Engineering Reborn
Season 1
An insight into how engineering icons of the past are transformed into inspirational beacons of the future.
Where to Watch Engineering Reborn • Season 1
8 Episodes
- Dry DockE3
Dry DockAn old deserted dry dock is transformed into an astonishing new subterranean museum. To build it, engineers had to drain the entire ground around it and rebuild a new concrete base and wall. This had to be anchored deep into the rock by long piles driven over 40 metres down. The result is an atmospheric and extraordinary new museum. - University of Chicago HK, Beloit College, Convent De Sant FrancescE4
University of Chicago HK, Beloit College, Convent De Sant FrancescA look at the Port Building, a stunning, gravity-defying office complex building that appears to hover over a 19th-century fire station, and uses a borehole energy system that makes it one of the most energy efficient buildings in Europe. - West Side LineE6
West Side LineFirst constructed in the 1930s, the West Side Line - an elevated viaduct section of the New York Central Railroad, freighting goods to storage and construction companies in Manhattan - was abandoned in the 1980s. But since 2009, it's been totally revitalised, and grown into a modern icon of contemporary architecture. The railway line is now home to The High Line - a 1.5 mile-long park in the sky, running across the original railway line. But how do you keep thousands of plants watered, just metres above the busy New York road? - Hong Kong New UniversityE7
Hong Kong New UniversityIn Hong Kong, an old WWII detention centre is transformed into a gleaming new university, while respecting the old buildings beneath. Engineering challenges included having to build a new structure on the side of a steep hill using rock bolts and deep piles, and then constructing the new building on stilts high above the historic ruins, which snakes elegantly around a much-loved phoenix tree. - Bahrain RepairE8
Bahrain RepairAfter the discovery of oil in the 1930s, the seas around Bahrain became damaged through increased shipping and spillages, and sea life was decimated. But engineers decided to change this. They bought an old 747, found a way to transport it to Bahrain, stripped it down and rendered it environmentally safe by cleaning it out. But that was just the beginning.