Culture

Impossible Builds

Learn about the creation of some of the world’s most ambitious and technologically advanced buildings. From subaquatic homes to futuristic towers and pencil thin skyscrapers, see how these previously impossible structures are taking shape.

Ice World

55m 7s

Over the top, ambitious and nature-defying, China's incredible Ice World will transform 37 acres of sub-tropical quarry into a sub-zero ski resort. The construction team will have to battle the worst nature can throw at them. But if they can pull it off they'll make science fiction a reality.

Episodes

  • Ice World: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Ice World

    S1 E5 - 55m 7s

    Over the top, ambitious and nature-defying, China's incredible Ice World will transform 37 acres of sub-tropical quarry into a sub-zero ski resort. The construction team will have to battle the worst nature can throw at them. But if they can pull it off they'll make science fiction a reality.

  • Skinny Skyscraper: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Skinny Skyscraper

    S1 E4 - 55m 6s

    Witness the construction of the skinniest skyscraper ever to make it off the drawing board. Located in New York and rising from within a landmarked building the team will attempt to build the world's thinnest skyscraper on the construction equivalent of a postage stamp.

  • The Floating House: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Floating House

    S1 E3 - 55m 1s

    Follow the build to make living beneath the waves into a reality as a team in Dubai attempts to construct a floating house combining the best of land and marine design. Will they achieve the impossible?

  • Europe in the Desert: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Europe in the Desert

    S1 E2 - 55m 30s

    Can six sand islands, poking out of the Persian Gulf near Dubai, be transformed into the most luxurious holiday destination on earth? One man believes they can and he’s risking tens of millions of dollars to prove it.

  • The Scorpion Tower: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Scorpion Tower

    S1 E1 - 55m 31s

    Follow the construction of one of the most complex skyscrapers ever to make it off the drawing board. Its design is so radical that construction experts have turned to a building material never before used in skyscrapers.

Extras + Features

  • Early Complications: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Early Complications

    S1 E5 - 3m 5s

    After draining out the quarry’s water, the Ice World team discovers the quarry’s floor structure is not as stable as what was anticipated. As a result, the engineering team must go back to the drawing board to rethink the design of the building.

  • A Grueling Job: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    A Grueling Job

    S1 E5 - 2m 55s

    Cao Ping, the site manager of Ice World, has been away on-site for most of his two-year-old son’s life. See how he works around the clock to ensure the resort’s timely completion.

  • Battling the Rain: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Battling the Rain

    S1 E5 - 3m 5s

    Already weeks behind schedule, the Ice World construction team must now scramble to work against the torrential rain. However, the treacherous weather environment raises concerns over the safety of the crew.

  • Episode 5 Preview | Ice World: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Episode 5 Preview | Ice World

    S1 E5 - 31s

    Over the top, ambitious and nature-defying, China's incredible Ice World will transform 37 acres of sub-tropical quarry into a sub-zero ski resort. The construction team will have to battle the worst nature can throw at them. But if they can pull it off they'll make science fiction a reality.

  • The Pandemic Halts Construction: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Pandemic Halts Construction

    S1 E5 - 3m 5s

    With only weeks to go before Ice World’s grand opening, the team prepares the building’s final touches. However, when news of COVID-19 captures the world’s attention, the rigorous work on Ice World is brought to a sudden halt.

  • Arrival of the Crane: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Arrival of the Crane

    S1 E4 - 2m 59s

    Project Manager Pat Feehan and his team must work around the clock to assemble the newly arrived crane before the hectic Thanksgiving holiday. However, with only 24 hours remaining and limited street space available, the crane must be constructed from the ground up — a process that requires the most meticulous of calculations.

  • Episode 4 Preview | Skinny Skyscraper: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Episode 4 Preview | Skinny Skyscraper

    S1 E4 - 31s

    Witness the construction of the skinniest skyscraper ever to make it off the drawing board. Located in New York and rising from within a landmarked building the team will attempt to build the world's thinnest skyscraper on the construction equivalent of a postage stamp.

  • A Daring Design: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    A Daring Design

    S1 E4 - 3m 9s

    Architect Gregg Pasquarelli and his team are eager to redefine the limits of skyscrapers — a design that will present unprecedented challenges to the building’s construction. In May 2015, led by Project Superintendent Anthony Vivelo, the construction team began digging out the foundation for the Skinny Skyscraper on Manhattan’s “Billionaire’s Row.”

  • Luxury Living: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Luxury Living

    S1 E4 - 3m 7s

    With the building’s exterior making progress, the attention turns toward its interior design. Explore the work carried out by the sixty skilled craftsmen at P.E. Guerin who are tasked with making the Skinny Skyscraper’s interior a luxurious paradise.

  • A Damaging Leak: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    A Damaging Leak

    S1 E4 - 2m 55s

    High stakes are riding on the team’s successful distribution of concrete on the skyscraper’s groundwork. As Project Superintendent Anthony Vivelo already knows, any leak in the pouring of the concrete could prove to be cataclysmic.

  • Coral Garden: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Coral Garden

    S1 E3 - 3m 20s

    Marie Goarin talks us through the unique coral garden that is a feature of each Seahorse.

  • Seahorse on the Water: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Seahorse on the Water

    S1 E3 - 2m 47s

    After months of planning and testing, the Seahorse is transported to its permanent mooring site.

Schedule

  • Image
    Impossible Builds: TVSS: Iconic

    Impossible Builds

    Thursday
    Jan 2

    1 Hour

    The creation of some of the world's most ambitious and technologically advanced buildings, from sub-aquatic homes to thin skyscrapers.

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