00:43:55,550 --> 00:43:57,750
All the servers, the computers down here,

976
00:43:57,750 --> 00:43:59,970
are dependent on electricity.

977
00:43:59,970 --> 00:44:03,030
If the power disappears,

978
00:44:03,030 --> 00:44:06,724
the hard drives on those computers would stop working,

979
00:44:06,724 --> 00:44:11,290
so you will have a malfunctioning of the live systems.

980
00:44:11,290 --> 00:44:14,110
Losing power here is not an option,

981
00:44:14,110 --> 00:44:16,570
so the team have brought in these two-ton,

982
00:44:16,570 --> 00:44:20,120
specialized German submarine generators,

983
00:44:20,120 --> 00:44:23,343
programmed to take over minutes after a power cut.

984
00:44:24,295 --> 00:44:25,610
One generator like this

985
00:44:25,610 --> 00:44:30,000
is enough to power about 50 to 100 normal houses.

986
00:44:30,000 --> 00:44:32,820
Since it's hard to know when power may fail,

987
00:44:32,820 --> 00:44:35,150
Kristian Torryn and Thomas Johannson

988
00:44:35,150 --> 00:44:38,460
carry out monthly tests to keep the generators ready

989
00:44:38,460 --> 00:44:41,130
to react at a moment's notice.

990
00:44:41,130 --> 00:44:43,050
We're gonna make a test run

991
00:44:43,050 --> 00:44:46,310
just to be secure that we are working.

992
00:44:46,310 --> 00:44:48,393
We really must do it.

993
00:44:48,393 --> 00:44:49,456
(intense electronic music)

994
00:44:49,456 --> 00:44:52,373
(machine whirring)

995
00:45:00,079 --> 00:45:02,780
Our cities' insatiable need for information

996
00:45:02,780 --> 00:45:05,580
is fueling a worldwide construction boom

997
00:45:05,580 --> 00:45:08,980
of data centers, and nuclear bunkers

998
00:45:08,980 --> 00:45:12,830
or military installations, safe houses from a different era,

999
00:45:12,830 --> 00:45:13,990
make the perfect home

1000
00:45:13,990 --> 00:45:17,150
for one of our most valuable modern day assets.

1001
00:45:17,150 --> 00:45:19,750
We don't really need these spaces anymore.

1002
00:45:19,750 --> 00:45:24,750
It makes sense to reuse them somehow and use them for data.

1003
00:45:29,564 --> 00:45:30,470
(soft electronic music)

1004
00:45:30,470 --> 00:45:32,320
The world's cities are a patchwork

1005
00:45:32,320 --> 00:45:34,210
of the historical and modern,

1006
00:45:34,210 --> 00:45:36,210
where new layers of civilization

1007
00:45:36,210 --> 00:45:38,123
are built directly onto the old.

1008
00:45:39,880 --> 00:45:42,950
In London, the city's 2,000-year history

1009
00:45:42,950 --> 00:45:47,003
plays an important part in almost every new urban project.

1010
00:45:47,920 --> 00:45:50,020
This is the Crossrail development,

1011
00:45:50,020 --> 00:45:53,350
a brand-new, 118-kilometer train line,

1012
00:45:53,350 --> 00:45:56,340
the biggest construction project in Europe.

1013
00:45:56,340 --> 00:45:59,290
{\an8}We have a total of around 40 construction sites

1014
00:45:59,290 --> 00:46:00,123
{\an8}across the project.

1015
00:46:00,123 --> 00:46:02,760
It's a big number, especially when you're spread out

1016
00:46:02,760 --> 00:46:04,510
in all these different, busy areas.

1017
00:46:05,730 --> 00:46:07,720
To build the first completely new

1018
00:46:07,720 --> 00:46:10,290
underground train line in 30 years,

1019
00:46:10,290 --> 00:46:14,100
the Crossrail team are excavating down over 40 meters

1020
00:46:14,100 --> 00:46:16,963
to construct four brand-new tunnels.

1021
00:46:18,530 --> 00:46:20,080
And by digging so deep,

1022
00:46:20,080 --> 00:46:24,400
this team is uncovering a unique window on the city's past.

1023
00:46:24,400 --> 00:46:27,670
So whenever we're excavating a big area on the site,

1024
00:46:27,670 --> 00:46:30,470
we always make sure that the archeologists are involved.

1025
00:46:31,590 --> 00:46:33,920
Jay Carver is the lead archeologist

1026
00:46:33,920 --> 00:46:37,440
working across the entire Crossrail project.

1027
00:46:37,440 --> 00:46:40,050
The depth of deposit in London is up to nine meters deep

1028
00:46:40,050 --> 00:46:43,000
from the current ground surface, so a number of the sites

1029
00:46:43,000 --> 00:46:45,840
that we're building on for Crossrail

1030
00:46:45,840 --> 00:46:48,596
coincide with very important archeological deposits.

1031
00:46:48,596 --> 00:46:49,620
(intriguing music)

1032
00:46:49,620 --> 00:46:51,610
This week construction has stopped

1033
00:46:51,610 --> 00:46:54,070
on a section of the Farringdon station site,

1034
00:46:54,070 --> 00:46:56,070
so that archeologists can investigate

1035
00:46:56,070 --> 00:46:58,370
what appears to be the remnants of a building.

1036
00:46:59,820 --> 00:47:01,400
We're right in the middle of the Eastern Ticket Hall

1037
00:47:01,400 --> 00:47:02,880
Crossrail construction site,

1038
00:47:02,880 --> 00:47:04,970
and behind me the archeological contractor,

1039
00:47:04,970 --> 00:47:06,190
Museum of London Archeology,

1040
00:47:06,190 --> 00:47:09,133
are excavating a fairly small area in this site.

1041
00:47:10,568 --> 00:47:12,570
(machinery clattering)

1042
00:47:12,570 --> 00:47:14,400
Because the whole construction site

1043
00:47:14,400 --> 00:47:16,300
cannot come to a standstill,

1044
00:47:16,300 --> 00:47:19,480
building work continues all around the archeologists,

1045
00:47:19,480 --> 00:47:22,700
and the time to record the finds is limited.

1046
00:47:22,700 --> 00:47:24,230
We're only here a very short time.

1047
00:47:24,230 --> 00:47:26,590
It's really finish by the end of the day.

1048
00:47:26,590 --> 00:47:27,730
{\an8}It can be quite difficult,

1049
00:47:27,730 --> 00:47:30,198
{\an8}especially when you have a crane lifting machine

1050
00:47:30,198 --> 00:47:31,063
over our head.

1051
00:47:31,929 --> 00:47:33,443
It's a bit of a compromise to try and get the work done

1052
00:47:33,443 --> 00:47:36,489
as quickly as possible and as well as possible.

1053
00:47:36,489 --> 00:47:37,322
(soft percussive music)

1054
00:47:37,322 --> 00:47:39,530
All finds from the Crossrail sites

1055
00:47:39,530 --> 00:47:41,780
are recorded and cleaned in a laboratory

1056
00:47:41,780 --> 00:47:43,283
at the Museum of London.

1057
00:47:44,250 --> 00:47:47,340
Nick Elsdon is the project manager for the museum.

1058
00:47:47,340 --> 00:47:49,860
What we've got here is a selection of finds

1059
00:47:49,860 --> 00:47:51,833
from the earlier work on this site.

1060
00:47:52,920 --> 00:47:54,820
The finds from the Crossrail project

1061
00:47:54,820 --> 00:47:56,970
run the gamut of the centuries,

1062
00:47:56,970 --> 00:47:58,610
from a Roman horseshoe...

1063
00:47:58,610 --> 00:48:01,460
You can see it's very different from a modern horseshoe.

1064
00:48:01,460 --> 00:48:03,990
There's a solid iron plate underneath

1065
00:48:03,990 --> 00:48:05,453
to protect the horse's hoof.

1066
00:48:06,470 --> 00:48:08,680
To a 16th century ice skate.

1067
00:48:08,680 --> 00:48:09,930
There's these wonderful stories

1068
00:48:09,930 --> 00:48:11,570
of when it froze in the winter,

1069
00:48:11,570 --> 00:48:14,200
Londoners would tie cattle bones to their feet

1070
00:48:14,200 --> 00:48:15,630
and shoot along on poles.

1071
00:48:15,630 --> 00:48:18,620
And you can see the flat on the bottom

1072
00:48:18,620 --> 00:48:22,260
where it's been worn by contact with the ice.

1073
00:48:22,260 --> 00:48:25,810
The most personal finds are two leather shoes.

1074
00:48:25,810 --> 00:48:30,810
This one is obviously an adult shoe from the 16th century,

1075
00:48:31,240 --> 00:48:33,410
and another, looks so small,

1076
00:48:33,410 --> 00:48:36,030
it's almost certainly a child's shoe.

1077
00:48:36,030 --> 00:48:38,060
These shoes would have been worn by people

1078
00:48:38,060 --> 00:48:41,120
who certainly would have been walking around here

1079
00:48:41,120 --> 00:48:43,520
and perhaps living in the area at that time.

1080
00:48:43,520 --> 00:48:45,720
(intense instrumental music)

1081
00:48:45,720 --> 00:48:48,170
By tying together the future and the past

1082
00:48:48,170 --> 00:48:50,010
of large swaths of London,

1083
00:48:50,010 --> 00:48:53,600
the Crossrail project is setting a new precedent.

1084
00:48:53,600 --> 00:48:54,750
I think London is a city

1085
00:48:54,750 --> 00:48:59,460
that's always appreciated and looked after its heritage.

1086
00:48:59,460 --> 00:49:02,930
Not only are we building a project for future generations;

1087
00:49:02,930 --> 00:49:05,540
we're also exposed with a great opportunity

1088
00:49:05,540 --> 00:49:07,548
of uncovering London's history.

1089
00:49:07,548 --> 00:49:11,381
(passionate orchestral music)

1090
00:49:13,360 --> 00:49:15,210
Thousands of years of construction

1091
00:49:15,210 --> 00:49:17,423
have created our greatest cities.

1092
00:49:19,090 --> 00:49:23,463
And these crowded hubs of civilization continue to evolve.

1093
00:49:25,160 --> 00:49:28,900
Old buildings fall as new towers rise.

1094
00:49:28,900 --> 00:49:30,910
New transport links are created

1095
00:49:30,910 --> 00:49:33,873
as architectural masterpieces are preserved.

1096
00:49:35,320 --> 00:49:39,070
And behind it all is an army of architects, builders,

1097
00:49:39,070 --> 00:49:43,053
{\an8}and engineers who work day and night to make it all happen.

1098
00:49:44,230 --> 00:49:48,540
{\an8}One thing is for sure: this myriad of buildings, parks,

1099
00:49:48,540 --> 00:49:53,090
{\an8}roads, and train lines tell the story of our civilization:

1100
00:49:53,090 --> 00:49:56,969
{\an8}how we live, how we work, and who we are.

1101
00:49:56,969 --> 00:49:59,898
(passionate orchestral music)