Extreme Engineering

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search
Extreme Engineering
(Build It Bigger)
Also known as Build It Bigger
Kings of Construction
Genre Documentary / Engineering / Architecture / Science
Directed by Peter Frumkin
Olympia Stone
Presented by Danny Forster
Starring Danny Forster
Narrated by Danny Forster
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 9
No. of episodes 77 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time 42 minutes
Release
Original network HD Theater
Science Channel
Discovery Channel
Original release April 1, 2003 (2003-04-01) –
July 9, 2011 (2011-07-09)
Chronology
Preceded by Engineering the Impossible (2002) TV
External links
Website

Extreme Engineering was a documentary television series that aired on the Discovery Channel and the Science Channel. The program featured futuristic and ongoing engineering projects. The series' last season aired in July 2011. Danny Forster first hosted the series in season 4 and has been the host since season 6.[1]

Origins of the show

Engineering the Impossible was a 2-hour special, created and written by Alan Lindgren and produced by Powderhouse Productions for the Discovery Channel. It focused on three incredible, yet physically possible, engineering projects: the nine mile (14 km)-long Gibraltar Bridge, the 170-story Millennium Tower and the 4000+-foot-long Freedom Ship. This program won the Beijing International Science Film Festival Silver Award, and earned Discovery's second-highest weeknight rating for 2002. After the success of this program, Discovery commissioned Powderhouse to produce the first season of the 10-part series, Extreme Engineering, whose episodes were written by Alan Lindgren, Ed Fields and several other Powderhouse writer-producers. Like Engineering the Impossible, the first season of Extreme Engineering focused on extreme projects of the future. Season 2 (and all seasons since) featured projects already in construction around the world.

Gotthard Base Tunnel ( Season 1, Episode 6) – The TBM from Bodio arrived at MFS Faido in September 2006

Episodes

Series overview

Season Episodes Originally aired
Season premiere Season finale
Pilot 1 TBA
1 10 April 13, 2003 (2003-04-13) June 4, 2003 (2003-06-04)
2 9 July 7, 2004 (2004-07-07) November 22, 2004 (2004-11-22)
3 6 October 19, 2005 (2005-10-19) January 21, 2006 (2006-01-21)
4 6 February 19, 2006 (2006-02-19) July 12, 2006 (2006-07-12)
5 6 October 11, 2006 (2006-10-11) November 15, 2006 (2006-11-15)
6 14 July 10, 2007 (2007-07-10) October 17, 2007 (2007-10-17)
7 8 April 20, 2009 (2009-04-20) June 26, 2009 (2009-06-26)
8 10 April 8, 2010 (2010-04-08) July 1, 2010 (2010-07-01)
9 8 April 8, 2011 (2011-04-08) July 9, 2011 (2011-07-09)

Pilot

No. in
series
No. in
season
Title Country Project Status at
production
Original air date
0 1 "Engineering the Impossible" Europe/Africa
United States
China
Gibraltar Bridge
Freedom Ship
Millennium Tower (Hong Kong)
Proposed TBA
Activity since original air date: Millennium Tower on-hold/cancelled due to Central Reclamation Phase III lawsuit

Season 1: 2003

No. in
series
No. in
season
Title Country Project Status at
production
Original air date
1 1 "Tokyo's Sky City" Japan Tokyo's Sky City Proposed April 13, 2003 (2003-04-13)
Activity since original air date: Proposed
2 2 "Subways In America" United States East Side Access Proposed April 15, 2003 (2003-04-15)
Activity since original air date: Under construction (estimated completion 2018)
3 3 "Transatlantic Tunnel" United States
United Kingdom
The Transatlantic tunnel Proposed April 16, 2003 (2003-04-16)
Activity since original air date: Proposed
4 4 "City in a Pyramid" Japan The Shimizu Mega City pyramid over Tokyo Bay Proposed April 23, 2003 (2003-04-23)
Activity since original air date: Proposed
5 5 "Bridging the Bering Strait" United States
Russia
The Bering Strait crossing Proposed April 30, 2003 (2003-04-30)
Activity since original air date: Proposed
6 6 "Tunneling Under the Alps" Switzerland Gotthard Base Tunnel Under construction May 7, 2003 (2003-05-07)
Activity since original air date: Tunnelling complete (estimated completion 2016)
7 7 "Building Hong Kong's Airport" Hong Kong Hong Kong International Airport Completed May 14, 2003 (2003-05-14)
Activity since original air date: Completed
8 8 "Holland's Barriers to the Sea" Netherlands Maeslantkering and Oosterscheldekering storm surge barriers Completed May 21, 2003 (2003-05-21)
Activity since original air date: Completed
9 9 "Boston's Big Dig" United States Boston's Big Dig underground highway and bridge project Completed May 28, 2003 (2003-05-28)
Activity since original air date: Completed
10 10 "Widening the Panama Canal" Panama Panama Canal expansion project Proposed June 4, 2003 (2003-06-04)
Activity since original air date: Under construction (estimated completion 2016)

Season 2: 2004

Season 2 was the first season produced in HDTV for HD Theater.

No. in
series
No. in
season
Title Country Project Status at
production
Original air date
11 1 "Turning Torso" Sweden Turning Torso skyscraper Completed July 7, 2004 (2004-07-07)
Activity since original air date: Completed
12 2 "Venice Flood Gates" Italy Venice Tide Barrier Project (MOSE Project) Under construction July 14, 2004 (2004-07-14)
Activity since original air date: Under construction (estimated completion 2016)
13 3 "Container Ships" Norway Adrian Mærsk (Maersk Line) Completed July 28, 2004 (2004-07-28)
Activity since original air date: Completed
14 4 "Oakland Bay Bridge" United States Eastern span replacement of the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge Under construction August 4, 2004 (2004-08-04)
Activity since original air date: Completed
15 5 "Iceland Tunnels" Iceland Kárahnjúkar Hydropower Plant Under construction September 1, 2004 (2004-09-01)
Activity since original air date: Completed
16 6 "Off-shore Oil Platforms" N/A Tarzan Class oil rigs Under construction September 25, 2004 (2004-09-25)
Activity since original air date: Completed
17 7 "Cooper River Bridge" United States Cooper River Bridge in Charleston, South Carolina Under construction October 5, 2004 (2004-10-05)
Activity since original air date: Completed
18 8 "Millau Viaduct" France Millau Viaduct in Southern France Completed November 15, 2004 (2004-11-15)
Activity since original air date: Completed
19 9 "Excavators" United States Hull-Rust-Mahoning Open Pit Iron Mine in Hibbing, Minnesota Completed November 22, 2004 (2004-11-22)
Activity since original air date: Completed

Season 3: 2005–06

No. in
series
No. in
season
Title Country Project Status at
production
Original air date
20 1 "The Snøhvit Arctic Gas Processing Platform" Norway Snøhvit platform / MV Blue Marlin in the Norwegian Sea Completed October 19, 2005 (2005-10-19)
Activity since original air date: Completed
21 2 "The El Cajon Dam" Mexico El Cajon Dam in Mexico Under construction November 10, 2005 (2005-11-10)
Activity since original air date: Completed
22 3 "Hong Kong's Cable Car" Hong Kong Ngong Ping 360 Completed December 2, 2005 (2005-12-02) (?)
Activity since original air date: Completed
23 4 "Woodrow Wilson Bridge" United States Woodrow Wilson Bridge in Washington, D.C. Under construction December 9, 2005 (2005-12-09) (?)
Activity since original air date: Completed
24 5 "Gotthard Tunnel" Switzerland Gotthard Base Tunnel in Switzerland Under construction January 1, 2006 (2006-01-01)
Activity since original air date: Tunnelling complete (estimated completion 2016)
25 6 "Dubai's Ski Resort" United Arab Emirates Ski Dubai Under construction January 21, 2006 (2006-01-21)
Activity since original air date: Completed

Season 4: 2006

Powderhouse Productions produced six episodes for season 4 with host Danny Forster. It currently airs under the Build It Bigger name on HD Theater, The Science Channel, and Discovery Channel.

No. in
series
No. in
season
Title Country Project Status at
production
Original air date
26 1 "SuperStadium" United States University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona Under construction February 19, 2006 (2006-02-19)
Activity since original air date: Completed
27 2 "MegaTunnel" Malaysia Storm Management And Road Tunnel (SMART) in Kuala Lumpur Under construction March 8, 2006 (2006-03-08)
Activity since original air date: Completed
28 3 "Biggest Warship" United States USS George H.W. Bush Under construction May 31, 2006 (2006-05-31)
Activity since original air date: Completed
29 4 "Sakhalin Oil & Ice" Russia Sakhalin-II on Sakhalin Island Under construction June 28, 2006 (2006-06-28)
Activity since original air date: Completed
30 5 "Big Easy Rebuild" United States Reconstruction of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina Under construction July 5, 2006 (2006-07-05)
Activity since original air date: Under construction (estimated completion N/A)
31 6 "Space Tower" Spain Madrid's Torre Espacio Under construction July 12, 2006 (2006-07-12)
Activity since original air date: Completed

Season 5: 2006

No. in
series
No. in
season
Title Country Project Status at
production
Original air date
32 1 "South Ferry Subway Station" United States The New York City Subway's new South Ferry station Under construction October 11, 2006 (2006-10-11)
Activity since original air date: Completed
33 2 "World's Biggest Arch Bridge" United States Mike O'Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge (the Hoover Dam Bypass) over the Colorado River Under construction October 18, 2006 (2006-10-18)
Activity since original air date: Completed
34 3 "JFK: JetBlue Terminal" United States Reconstruction of John F. Kennedy International Airport's Terminal 5 in New York City Under construction October 25, 2006 (2006-10-25)
Activity since original air date: Completed
35 4 "Stonecutters Bridge: Hong Kong" Hong Kong Hong Kong's Stonecutters Bridge Under construction November 1, 2006 (2006-11-01)
Activity since original air date: Completed
36 5 "California Academy of Sciences" United States The rebuilding of the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, California Under construction November 8, 2006 (2006-11-08)
Activity since original air date: Completed
37 6 "Hallandsås Ridge Tunnel: Sweden" Sweden Hallandsas railway tunnel Under construction November 15, 2006 (2006-11-15)
Activity since original air date: Completed (December 2015)

Season 6: 2007

No. in
series
No. in
season
Title Country Project Status at
production
Original air date
38 1 "Coaster Build Off" United States Griffon steel rollercoaster in Busch Gardens Williamsburg and the Renegade in Valleyfair Under construction July 10, 2007 (2007-07-10)
Activity since original air date: Completed
39 2 "Battle Machines" United States An M1 Abrams tank undergoing maintenance at Anniston Army Depot, Alabama Completed July 17, 2007 (2007-07-17)
Activity since original air date: Completed
40 3 "World's Tallest Skyscraper" China Shanghai World Financial Centre in Shanghai, China Under construction July 24, 2007 (2007-07-24)
Activity since original air date: Completed
41 4 "Super Fast Warship" United States Building an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer for the U.S. Navy Under construction August 7, 2007 (2007-08-07)
Activity since original air date: Completed
42 5 "Boot Camp" United States Training to use construction equipment in Boston, Massachusetts. Completed August 14, 2007 (2007-08-14)
Activity since original air date: Completed
43 6 "Fault Zone Tunnel" United States Inland Feeder pipeline project to supply freshwater to Southern California Under construction August 21, 2007 (2007-08-21)
Activity since original air date: Completed
44 7 "Hurricane-Proof Homes" United States Building heavy duty modular homes Completed August 28, 2007 (2007-08-28)
Activity since original air date: Completed
45 8 "Floating City" Bahamas MS Independence of the Seas for the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines Under construction September 4, 2007 (2007-09-04)
Activity since original air date: Completed
46 9 "Biggest Casino" United States Construction of The Palazzo hotel casino in Las Vegas Under construction September 11, 2007 (2007-09-11)
Activity since original air date: Completed
47 10 "High Risk Tower" United States Construction of Trump's Tower in Chicago Under construction September 18, 2007 (2007-09-18)
Activity since original air date: Completed
48 11 "Turbo-Charged Boats" United States Rebuilding and practice test of an offshore racing boat Completed September 25, 2007 (2007-09-25)
Activity since original air date: Completed
49 12 "Mountain of Steel" Spain City of Culture of Galicia in Galicia Under construction October 3, 2007 (2007-10-03)
Activity since original air date: Completed (Final two buildings cancelled.)
50 13 "Deepest Tunnel" Turkey Construction of Marmaray underwater tunnel in Istanbul Under construction October 10, 2007 (2007-10-10)
Activity since original air date: Completed
51 14 "Major League Stadium" United States Construction of Nationals Park baseball stadium in Washington, D.C. Under construction October 17, 2007 (2007-10-17)
Activity since original air date: Completed

Season 7: 2009

No. in
series
No. in
season
Title Country Project Status at
production
Original air date
52 1 "Dallas Cowboys Stadium" United States Building the new Cowboys Stadium for American Football in Arlington, Texas, USA Under construction April 20, 2009 (2009-04-20)
Activity since original air date: Completed
53 2 "CityCenter, Las Vegas" United States The CityCenter development in Las Vegas aspires to change the desert vacationland into a continental metropolis Under construction April 21, 2009 (2009-04-21)
Activity since original air date: Completed
54 3 "Hong Kong Bridge" Hong Kong Building the Stonecutters Bridge in Hong Kong. Under construction April 27, 2009 (2009-04-27)
Activity since original air date: Completed
55 4 "Navy Amphibious Warship" United States The LPD17 class of warship for the U.S. Navy. Completed May 4, 2009 (2009-05-04)
Activity since original air date: Completed
56 5 "Panama Canal" Panama New $5.25 billion expansion projects. Under construction May 11, 2009 (2009-05-11)
Activity since original air date: Under construction (estimated completion 2014)
57 6 "Peru Dam & Tunnel" Peru Construction of the Limon Dam in Peru and one of the deepest tunnels ever attempted. Completed and operational May 18, 2009 (2009-05-18)
Activity since original air date: Completed
58 7 "Abu Dhabi" United Arab Emirates Al Raha Beach Development in Abu Dhabi Under construction June 1, 2009 (2009-06-01)
Activity since original air date: Completed
59 8 "NASA" United States Transition from the Space Shuttle program to the Constellation program. Under construction June 26, 2009 (2009-06-26)
Activity since original air date: Partially canceled

Season 8: 2010

No. in
series
No. in
season
Title Country Project Status at
production
Original air date
60 1 "Singapore Sky Park" Singapore Singapore Sky Park Under construction April 8, 2010 (2010-04-08)

Singapore Sky Park (now Marina Bay Sands) will hang 650 ft (198 m) in the air on top of three skyscrapers.

Activity since original air date: Completed
61 2 "Rio de Janeiro's Power Island Project" Brazil Simplício Hydroelectric Complex Completed April 15, 2010 (2010-04-15)

Rio de Janeiro has frequent widespread blackouts. So Brazil is building one of the largest hydroelectric projects in the world, the Simplício Hydroelectric Complex.

Activity since original air date: Completed
62 3 "Kuwait Tower" Kuwait Al Hamra Tower Under Construction April 29, 2010 (2010-04-29)

Kuwait's Al Hamra Tower is the world's tallest twisting structure.

Activity since original air date: Completed
63 4 "New Orleans Surge Barrier" United States New Orleans storm surge barrier Under construction May 9, 2010 (2010-05-09)

In an attempt to save the city from another disaster, New Orleans is building the world's strongest hurricane protection system, including the largest storm surge barrier ever built and radical hurricane-resistant homes.

Activity since original air date: Completed
64 5 "South Africa's Mponeng Gold Mine" South Africa Mponeng Gold Mine Under construction May 13, 2010 (2010-05-13)

Johannesburg, South Africa's Mponeng Gold Mine is the deepest place on Earth.

Activity since original air date: Under construction (estimated completion N/A)
65 6 "Overhauling the Bay Bridge" United States Eastern span replacement of the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge Under construction May 20, 2010 (2010-05-20)

Overhauling the San Francisco Bay Bridge is one of the biggest construction projects in the US.

Activity since original air date: Completed
66 7 "Melbourne Stadium" Australia Melbourne Rectangular Stadium Under construction May 27, 2010 (2010-05-27)

Melbourne, Australia is building one of the most innovative stadiums ever built. With its unprecedented geodesic roof and advanced cladding, it will be the ultimate fan experience, and an icon for a city known as the sporting capital of the world.

Activity since original air date: Completed
67 8 "Gotthard Base Tunnel" Switzerland Gotthard Base Tunnel Under construction May 30, 2010 (2010-05-30)

The Swiss government is spending 18 billion dollars to create the Gotthard Base Tunnel – the longest tunnel in the world, getting people and goods through the Alps up to three times faster and ultimately changing European transit forever.

Activity since original air date: Tunnelling completed (estimated completion December 2016)
68 9 "Abu Dhabi Central Market" United Arab Emirates Central Market Project Under construction June 17, 2010 (2010-06-17)

Abu Dhabi's $15 billion Central Market will be a new cultural hub for an emerging world destination, complete with offices, parks, luxurious shops, and hotels – and all centered around the world's tallest residential tower, over 1250 feet high.

Activity since original air date: Under construction (estimated completion 2014)
69 10 "Port of Rotterdam" Netherlands Port of Rotterdam Under construction July 1, 2010 (2010-07-01)

Danny Forster goes behind the scenes at the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, where crews are in the middle of the largest earth-moving project in history – all to triple the port's capacity, and help it serve the biggest ships on the planet.

Activity since original air date: Completed

Season 9: 2011

No. in
series
No. in
season
Title Country Project Status at
production
Original air date
70 1 "Rebuilding New York City's Subway" United States New York City subway expansion Under construction April 8, 2011 (2011-04-08)

Examining subway work under New York City, where crews are expanding the transit systems of Second Avenue Subway and East Side Access as part of a large public works project.

Activity since original air date: Under construction; Second Avenue (estimated completion December 2016), East Side Access (estimated completion 2019–23)
71 2 "Drought-Proofing Australia" Australia Wonthaggi desalination plant Under construction April 15, 2011 (2011-04-15)

After 13 years of record-breaking droughts Melbourne looks to secure its future with a $3.5 billion Wonthaggi desalination plant that will turn saltwater into freshwater. Danny joins crews as they build two undersea tunnels, 29 buildings and 52 miles of pipeline.

Activity since original air date: Completed
72 3 "Azerbaijan's Amazing Transformation" Azerbaijan Flame Towers and Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre Under construction April 22, 2011 (2011-04-22)

After decades of neglect under the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan is reinventing itself. With a $6 billion a year renovation and over 500 new developments, Danny Forster goes behind the scenes of Baku's construction projects: the Flame Towers and Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre.

Activity since original air date: Completed
73 4 "London's Olympic Aquatic Stadium" United Kingdom London Aquatics Centre Completed (Not publicly open until 2014) April 29, 2011 (2011-04-29)

The London Aquatics Centre will host 44 swimming and diving events during the 2012 Summer Olympics and live on as a new addition to the London landscape. Danny Forster goes with crews as they construct one of the most advanced swimming facilities ever built.

Activity since original air date: Completed
74 5 "Constructing Serbia's Largest Bridge" Serbia Ada Bridge Under construction June 18, 2011 (2011-06-18)

Danny Forster joins crews as they construct Serbia's newest national icon. The Sava River Bridge in Belgrade is the world's largest single pylon cable stayed bridge, upgrading a critical freight corridor connecting Central Europe to the East.

Activity since original air date: Completed
75 6 "Amsterdam's Futuristic Floating City" Netherlands Netherlands land expansion Under construction June 25, 2011 (2011-06-25)

The Netherlands is running out of land. Nearly 70% of its land, which comprises half its population lies beneath sea level. Rather than fight back the sea, engineers are radically making it an ally, The new city of IJburg is to create real estate where none exists.

Activity since original air date: Partially Completed
76 7 "Building Mumbai's Modern Airport" India Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport Under construction July 2, 2011 (2011-07-02)

The $2 billion Mumbai Airport expansion project is one of India's most ambitious undertakings aiming to improve Mumbai's Infrastructure for economic growth. If they succeed to build this breathtaking piece of engineering, it could completely change the way airports are designed.

Activity since original air date: Completed
77 8 "Turkey's Mammoth Hydropower Dam" Turkey Deriner Dam Under construction July 9, 2011 (2011-07-09)

Crews are now carving out Turkey's largest construction site in the country's most challenging terrain by building one of the tallest and strongest dams ever made, the Deriner Dam.

Activity since original air date: Completed

See also

References

  1. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links