As urban space shrinks, we build higher and faster than ever before, creating a new generation of skyscrapers. Super skyscrapers are pushing the limits of engineering, technology and design to become greener, stronger, smarter and more luxurious than their predecessors.
This four-part series: "The Vertical City" (repeats Feb 7); "The Billionaire Building" (repeats Feb. 14); "One World Trade Center" (repeats Feb. 21); and "Building The Future" (repeats Feb. 28), follows the creation of four extraordinary buildings, showcasing how they will revolutionize the way we live, work and protect ourselves from potential threats.
"The Vertical City" features Shanghai Tower — it isn’t just a skyscraper — it’s a vertical city, a collection of businesses, services and hotels all in one place, fitting a population the size of Monaco into a footprint the size of a football field.
Within its walls, residents can literally work, rest, play and relax in public parks, looking up through 12 stories of clear space. Not just one, however, but eight of them, stacked on top of each other, all the way to the 121st floor.
When complete, the structure will dominate Shanghai’s skyline, towering over its neighbors as a testament to China’s economic success and the ambitions of the city’s wealthy elite.
“It’s clear that a new generation of buildings is rising around the world,” said Dan Oliver, executive producer at Blink Films. “They are extraordinarily complex, strong, tall and safer than ever. It was an amazing project to get behind the scenes in various stages of their development. We got an inside look at how today’s ever-improving technology is literally changing the game in construction, and the way global citizens are living their lives.”
The Vertical City - Preview
"Watch the rise of a veritable vertical city
This series originally aired in 2014.
The series was produced by Blink Films UK. The series is executive produced by Dan Oliver and Dan Chambers.
