Super Skyscrapers Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.0

Super Skyscrapers Blu-ray Movie Review

I can see my house from here.

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf May 4, 2014

As the cities of the world gradually run out of space, the only direction left is skyward. Massive buildings were once the darling of any self-respecting metropolitan area, and now they’re being replaced with concrete goliaths, massive displays of architecture that seek to merge style with practicality, while one tower in particular appears to exist solely as a symbol of perseverance. “Super Skyscrapers” is a four-part documentary that highlights a handful of superstructures as they endure the trial of construction, with setbacks, weather concerns, and the challenge of assembly contributing to a long, arduous process. While the program isn’t exactly a global look at the triumphs of the business, the essential elements of anxiety and professional passion are accounted for, making for a surprisingly tense viewing experience.

The subjects in “Super Skyscrapers” are One World Trade Center in NYC, the Leadenhall Building in London, Shanghai Tower, and One57, also in NYC. The buildings are astounding in their complexity and ambition, with all the projects searching for innovation to bring architecture into a new frontier of computer imaging and construction simplicity, where these massive creations are merely snapped together using ingenious planning and meticulous detail. The documentary is a wholly impressive look at the inner workings of the construction crew, observing their labor and teamwork hundreds of feet in the air, where these men scurry around glass, concrete, and steel to meet impossible deadlines. The rush of construction is felt, with pressure emerging from every facet of the job, urging the workers to press on in horrible elements. The Shanghai Tower episode alone is worth a look, providing a relatively honest glimpse into potential corner-cutting trouble that might cause future damage, allowing interviewees to honestly express their doubts, but unable (or unwilling) to condemn.

Positivity also comes up for air, with the One World Trade Center project a focal point for most New Yorkers, fueled by a determination to rebound from the 9/11 terrorist attacks with a symbol of American resilience. It’s an impressive building, even more so on the inside, where cameras study the virtually impenetrable concrete interior and various survival-minded additions, including lighting tape and multiple stairwells, with the skyscraper ready and able to withstand more violence should it arrive.

Episodes:

Disc 1

“One World Trade Center” (54:42)

In the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, New York City didn’t waste time planning an immediate rebuild. However, what would that building look like? After a contest to determine the final design, construction began in 2006. Requiring over one million square feet of glass, the installations of huge panels are a daily priority for the crew, yet the higher they work, the more invasive the elements become. Wind is a particular problem, requiring an architectural design that controls damaging vortices, allowing the structure stability. Concrete delivery is another dilemma for the workers, who have just 90 minutes after mixing trucks leave the station to pump enough concrete into the floors, requiring specific timing. Concrete also plays a crucial role in the building’s frame, with the tradition of steel set aside to create fortified walls able to withstand another attack. To facilitate such advanced design, buildings codes were rewritten, while setbacks were plentiful, including a damaging experience with Hurricane Sandy. With the building’s shell completed, attaching the spire (bringing One World Trade Center to 1,776 ft. in height) proved to be another challenge, but one eased once internal elevators and their amazing speed began working, allowing the throng of brave ironworkers to complete their job in a timely manner.

“Building the Future” (54:43)

The Leadenhall Building in London has been dubbed “the cheese grater” due to its unique design, while its method of construction, which involves piecing together pre-fabricated parts into a steel frame, is also an atypical method of skyscraper assembly. Erected over a short 26 month schedule, the project required a new frontier of digital engineering, allowing workers to study a 3D model of the building to help imagine completed work and use trial and error to mastermind crane precision. With the new arrival in town, the Leadenhall also has to adhere to a special set of rules, built to avoid blocking out the view of London’s jewel, St. Paul’s Cathedral. In Northern Ireland, floors and beams are crafted to exact specifications, trucked over to London for a meticulous process of insertion, requiring a running dialogue between the crane operator and the banksman to load these elements of the building, depending on down-to-the-inch aim. Helping to load glass panels is the Cerberus System, a monorail-style device that assists workers with the movement of such fragile cargo. Anticipating movement upon settling, designers have mapped out a system to help realign the Leadenhall during construction, while the process of installing the entire system network at the very top of the building proves to be challenging aspect of the job.

Disc 2

“The Vertical City” (54:24)

The Shanghai Tower is the most complex skyscraper ever attempted in China, acting as a vertical community with plans to fill the building with parks, shopping, and citizens, with the height of the structure tall enough to clear through the city’s smog problem. However, to complete construction, the crew must race against time to beat the oncoming typhoon season that threatens to wreck completed work. An unusual glass-within-glass design, the Tower was built using a movable platform system that allowed workers more room to carry out their tasks, while special engineering was developed to reduce sway, permitting more comfort for guests. Setbacks are unwelcome but unavoidable, with inspections from project leaders exposing deficiencies in the work, triggering a series of stress tests, while the workers themselves carry out tasks in perilous conditions, including the installation of glass panels while balancing on wet beams. As the Tower nears completion, the movement of chiller units provides a major challenge for the hungry and tired workforce, with these heavy machines proving difficult to move as a typhoon swoops in, threatening the topping out ceremony, which officially closes outside construction to the violent elements.

“The Billionaire Building” (54:42)

Overlooking Central Park, One57 is out to become the most luxurious and tallest residential buildings in the area. The penthouse alone recently sold for 90 million dollars, establishing a brand name for billionaires everywhere. However, convincing buyers of the building’s worth takes special care, with an off-site sales center constructed to showcase the layout and provide the interested with a simulated view of Central Park, achieved with drone technology. With such a premium view comes a desire to preserve it, necessitating the manufacturing of a massive mechanized window washing rig, which requires steady crane operation to plant on the roof. Of course, cranes are synonymous with the site, with Hurricane Sandy’s force almost pulling one down from the roof during the storm, making headlines across the world. Italian marble has been selected for bathroom tubs, demanding the utmost attention to quality the manufacturer doesn’t always adhere to, while a small English custom kitchen business has been working overtime to meet an order placed by One57’s head honcho. The 2008 financial collapse dented but did not destroy initial constructions plans, and we observe the feverish work required just put together a model apartment.

Super Skyscrapers Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation offers a customary HD viewing experience from a PBS program. It's a clean image, shot with cameras of varying quality, yet fine detail is easy to survey, with the textures of city life and building construction offered satisfying definition, while interviewees retain facial differences. Blacks are unchallenged but distances are easily observed, while darker, unlit corners of the locations still carry frame information. Colors are secure and true, with beaming, warm blue skies and colder gray interiors of concrete.

Super Skyscrapers Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 LPCM track provides only the basics for this series, concentrating on narration duties, which provide fine aural leadership with a deep voice. Interviewees are equally defined, with the mix managing different accents and atmospheric pressures with care, never losing a thought to the chaos of such high-altitude adventures. Scoring is complementary, featuring a sharp synth sound and appropriate increases in volume to accentuate suspense. It's an extremely rudimentary sound design, but one handled safely by the mix.

Super Skyscrapers Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There is no supplementary material found on these discs.

Super Skyscrapers Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

While it may appear as a fact-spewing explanation of architecture inspiration, "Super Skyscraper" is actually teeming with suspense, watching the crews step carefully on ledges, manage dangerous weather conditions, and come down to the wire on deadlines, with the production mixing informational interests in with the tension. It's a fine program, teeming with glory shots of its colossal subjects and peppered with candor, helping to grasp the true herculean effort that goes into the manufacturing of gigantic buildings.