AE - 4 - Architecture, Buildings, Cathedrals, Castles, Gardens, Parks, Cities
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- StarsChristien AnholtKate WilliamsRoma AgrawalThe history of the greatest and most lavish palaces in the world.10 Episodes *******************
- StarsRobert AlexanderRobert RusselRobert AlexanderEveryone loves a top 10, whether its your favorite TV show, your favorite film, a book, a restaurant. In this series we take a fresh look at the most amazing buildings, structures, and bridges from around the world. Name your number ones.10 episodes *******************
- Join host and architect Stephen Chung as he profiles the most provocative and innovative public spaces in North America. Each hour long episode is organized around a central theme such as "Spaces for Art," "Sustainable and Green," and "Performance & Entertainment" and profiles three to four recently completed buildings. But Cool Spaces: The Best New Architecture is not just a show about buildings! Rather, the focus is on the diverse range of people that are connected together by a significant piece of architecture. Their stories will highlight the enormous human diversity behind the scenes of every building.4 episodes ********************
- StarsDan CruickshankHistorian and writer Dan Cruickshank celebrates architecture as a creative force as he explores the world's greatest cities, buildings and monuments.8 episodes **********************
- CreatorStan BertheaudMichael SelditchStarsByron MoutonLauren AndersonMichael Lee WongThis six-part documentary series from creators Michael Selditch and Stan Bertheaud follows a group of students enrolled in Tulane University's School of Architecture, a proactive and socially-conscious architecture curriculum, as they design and build an affordable house intended to be sold to a needy and qualified home-buyer in post-Katrina devastated New Orleans. "Architecture School" opens a window onto the art and science of architecture while telling a unique and uplifting story about the literal rebuilding of New Orleans. Filmed during the 2007-2008 school year, the series follows the construction of the third home in Tulane University's URBAN/build program, which offers fourth-year architecture students the opportunity to design and build a low-cost single-family home over the course of the school year. Co-founded in 2005 by Reed Kroloff and Ila Berman, URBAN/build is a partnership between Tulane's prestigious School of Architecture and Neighborhood Housing Services of New Orleans (N.H.S.), a 32-year-old nonprofit agency that works to restore urban neighborhoods and offers assistance to first-time low income home-buyers. N.H.S. facilitates the sale of the URBAN/build home, and also provides the capital and land. Tulane provides the creativity, expertise and manpower, in the form of the students themselves. For the students, URBAN/build represents a chance to see their ideas realized at an unusually early stage of their professional careers, not to mention a way to contribute to a city still struggling nearly three years after Hurricane Katrina. For residents of New Orleans, URBAN/build offers a chance to own an exceptional new home, one built with their needs in mind.6 Episodes *********************
- StarsEddie McCannAlisdair SimpsonPeter HarloweThe incredible engineering stories behind three iconic ancient buildings: the Colosseum, the Great Pyramid of Giza and Chartres Cathedral. We tell the history of the people who built them: where they came from, how they lived, and how they managed to erect some of the greatest structures ever built by man. Using ground-breaking computer graphics and dramatic construction, this series shows in intimate detail how these buildings were conceived and constructed in an age before modern technology.3 episodes *********************
- StarsFrançois MarthouretGuy ChapellierJean Nouvel23 episode documentary, each focusing on one distinguished building and its architect, from the 19th and 20th centuries.52 episodes ********************
- CreatorPoppy EdwardsStarsTom DyckhoffKarl LagerfeldZaha HadidA look at how architecture affects the way we feel. According to Architectural historian Tom Dyckhoff, we have hard-wired desires about what we expect from the spaces we inhabit. These desires are then exploited by architects and businesses.3 episodes ********************
- StarsKenneth ClarkReyner BanhamThe Art of Architecture is an exploration of the design and aesthetics of some of the world's most iconic buildings and the inspirations of the architects behind them. This fascinating documentary series provides an inside look at some of the greatest works of architecture in the world, from Lambeth Palace Library to Paris' Holy Trinity Church.3 episodes *********************
- StarsGeoffrey Baer10 Buildings That Changed America tells the stories of ten influential works of architecture, the people who imagined them, and the way these landmarks ushered in innovative cultural shifts throughout our society.*****************************
- DirectorTomas KoolhaasStarsRem KoolhaasA documentary about legendary architect and master provocateur Rem Koolhaas.
- DirectorCarlos CarcasNorberto López AmadoStarsNorman FosterDeyan SudjicThe film traces the rise of one of the world's premier architects, Norman Foster, and his unending quest to improve the quality of life through design.
- DirectorEric BrickerStarsFrances AndertonWim de WitBeth Edwards HarrisNarrated by Dustin Hoffman, VISUAL ACOUSTICS celebrates the life and career of Julius Shulman, the worldÕs greatest architectural photographer, whose images brought modern architecture to the American mainstream.
- DirectorJesper WachtmeisterStarsPeter CookJacque FrescoBuckminster FullerThis film takes the viewer on a journey through possible and impossible architecture projects - from the beginning of the 20th century to today. From concrete illusions of grandeur to round grass covered dwellings under ground. The viewer will meet world famous architects and visionaries like Buckminster Fuller and Le Corbusier and experience their visions and ideas of how to build us a better world. With the help of animations unrealized projects come to life in this documentary that shows astounding visions of a world - as it could have been. Since the end of the 19th century industrialized man has been confronted with new kinds of possibilities and problems, all of which in one way or another are the consequences of a storm of technological progress. Amidst the smoke and wars, architects and artists saw early on that this was a world full of possibilities, with plenty of room for visionary ideas. They were motivated and driven by the problems of the day, be it a shortage of housing, urban decay or pollution. Their visions brought changes in our ways of living and dwelling that challenged our concepts of the good, the true and the beautiful. In this documentary we encounter the Anthroposophist head quarters in Switzerland, the functionalist cities of Le Corbusier and Archigram's projects where pop-art meets architecture. We also meet the self-taught inventor Buckminster Fuller and his light weight constructions, and Antti Lovag - the protector of round houses. Also we visit Habitat 67 - a building conceived from LEGO, Superstudio and their world without objects, Paolo Soleri's crystal like cities in the desert, and ecological housing under ground. Great Expectations is a film about architecture projects and visions which have brought changes in our ways of living and dwelling that challenged our concepts of the good, the true and the beautiful.
- DirectorJesper WachtmeisterStarsTadao AndôSverre FehnKristian GullichsenKOCHUU is a visually stunning film about modern Japanese architecture, its roots in the Japanese tradition, and its impact on the Nordic building tradition. Winding its way through visions of the future and traditional concepts, nature and concrete, gardens and high-tech spaces, the film explains how contemporary Japanese architects strive to unite the ways of modern man with the old philosophies in astounding constructions. KOCHUU, which translates as "in the jar," refers to the Japanese tradition of constructing small, enclosed physical spaces, which create the impression of a separate universe. The film illustrates key components of traditional Japanese architecture, such as reducing the distinction between outdoors and indoors, disrupting the symmetrical, building with wooden posts and beams rather than with walls, modular construction techniques, and its symbiotic relationship with water, light and nature. The film illustrates these concepts through remarkable views of the Imperial Katsura Palace, the Todai-Ji Temple, the Naoshima Contemporary Art Museum, the Sony Tower, numerous teahouses and gardens (see link below for complete list), as well as examples of the cross-fertilization evidenced in buildings throughout Scandinavia, and shows how 'invisible' Japanese traditions are evident even in modern, high-tech buildings. KOCHUU also features interviews with some of Japan's leading architects as well as Scandinavian contemporaries including Pritzker Prize winners Tadao Ando and Sverre Fehn, Toyo Ito, Kazuo Shinohara, Kristian Gullichsen and Juhani Pallasmaa (see link below for complete list and bios). KOCHUU is a compelling illustration of how the aesthetics of Japanese architecture and design are expressed through simple means, and also shows that the best Japanese architecture, wherever it appears, expresses spiritual qualities that enrich human life.
- DirectorBen LoetermanThe film captures John Portman's approach in an intimate portrait that, by turn, assesses and appreciates Portman's work.
- DirectorMark Richard SmithStarsMadolyn Smith OsborneMark Richard SmithDocumentary about the revolutionary and brilliant Chicago architect Louis Sullivan (1856-1924); his rapid rise to fame, tragic decline, and the ultimate triumph of his creative spirit.
- DirectorManfred KirchheimerStarsDylan BakerThe development of the American skyscraper, starting in the late 19th century, in Chicago and then New York, centers on the conflict between architects Daniel Burnham and Louis Sullivan.
- DirectorMurray GrigorStarsSean ConneryKarol Lautner PetersonFrank GehryRenowned architectural filmmaker Murray Grigor explores John Lautner's dramatic spaces with choreographed camera moves, as Lautner himself provides the commentary, speaking with insight and wit in recordings culled from archival sources.
- DirectorMarkus HeidingsfelderMin TeschStarsDirk BaeckerCecil BalmondRene DaalderRarely has an architect caused as much sensation outside of the architecture community as Rem Koolhaas. His outstanding creations--such as the Dutch Embassy in Berlin, the Seattle Library and the Casa da Musica concert hall in Porto--are working examples of the Dutchman's visionary theories about architecture and urban society. But Koolhaas' work is as much about ideas as it is about constructing buildings; he is equally celebrated as a writer and social commentator. For Koolhaas, what is essential is not to create individual masterpieces, but to provoke and excite through the wide range of his activities. REM KOOLHAAS: A KIND OF ARCHITECT is an engaging portrait of a visionary man that takes us to the heart of his ideas. Directors Markus Heidingsfelder and Min Tesch have made a visually inventive, thought-provoking portrait of the architect, prompting Rem Koolhaas to state, "It's the only film about me that I have liked."
- 1985– 1h 23mPG-137.1 (1.6K)TV Episode71MetascoreDirectorSydney PollackStarsFrank GehrySydney PollackJulian SchnabelA look at the life and work of the renown architect.
- DirectorPatrick DemersJoseph HillelREGULAR OR SUPER is a fascinating and informative introduction to the work of Mies van der Rohe (1886-1969), one of the 20th century's most influential architects, and a thought-provoking demonstration of the social and artistic contributions that architecture at its best can make to our urban environments.
- DirectorNathaniel KahnStarsEdmund BaconEdwina Pattison DanielsBalkrishna DoshiDirector Nathaniel Kahn searches to understand his father, noted architect Louis Kahn, who died bankrupt and alone in 1974.
- DirectorPeter RosenStarsI.M. Pei90-minute special on the architect. Filmed throughout the world over a two-year period.
- DirectorKen BurnsLynn NovickStarsEdward HerrmannPhilip BoscoJulie HarrisA biography of the life and work of the American architect.
- DirectorJulia CaveStarsFrank WhitfordCharles JencksChristopher FraylingTraces the development of the Bauhaus movement (1919-1933) from its formation in Weimar by Walter Gropius to the establishment of the Bauhaus School in Dessau to its last stand in a derelict factory in Berlin.
- DirectorHiroshi TeshigaharaStarsIsidro Puig BoadaAntoni GaudíSeiji MiyaguchiThe work of Catalan architect Antonio Gaudí, as seen by Japanese New Wave director Hiroshi Teshigahara.
- StarsGeoffrey BaerOriginal American monuments and the stories behind American favorites, from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to Confederate soldier monuments.******************************
- StarsDon WildmanPaul MeltzerJim RosenbloomMonumental Mysteries scours the country for America's most extraordinary monuments and reveals the amazing mysteries hidden. From New York's iconic Chrysler Building that was once the site of a stunning display of an architectural chicanery, to a huge clock on the island of Hawaii where the hands are forever frozen in time, these are just some of the tales revealed. This series visits the statues, memorials, national parks, gravestones and sculptures which commemorate our nation's most notorious crimes, scandals, disasters and intriguing events of all time.
- DirectorMichael BeckhamGary GlassmanStarsFéodor AtkineAlkibiadis BakogianisAlkiviadis BakogianisA highly sophisticated restoration team is painstakingly reassembling the Parthenon of Athens-a classic Greek building that has suffered from wars, earthquakes, and disastrous previous restoration attempts.
- DirectorPaul PissanosTEMPLE OF POSEIDON - The history of the temple from Ancient Times to the present day. The god Poseidon, the construction of the temple, the statues, the fortress, the Propylon, the Barracks, the citizens' houses, the Naval Shipyard, the shrine of Athena... all enclosed within the manners and customs of the era.
- DirectorPaul PissanosThe Acropolis - marvel at the history and the vivid representations of the unique monuments of the sacred rock of the Acropolis of Athens, the Parthenon, the Erectheion, the Karyatidis, the Propylaia, the Art Gallery, the wondrous Temples of Athena, Pallas, Rome, Augustus, and the Shrine of Artemis ....the great enemies, the catastrophes, and the looting of the most sacred monuments of antiquity.
- DirectorPaul PissanosEPIDAVROS (including the archaeological site of ASKLIPIEION)- experience the shrine of Asclipius (Asklipieius) on Epidavron land. The ceremony of worship and the methods of healing all forms of disease which plagued the peoples of the ancient world. The Propylaia, the Basilica, the Thermal Waters, the Baths, the Theatre of Epidavros and so much more..
- DirectorPaul PissanosANCIENT OLYMPIA & the TEMPLE OF ZEUS - The history of this legendary site which housed the Olympic Games during the glorious era of classical antiquity. Enjoy the customs and traditions of the Olympic Games in the land of their birth. The Stadium, the Judges, the Sacred Altis, the Temple of Zeus, the Heraion, the Philippeion, the Prytaneion, the Garden of treasures, the Crypt, and so many other icons now fabled in ancient history.
- DirectorPaul PissanosDELPHI (Delfi) and the Temple of Apollo - travel back in time to the most sacred location of Ancient Hellas...the Temple of Apollo. Marvel also at the shrine of Athena, the Rotunda, the Gymnasium, the Roman Entrance, the Sacred Way, the Delphi Theatre & Stadium, the Castalian Spring and other wondrous constructions emblematic of the 'seat of faith' amid the ancient world.
- DirectorFaris KermaniStarsBettany HughesDinar BoontharnMario CeeIn the documentary Bettany Hughes visits 7 sites important to Buddism: Bodh Gaya, India; Bodanath Stupa, Nepal; Temple of The Tooth, Sri Lanka; Wat Pho Temple, Thailand; Angkor Wat, Cambodia; Giant Buddha, Hong Kong; and Hsi Lai Temple, LA.
- StarsSimon CallowDominating the landscape for centuries, ancient cathedrals and abbeys reflect Britain's turbulent history through their architectural grandeur-stories of its kings and queens and the religious and social changes brought about by the English Reformation, as well as many other tales of intrigue, love, faith and conviction. Secrets of Britain's Great Cathedrals explores cathedrals and abbeys found throughout England and Wales, featuring interviews with historians and experts and breathtaking 4K footage captured by drones filming their legendary facades and soaring interior spaces. Never before has a television series brought together such a great number of ancient cathedrals and abbeys under one unified story line. Season 1: 4×54, Season 2: 4×54 Season 1 Episode 1: The Cornerstones: York Minster and Canterbury Cathedral Episode 2: London: St Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey Episode 3: Salisbury Cathedral and Wells Cathedral Episode 4: Bath Abbey and Gloucester Cathedral Season 2 Episode 5: Durham Cathedral and Lincoln Cathedral Episode 6: Worcester Cathedral and Tewkesbury Abbey Episode 7: Wales: St. David's, Brecon, St. Asaph and Bangor Cathedrals (Tintern Abbey and Strata Florida) Episode 8: Ely Cathedral, Peterborough Cathedral and King's College Cambridge.
- StarsTony RobinsonJohn SentamuActor and history enthusiast Tony Robinson examines six monumental British cathedrals, their history and the treasures that they house.
- DirectorDavid MurdockStarsJonas ElmoreT. Russell GentryRoss KingExamining the 15th-century dome that crowns the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, Italy. Known as the Duomo, it consists of four million bricks, is taller than the Statue of Liberty and weighs about the same as a cruise ship.
- In a series of three films, the acclaimed documentary film maker, Richard Alwyn, goes behind the scenes in three of England's Church of England Cathedrals - Wakefield, Wells and Southwark. Each film explores in different ways the purpose and daily workings of these extraordinary edifices that stud the English landscape. What are they for? What do they do? Who uses them and how? Are they meeting places between heaven and earth, timeless containers of sacred space? Or empty shells, nothing more than feats of engineering, architecture, but essentially relics - anachronisms in a secular world?
- DirectorGary GlassmanChristine Le GoffScott TiffanyStarsJoan R. BranhamMario BrassardMichael DavisGothic cathedrals are marvels of human achievement and artistry. On this journey inside the jewels of Gothic architecture, discover how medieval builders, drawing from hidden formulas in the Bible itself, reached such spectacular heights.
- DirectorVictoria PageStarsJon CannonThe great cathedrals were the wonders of the medieval world - the tallest buildings since the pyramids and the showpieces of medieval Christianity. Yet they were built at a time when most of us lived in hovels. Architectural historian Jon Cannon explores who were the people that built them and how were they able to achieve such a bold vision.
- DirectorJobim SampsonThe programme charts the challenge of erecting five breakthrough monuments from the birth of Christianity to the present day. We reveal the secrets of their epic construction using cutting edge CGI. Each building combines major technical innovation with breathtaking human endeavour, strokes of genius, ambition and intrigue.
- StarsFred DibnahFred Dibnah shows the building breakthroughs and craft techniques that enabled the great cathedrals such as Ely and Peterborough in the 11th century, and even earlier Bradwell-on-Sea.
- DirectorAndrew ThomasMade of stone and glass, persistence and prayer, the Gothic Cathedral is an epiphany of imagination and an articulation of joy. Through its imposing form we see the evolution of Man's reverence reflected in dynamic design and innovation devoted to the celebration of the sanctity within us all. From Notre Dame and Chartres Cathedral in France...to the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., where traditional building techniques and aesthetics are preserved...here is the story of how some Modern Marvels are Man's gift to acknowledge something greater than himself.
- DirectorTim KingStarsDavid MacaulayCaroline BergDerek JacobiDavid Macaulay and Caroline Berg explore medieval cathedral architecture through the fictional animated story of the rebuilding of such a cathedral in the middle ages after a disastrous fire.
- StarsDan JonesChristophe LombardiJay DeeHistorian Dan Jones explores the millennium of history behind six of Great Britain's most famous castles: Warwick, Dover, Caernarfon, the Tower of London, Carrickfergus, and Stirling.12 episodes *****************************
- StarsRobert GlenisterSelwyn JonesWill DaviesIn Mideval Europe castles were the ultimate symbol of dominance. But they also had to serve several different functions; power projection, defense of the realm, and not in the least, a glorious home for the castle's master. These three functions are examined in turn as the history unfolds of how castles evolved over the centuries to a adapt to changing demands.
- StarsRory DuffyScott WatsonRan LevyMysteries at the castle tells historically based stories about castles and other historical buildings.34 episodes
- StarsRuth GoodmanPeter GinnTom PinfoldHistorian Ruth Goodman and archaeologists Peter Ginn and Tom Pinfold learn about living in the medieval world and help rebuild a castle.5 episodes
- StarsDan SnowJulian MarinoffAaron Atkins6 episodes
- DirectorReinhard KungelTo visit Guédelon is like a journey into history, because in the forest of Saint-Sauveur a castle will be built. Fifty crafts-workers are building a castle using XIIIth century techniques in the middle of the forest, in a natural site which provides them with every building material: water, stone, earth, sand and wood. In Guédelon, there is no excavator, no drill, no electricity an no internal combustion engine in use. Around 2025 they hope to finish this unbelievable project. Reinhard Kungel and his team have been in Guédelon since the very beginning.
- StarsPhilip BarkerBrian DavisonJohn KenyonAncient Mysteries examines the wooden castles of England. Although they are less well known today, they were far more common in medieval times than castles of stone.
- StarsLeonard NimoyThe history of the timber castles that once populated medieval England, but are only mounds of earth today.
- StarsSheldon SmithLarry LewmanRob ListBeginning to think about locks today, we imagine enormous banquet halls, crack of firewoods in a fire-place, romantic times of noble knights and wonderful ladies. In actual fact, rooms look like caves needed for wintering of live-stock. Smoke from a pipe got in rooms, and wonderful ladies and noble knights took a bath rarely.24 episodes
- DirectorPeter NewingtonStarsDavid MacaulaySarah BullenRonald BaddileyThe architecture and life of medieval castles are explored while we follow the story of one such English castle in medieval Wales.
- StarsGeoffrey BaerTen American homes designed by visionary architects, their eclectic clients and current homeowners are highlighted. Each home combined form, function and art to challenge the nature of a home and evolving relationship with it.******************************
- DirectorDouglas KeeveStarsMischa BartonKate BosworthLeee Black ChildersA charming and compelling story of a hotel that is a New York City legend.
- StarsAlain de BottonA look at how our environment and the perfect home can philosophically affect our happiness, and how innovative architecture can contribute to the perfect home.
- DirectorPaul TilzeyStarsJanina RamirezTim AyersSarah BrownHistorian Dr Janina Ramirez unlocks the secrets of a centuries- old masterpiece in glass, the East Window at York Minster - the largest medieval stained-glass window in the country
- StarsGeoffrey BaerTen city parks designed by visionaries to offer an oasis for city dwellers are discussed. An overview of the evolution of American city parks and their history, as well as development of landscape architecture.******************************
- StarsC.T. TaylorSeries exploring the incredible wildlife of America's most iconic national parks.8 episodes *********************
- StarsMonty DonMakoto SuzukiHitoshi ShishimeHorticulture aficionado Monty Don explores the history, customs and wonders of the Japanese gardens as well as what they mean to the Japanese and what role they play in the complex Japanese culture.
- StarsMonty DonJane RidleyDavid SimpsonMonty Don explores the fascinating history and evolution of the British garden, from the seventeenth century through to the modern day. For Monty gardens are every bit as important as the buildings we live and work in and he sets out to show how we can learn as much about ourselves from them.NL
- StarsMonty DonMonty Don visits some of the most famous and interesting gardens in France.
- StarsMonty DonMonty Don, a Gardening expert, visits gardens in various areas of Italy.4 episodes *************
- StarsMonty DonMr. WeiRobeiro DiazIn this stunning series, Monty Don sets off on an enchanting journey to visit 80 of the world's most celebrated gardens, from ancient to modern, large to small, and grand to humble.10 episodes ************
- StarsRick SebakKevin KuharicA visit to interesting and historic cemeteries across the USA.
- DirectorJeffrey KimballStarsRegina AlvarezAnya AuerbachMike BryantA diverse group of full-of-attitude New Yorkers reveals how a hidden world of beautiful wild birds in the middle of Manhattan has upended and magically transformed their lives.
- DirectorDuilio MariolaStarsMike OlszewskiGenerations is the first full-length broadcast documentary about 34-year-old Cuyahoga Valley National Park. It showcases the park's 33,000 acres through archival video footage, filming of the park's better known locales, recent interviews, oral histories and memorabilia provided by park visitors.
- StarsPeter CoyoteWilliam CrononDayton DuncanThe history of the U.S. National Parks system, including the initial ideas which led to the world's first national parks and the expansion of the system over 150 years.6 episodes *************
- DirectorAntonio FerreraAlbert MayslesDavid MayslesStarsJared BeasleyMichael BloombergChristoA documentary on New York City's biggest public art project ever, an installation called "The Gates," by Christo and Jeanne Claude.
- DirectorTony OkunStarsChase MatthewsBrian Joseph OchabScrappy"The Park" is a documentary film about a neighborhood city park and how its existence effects the people who visit the park and the employees who work there. The story is set in a particular local city park (to symbolize urban parks everywhere) and takes the audience on a journey inside this park and what it means to the people and its surrounding community.
- DirectorFrederick WisemanStarsLeVar BurtonFrancis Ford CoppolaLuciano PavarottiFrederick Wiseman chronicles everything and everyone that appears in the world's most famed park.
- StarsMichelle YoungStarts with tracing the 400-year evolution of Broadway in New York, from its beginnings as a Native American road to the electrically-lighted theater district known as the "Great White Way"; riding from Boston to New York on a dirt "highway" and eight more - documents how American roads have shaped not only the way we get around but also the way we live.******************************
- StarsGeoffrey BaerTen towns designed or re-designed by visionary architects, corporations and citizen are highlighted. All share the goal to transform the lives of their residents through architecture, design and urban planning.******************************
- StarsJerry Di GiacomoEdie FalcoMike MagidsonA documentary series examining the integration of nature and contemporary life in four megacities. New York, Paris, Tokyo and Rio
- StarsKavan SmithThom KikotNick EylesStripping major cities naked of their steel, concrete, buildings, roads, rivers and bedrock - layer by layer - to explore the secret technology and infrastructure that keeps them running. What stops Dubai's super tall skyscrapers - balanced on unstable sand - from toppling over? How can San Francisco survive - sitting on the edge of a major earthquake fault? And how did the ancient Romans build a city of a million people without modern technology? This series explores these and other mysteries, by peeling the glass off buildings, rolling back the tarmac on roads and sucking the water out of rivers to expose the hidden infrastructure beneath six major cities: London, Rome, Dubai, Sydney, Toronto and San Francisco. As we explore what lies beneath each metropolis we come face to face with the people who are instrumental in keeping these city alive and well - the engineers building and looking after the city's infrastructure. These characters are larger than life - with a huge passion and energy for what they do. We explore how engineers in London are updating its huge underground Metro network, how workers in San Francisco are building earthquake proof skyscrapers and bridges, and how buildings in Dubai can weather sandstorms and survive in the searing desert heat. Stunning CGI animation strips back the walls of buildings, sucks up expanses of ocean to expose sunken cities, and slices away slabs of rock to reveal the workings of volcanoes close-up. As we peel back the layers, we'll reveal an alien landscape of underground volcanoes, hidden rivers, subterranean cliffs, fragile fault lines, and ancient catacombs - geological wonders that play a surprising role shaping the cities and lives of the people above. This series reveals a world never seen before - an alien geological universe normally hidden under tarmac and concrete...a landscape of unprecedented wonder, turbulence and scale. Desert City: Dubai The city's leading engineers and geologists reveal the secrets hidden inside Dubai's buildings that keep them standing. Earthquake City: San Francisco The engineers and geologists reveal the secrets inside San Francisco's skyscrapers that keep them standing Harbour City: Sydney How did Sydney come to thrive in such an inhospitable place? This film looks beneath the city's skin to discover the secret engineering wonders that make it possible. Ice City: Toronto How did this metropolis grow to become the largest city in Canada in such an extreme environment? This film looks beneath the city's skin to discover the secret engineering wonders and geological forces that make it possible. Underground City: London We lift up Buckingham Palace to reveal a 'lost' river and show the innovative engineering behind the city's brand new port under construction. Ancient City: Rome We descend into a cavern of tunnels that runs under most of Rome, abseil into an ancient aqueduct and explore how Rome's new Metro is being built.14 episodes ********************
- DirectorAndreas DalsgaardStarsJan GehlRob AdamsRobert DoyleHalf of the human population lives in urban areas. By 2050, this will increase to 80%. Life in a megacity is both enchanting and problematic. Today we face peak oil, climate change, loneliness and severe health issues due to our way of life. But why? The Danish architect and professor Jan Gehl has studied human behavior in cities through four decades. He has documented how modern cities repel human interaction, and argues that we can build cities in a way, which takes human needs for inclusion and intimacy into account. 'The Human Scale' meets thinkers, architects and urban planners across the globe. It questions our assumptions about modernity, exploring what happens when we put people into the centre of our planning.
- DirectorGary HustwitStarsAmanda M. BurdenRem KoolhaasNorman FosterA documentary about the design of cities, which looks at the issues and strategies behind urban design and features some of the world's foremost architects, planners, policymakers, builders, and thinkers.
- DirectorJudith McBrienFew individuals have had more impact on the American city than architect and planner Daniel Hudson Burnham. In the midst of late nineteenth century urban disorder, Burnham offered a powerful vision of what a civilized American city could look like that provided a compelling framework for Americans to make sense of the world around them. He built some of the first skyscrapers in the world, directed construction of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition that inspired the City Beautiful Movement, and created urban plans for San Francisco, Washington, DC, Chicago, Cleveland and Manila all before the profession of urban planning existed. In fact, some say that he invented it. His work sought to reconcile things often thought opposite: the practical and the ideal, business and art, and capitalism and democracy. At the center of it all was the idea of a vibrant urban community.
- DirectorW. Ross WellsStarsYolanda AdamsLauren AndersonBrian ChingModern documentary details a day in the life of America's 4th largest city.
- DirectorLarry KleinStarsDavid MacaulayDerek JacobiIan McKellenAs we explore the remains of Roman cities, we also follow the story of one such city in Gaul, beset with political corruption and Celtic insurrection.
- StarsIbrahim AlmuftiHoward DicksteinRonald O. HamburgerThe science behind the risks of sky-high buildings, from structural limits to threats presented by wind, fire and earthquakes.
- StarsJason M. BarrLisa KayIn cities where space is scarce and populations are booming, the answer is to build up. Skyscrapers are monuments of the modern world, triumphs of human imagination made real through the might of engineering. In this series we explore the story of great buildings and the human desire to build bigger and better and conquer new heights.
- DirectorAndrew ThomasStarsIrwin G. CantorBrendan GillLydia RuthThis program focuses on the symbolic and historical aspects of the Empire State Building rather than its architecture and technology. The world's tallest building was preceded but a skyscraper construction boom in the roaring twenties that ironed out many of the challenges of building tall. Yet, despite being one of the only major construction projects in New York during the Great Depression, which generated considerable publicity, it remained controversial in a number of ways until the film "King Kong" made it a must see tourist destination and it survived a B-25 plane crash.****************************
- StarsGeoffrey Baer