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Arts & Culture

NOVA: Engineering Ground Zero

Ground Zero in 2008, when One World Trade Center was only 15 feet above ground.
Courtesy of David Shadrack-Smith
Ground Zero in 2008, when One World Trade Center was only 15 feet above ground.

Airs Sunday, Sept. 11, 2011 at 11 p.m. on KPBS TV

World Trade Center Collapse

In this audio slide show, civil engineer S. Shyam Sunder describes the series of structural and fire-related events within the towers as they progressed toward catastrophic collapse.

On the tenth anniversary of 9/11, NOVA presents an epic story of engineering, innovation and the perseverance of the human spirit. With extraordinary access granted by The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, “Engineering Ground Zero” follows the five-year construction of One World Trade Center (1 WTC) and the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.

NOVA captures the behind-the-scenes struggle of architects and engineers to make the buildings safe and secure under the pressures of a tight schedule, the demands of practical office space and efficient “green” architecture, and the public's expectations of a fitting site for national remembrance.

The program features interviews with 1 WTC architect David Childs; Chris Ward, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey; Mayor Michael Bloomberg, chairman of the 9-11 Memorial Foundation; and Michael Arad, the man behind the breakthrough concept for the 9-11 Memorial.

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The Filming of "Engineering Ground Zero"
Preview: NOVA: Engineering Ground Zero