If We Built It Today (2019–…): Season 1, Episode 7 - Fortress of the Gods - full transcript
Rome's Pantheon hides the secret to the Roman Empire's power, and it took dangerous, cutting-edge engineering to build it. Experts use the latest tech and modern-day science to reveal if ...
THE PANTHEON -- A TEMPLE TO THE
MYTHICAL GODS OF ANCIENT ROME --
HAS BEEN DRAWING A CROWD SINCE
IT WAS BUILT 2,000 YEARS AGO.
I CAN'T THINK OF A PLACE
THAT WOULD GIVE
A GREATER SENSE OF YOUR POWER.
IT'S THE ANCIENT ROMANS'
BEST-PRESERVED BUILDING.
MADE OUT OF THEIR MOST FAMOUS
BUILDING MATERIAL.
USING CONCRETE,
ROMANS WERE ABLE TO EXPAND
INTO WHOLE NEW GEOMETRIES
OF CONSTRUCTION.
THEY BEGAN TO BUILD LARGE DOMES
THAT HAD NEVER BEFORE BEEN SEEN
IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD.
AS OUR CONCRETE WORLD
CRUMBLES AROUND US,
COULD THE SECRET SOLUTION
BE HIDDEN INSIDE THE PANTHEON?
CONCRETE WE USE TODAY
IS DIFFERENT THAN THE CONCRETE
THAT THE ROMANS USED.
THE ROMANS TOOK WHAT COULD HAVE
BEEN A RATHER DULL,
UTILITARIAN MATERIAL,
AND THEY TURNED IT INTO
WHAT WAS REALLY AN ART FORM.
CAN WE DO AS THE ROMANS DID
AND USE CONCRETE
TO ERECT
AN ARCHITECTURAL ICON?
THE SAME PHILOSOPHY IN CULTURAL
AND ARTISTIC FLAIR
SHOULD BE REFLECTED.
WE'RE MIXING UP THE STRONGEST
CONCRETE ON EARTH
AND GETTING READY
FOR A BRUTAL BATTLE
BETWEEN CLASSIC
AND CONTEMPORARY.
IF WE WERE TO REBUILD
THE PANTHEON TODAY,
WE HAVE TO THINK
IN TERMS OF MILLENNIA.
WE WOULD WANT TO GO BIGGER
AND DO SOMETHING
THAT IS EVEN MORE INNOVATIVE.
WE'RE ON THE JOB SITE OF ONE
OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST WONDERS.
AND WE'RE WONDERING,
HOW LONG WOULD IT TAKE?
HOW MUCH WOULD IT COST?
HOW MANY WORKERS WOULD WE NEED?
COULD WE EVEN DO IT
IF WE BUILT IT TODAY?
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
ROME.
ITALY'S BUSTLING MODERN CAPITAL.
2,000 YEARS AGO, IT WAS
THE BIGGEST CITY IN THE WORLD.
MOST OF THE ANCIENT METROPOLIS
HAS SINCE FALLEN INTO RUINS,
BUT THE PANTHEON
STILL STANDS.
PANTHEON IS ONE OF
THE GREAT MYSTERIES
OF THE ROMAN WORLD.
YOU DON'T HAVE THAT MANY
LITERARY REFERENCES
ABOUT THE NAMING
OF THE BUILDING.
THE WORD PANTHEON MEANS
"OF ALL THE GODS."
ITS PURPOSE, WHY EXACTLY IT WAS
BUILT THE WAY IT WAS,
IT'S REALLY WRAPPED IN
A WHOLE SERIES OF MYSTERIES.
BUT ONE THING WE CAN AGREE UPON
IS THAT THERE ARE
SOME UNBELIEVABLY INNOVATIVE
CONSTRUCTION METHODS
IN THE PANTHEON.
IT'S 14 STORIES HIGH.
NOT MUCH COMPARED TO TODAY'S
MOST FAMOUS SKYSCRAPERS.
BUT THE PANTHEON ENDURES
AS A MASTERPIECE
OF ARCHITECTURAL BEAUTY
AND ENGINEERING ACUMEN.
IF YOU WERE A ROMAN COMING TO
SEE THIS PANTHEON
FOR THE FIRST TIME,
WHAT YOU WOULD HAVE SEEN
AS YOU WALKED TOWARDS IT
IS A VERY CONVENTIONAL TEMPLE.
BUT HEN, AS YOU WENT INSIDE,
IT WAS NOT A CONVENTIONAL TEMPLE
AT ALL.
EVERYTHING ABOUT IT WAS OPULENT.
TODAY, IT'S ADORNED WITH
RENAISSANCE-ERA PAINTINGS
AND STATUES.
BUT ITS MARBLE FLOORS
AND GRANITE COLUMNS
HAVE BEEN TURNING HEADS
FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.
ONLY ONCE YOU ENTER THE INTERIOR
SPACE DO YOU SEE
THAT THE BUILDING
IS NOT RECTANGULAR.
IT'S CIRCULAR.
THE HEIGHT FROM THE OCULUS
TO THE GROUND
IS THE SAME AS THE DIAMETER.
WHICH MEANS THAT, IF YOU WERE
TO CONTINUE THE DOME,
YOU WOULD HAVE A PERFECT SPHERE.
THIS DOME IS THE PANTHEON'S
CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT.
BUILT WITH MORE THAN 4,500 TONS
OF ROMAN CONCRETE,
IT'S BIGGER THAN THE DOME
OF ST. PETER'S CATHEDRAL
AND THE UNITED STATES CAPITOL
BUILDING.
TODAY, IT IS STILL THE LARGEST
UNREINFORCED CONCRETE
BUILDING IN THE WORLD.
IT'S THIS INTERESTING DOMED --
CONCRETE DOME STRUCTURE
ABOVE YOU,
AND THE HOLE IN THE ROOF,
TOO, AN OCULUS,
THAT LETS IN LIGHT
TO ILLUMINATE THE INTERIOR.
THIS OPENING TO THE SKIES
REMAINS UNCOVERED TO THIS DAY.
WHEN IT RAINS, WATER DRAINS OUT
THROUGH FOUR TINY GRATES.
THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF THE DOME
AND THE OCULUS
WAS TO REPRESENT
THE POWER OF THE EMPIRE
AND THE POWER OF THE SINGLE
LIGHT SOURCE, THE EMPEROR.
BUT AS THE SUN BEGAN TO SET
ON THE ROMAN EMPIRE,
THE PANTHEON'S OWNERSHIP
CHANGED HANDS.
IN 609, IT WAS CHANGED
INTO A CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
WHEN THE PANTHEON BECOMES
A CHURCH,
IT BASICALLY GUARANTEES
ITS SURVIVAL
FOR THE NEXT 15 CENTURIES
BECAUSE IT BECOMES
A LIVING HOUSE OF WORSHIP.
BEING A CHRISTIAN CHURCH
MEANS THAT IT'S BEING REPAIRED.
IT'S BEING STRUCTURALLY
SUPPORTED.
AS A CHURCH, THE PANTHEON
HAS SERVED AS A FINAL
RESTING PLACE OF KINGS,
QUEENS, AND THE RENAISSANCE
ARTIST, RAPHAEL.
NO BUILDING HAS PLAYED A MORE
IMPORTANT ROLE IN ROMAN LIFE
OVER THE PAST TWO MILLENNIA.
IT'S THIS AMAZING FEAT OF
ARCHITECTURE AND ENGINEERING
THAT HAS LASTED FOR SO LONG,
AND YOU CAN VISIT IT TODAY,
AND IT'S NOT MUCH DIFFERENT
THAN IT WAS
WHEN IT WAS ORIGINALLY BUILT.
BUT COULD WE BUILD
A LONG-LASTING PANTHEON TODAY?
WHEN WE BUILD TODAY, WE OFTEN
THINK IN TERMS OF DECADES --
POSSIBLY A CENTURY.
ROMANS BUILT FOR MILLENNIA.
IN SOME RESPECTS,
IT'S NOT REALLY POSSIBLE
BASED SIMPLY ON THE MATERIAL
USED, THE CONCRETE.
ROMAN CONCRETE IS QUITE
DIFFERENT FROM TODAY'S CONCRETE.
WE'RE CERTAINLY CAPABLE
OF RECONSTRUCTING
THE EXACT SAME FORMS,
MAKING A DOME THE SAME SIZE,
PUTTING UP COLUMNS OUT FRONT.
ALL OF THOSE ELEMENTS
WE HAVE THE ENGINEERING, SKILL,
AND CONSTRUCTION
EXPERTISE TO DO.
I GUESS THE QUESTION IS,
TO WHAT END?
IT'S TIME TO REIMAGINE
THIS ARCHITECTURAL WONDER.
WE WOULD WANT TO GO BIGGER
THAN THE PANTHEON.
WE WANT SOMETHING
THAT IS CUTTING EDGE,
THAT TAKES THAT TO THE EXTREME
AND IS DIFFERENT THAN ANYTHING
THAT ANYBODY HAS REALLY SEEN
OR EXPERIENCED TO DATE.
CAN WE BUILD A MODERN
ENGINEERING ICON
IN WORSHIP OF THIS
ANCIENT ROMAN TEMPLE?
OUR MODERN MEGA-DEVELOPER
LOVES THE IDEA.
WHETHER YOU'RE BUILDING
A STRUCTURE 2,000 YEARS AGO
LIKE THE PANTHEON OR BUILDING
A BEAUTIFUL BUILDING TODAY,
THE SAME PHILOSOPHY AND CULTURE
AND ARTISTIC FLAIR
SHOULD BE REFLECTED.
AND THAT'S WHY IT'S IMPORTANT
TO SURROUND YOURSELF
AND YOUR TEAM
WITH SUCH CREATIVE MINDS
THAT REFLECT THE DAY OF THAT
YOU'RE ERECTING A BUILDING.
SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT IDEA,
BUTCAN WE AFFORD
THIS ARCHITECTURAL FEAT?
THE QUESTION OF PROFITABILITY,
IT'S A QUESTION MARK FOR ME.
BUT IS THAT IMPORTANT IF YOU'RE
BUILDING A CULTURE
AND A COMMUNITY?
IN MY VIEW, THAT'S SECONDARY.
WE'LL HAVE TO COME UP
WITH THE NECESSARY FUNDING
TO COMPLETE OUR PROJECT,
BUT BEFORE WE BUILD OUR BUDGET,
WE'VE GOT TO FIGURE OUT
WHAT THIS BUILDING
IS GONNA LOOK LIKE.
ANDWHAT WE'RE GOING TO
BUILD IT OUT OF.
IF WE WERE TO REBUILD
THE PANTHEON TODAY,
I WOULD FIGHT TO BUILD IT
OUT OF TRADITIONAL MATERIALS.
BUT WE DON'T EXACTLY KNOW
WHY THEY BUILT THISPANTHEON.
AND IT WASN'T EVEN
THE FIRST ONE.
THIS IS, IN FACT, THE THIRD
PANTHEON ON THIS SITE.
THERE WERE TWO OTHER PANTHEONS,
AND THEY BOTH BURNED DOWN.
AND IT'S THOUGHT THAT PROBABLY
THE ORIGINAL TEMPLE HERE
WAS DEDICATED
TO THE OLYMPIAN GODS.
ROMAN TEMPLES, THEY'RE DIFFERENT
IN WHAT WE WOULD CONCEIVE OF,
LET'S SAY, A CHURCH
OR A SYNAGOGUE OR A MOSQUE
IN WHICH YOU WORSHIP
IN THE INTERIOR OF THE BUILDING.
YOU GO AS A COMMUNITY DURING
SPECIFIC RELIGIOUS FESTIVALS,
SO THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE
GO TO ATTEND THESE THINGS,
AND THERE'S JUST NOT ENOUGH
SPACE INSIDE THE TEMPLE.
ALL OF THE CEREMONY
TAKES PLACE IN THE EXTERIOR.
PANTHEON VERSION THREE
WAS COMMISSIONED
BY EMPEROR HADRIAN
IN 117 B.C.
A TIME WHEN THE ROLE THESE
TEMPLES SERVED IN ROMAN LIFE
WAS EVOLVING.
WE THINK THAT PROBABLY THIS
PANTHEON, THE THIRD PANTHEON,
FUNCTIONED MORE AS A KIND
OF AUDIENCE HALL FOR HADRIAN,
RATHER THAN AS
AN ACTUAL TEMPLE AS SUCH.
ROME'S PANTHEON HAS SERVED
AS AN ANCIENT TEMPLE
FOR POLYTHEISTIC WORSHIP,
AN EMPEROR'S PRIVATE SOAP BOX,
AND TODAY,
A CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
THIS DOME'S SURE WORN
A LOT OF HATS OVER THE YEARS.
WE WANNA RE-CREATE
THE PANTHEON TODAY,
BUT WHAT PURPOSE
WILL OUR STRUCTURE HAVE?
TODAY, WE MIGHT BUILD A PANTHEON
TO HONOR HEROES
OR TO PROVIDE A HOUSE FOR BOOKS
OR A HOUSE FOR GOVERNMENT.
THE LEGACY OF THE PANTHEON IS ON
FULL DISPLAY ACROSS THE GLOBE.
YOU SEE READING ROOMS,
CAPITAL BUILDINGS,
MUSEUMS INFLUENCED
BY ROMAN ARCHITECTURE
AND PARTICULARLY
BY THE PANTHEON.
SEVEN MILLION PEOPLE PASS
THROUGH THE WOODEN DOORS
OF THIS ANCIENT ICON EACH YEAR.
WE WANNA MAKE SURE
OUR MODERN-DAY PANTHEON
WILL ALSO DRAW A CROWD.
MILLIONS OF TOURISTS FLOCK
TO THE PANTHEON EACH YEAR
TO GET A GLIMPSE OF ANCIENT ROME
IN ALL ITS GLORY.
IN FACT, PEOPLE HAVE BEEN
GATHERING AT THIS ICONIC SITE
FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.
IF YOU THINK OF IT, IT'S A PLACE
WHERE PEOPLE CAME TOGETHER.
THEY MET. THEY EXCHANGED
IDEAS ABOUT THINGS.
WE HAVE ALL SORTS OF BUILDINGS
THAT FULFILL THE SAME FUNCTION
IN THE WORLD TODAY.
IF YOU THINK OF A TRADE
AND CONVENTION CENTER.
LIKE A CONVENTION CENTER TODAY,
THE PANTHEON WAS
A DESTINATION BUILDING
THAT BROUGHT THE MASSES
TO THE CENTER OF THE CITY.
AND OUR MODERN MEGA-DEVELOPER
BELIEVES THAT TODAY,
IF WE BUILD IT,
THEY WILL COME.
WE BUILD WORLD TRADE
CONVENTION CENTERS
AND CULTURAL CENTERS
THESE DAYS.
IT'S TO BRING COMMUNITIES
AND CULTURES TOGETHER.
I THINK BY INVITING PEOPLE
TO COME TO YOUR COMMUNITY
AND THE CORE
AND THE HEART OF YOUR CITY,
THEY SPEND TIME IN YOUR
RESTAURANTS, IN YOUR HOTELS.
I MEAN, THERE'S A CULTURAL
EXCHANGE.
IF WE WANNA USE THE PANTHEON
AS INSPIRATION
TO BUILD
A MODERN CONVENTION CENTER,
WE'VE GOTTA BUILD SOMETHING
STRUCTURALLY SOUND,
ARCHITECTURALLY RENOWNED,
AND STRONG ENOUGH TO LAST
FOR AT LEAST 2,000 YEARS.
AND THAT MISSION WILL GUIDE
EVERY DECISION
WE MAKE ABOUT
OUR MODERN-DAY PANTHEON.
WHERE ARE WE GOING TO BUILD?
WHAT ARE WE BUILDING IT OUT OF?
WHAT'S IT GOING TO LOOK LIKE?
HOW ARE WE GOING TO DO IT?
HOW MANY PEOPLE
IS IT GOING TO TAKE?
HOW LONG?
AND HOW MUCH IS THIS WHOLE THING
GOING TO COST?
BEFORE WE BRING
IN THE HEAVY EQUIPMENT,
WE'VE GOTTA FIGURE OUT
WHEREWE'RE GOING TO BUILD IT.
WHEN THIS PANTHEON WAS BUILT,
ROME WAS A SUPER-SIZED CITY.
THERE WERE PROBABLY BETWEEN 1
MILLION AND 1.2 MILLION PEOPLE
WHO LIVED IN THE CITY,
WHICH MAKES IT LARGER
THAN ANY CITY
IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD
PRIOR TO THE 18th CENTURY.
BUT IT WASN'T
JUST ITS POPULATION
THAT MADE ANCIENT ROME
THE GREATEST CITY OF ITS AGE.
IT'S CROWDED.
IT'S BUSY.
IT'S ALWAYS BUZZING
WITH ACTIVITY.
IT'S ALSO A COSMOPOLITAN CENTER.
ROME 2,000 YEARS AGO
SOUNDS A LOT
LIKE THE BIGGEST CITY
OF A MODERN SUPERPOWER.
NEW YORK CITY MUST BE
THE MOST DYNAMIC CITY
OR ONE OF THE MOST
DYNAMIC CITIES,
CERTAINLY, IN THE WORLD,
AND IT'S CONSTANTLY
CHANGING AND GROWING.
NOT ONLY IS THIS
THE BIGGEST CITY IN AMERICA,
IT'S AMONG THE MOST COSMOPOLITAN
CITIES IN THE WORLD.
YOU KNOW, THE CLASSIC NEW YORKER
WAS BORN SOMEWHERE ELSE,
GOT TO NEW YORK, LOOKED AROUND,
AND SAID,
"THANK GOD
I HAVE FOUND HOME."
THOSE OF US THAT WERE BORN HERE,
LIKE ME,
ARE DESCENDED
FROM PEOPLE LIKE THAT.
MORE THAN 8 MILLION PEOPLE
LIVE IN NEW YORK CITY.
AND EVERY YEAR, ALMOST
63 MILLION MORE COME TO VISIT
ITS TEMPLE
OF TOURIST ATTRACTIONS.
A PLACE OF BEAUTY,
A PLACE OF GRAND BUILDINGS,
A PLACE OF MEMORY.
AND ALSO, I SUSPECT THAT QUITE
A FEW OF THE BUILDINGS
GOING UP RIGHT NOW THAT ARE
SO NEW COME BACK IN 30 YEARS,
THEY'LL BE LANDMARKS.
SO, WE'LL BUILD
IN NEW YORK CITY.
BUT WHAT ARE WE GOING
TO BUILD IT FROM?
THE SEARCH STARTS HERE.
THE PANTHEON IS MADE
OF A NUMBER OF MATERIALS.
THERE ARE BUILDING STONES USED,
TRAVERTINE AND LIMESTONE.
THERE ARE GRANITE COLUMNS.
THERE ARE MARBLE
DECORATIVE ELEMENTS.
BRICK IS USED THROUGHOUT,
AS WELL,
BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT
SINGLE BUILDING MATERIAL
USED IN THE STRUCTURE
IS CONCRETE.
BUT WHY DOESN'T THE PANTHEON
LOOK ANYTHING
LIKE OUR MODERN
CONCRETE BUILDINGS?
THE VIEWERS AT THE TIME WOULDN'T
SEE THE CONCRETE ITSELF.
THE CONCRETE ALWAYS
HAD FACING MATERIAL ON IT,
SO THEY SEE THE FACING MATERIAL.
THEY DON'T SEE THE CONCRETE.
THE PROBLEM WITH CONCRETE
IS THAT,
ONCE YOU TAKE OFF
THE FACING MATERIAL,
IT BECOMES VERY SUSCEPTIBLE
TO DEGRADATION.
AND SO IT ERODES AWAY.
THE RUINS THAT LITTER ROME TO
THIS DAY FELL APART GRADUALLY.
THANKS TO 1,500 YEARS
OF PILLAGING,
NEGLECT, AND DEGRADATION.
BUT TODAY'S BUILDINGS
COME DOWN WITH A BANG.
THE UNITED STATES ALONE PRODUCES
ALMOST HALF A BILLION TONS
OF CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION
WASTE A YEAR.
MOST OF THAT DEBRIS,
YOU GUESSED IT, CONCRETE.
SO, DO WE REALLY WANT A PANTHEON
MADE FROM 21st CENTURY CONCRETE?
AS WE THINK ABOUT BUILDING
A MONUMENT THAT'S GOING TO LAST
FOR A MILLENNIA
AS THE ROMANS BUILT,
WE HAVE TO CONSIDER
THE DURABILITY
AND THE SOLIDITY
OF THOSE MATERIALS.
AND EVEN IF
WE WANT TO USE CONCRETE
FOR OUR MODERN-DAY PANTHEON,
IT'S LIKELY NOT GOING TO BE
IDENTICAL TO THE ORIGINAL.
ONE OF THE GREAT INVENTIONS
OF THE ROMAN PERIOD
WAS ROMAN CONCRETE.
THEY REALLY MADE IT INTO
THEIR OWN MATERIAL
IN A WAY
THAT OTHER CULTURES DIDN'T.
WITH CONCRETE, YOU CAN MAKE
SHAPES THAT CURVE,
AND YOU CAN USE IT
IN BOW VAULTS AND ARCHES
AND DOMES TO SPAN
HUGE DISTANCES.
BUT WITH THE FALL OF ROME,
THE RECIPE
FOR CONCRETE DISAPPEARED.
WE WOULDN'T SEE LARGE-SCALE
CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION AGAIN
UNTIL THE DAWN
OF THE 20th CENTURY.
THE INGALLS BUILDING IN OHIO WAS
THE FIRST CONCRETE SKYSCRAPER.
IT WAS BUILT IN 1903.
IT WAS ONLY 16 STORIES HIGH,
BUT IT LAID THE GROUND FOR
THE MODERN CONCRETE EXPLOSION.
THE HOOVER DAM WAS, BY FAR,
THE BIGGEST CONCRETE STRUCTURE
EVER BUILT
WHEN IT OPENED IN 1936.
THERE'S ENOUGH CONCRETE HERE
TO PAVE A HIGHWAY
FROM SAN FRANCISCO TO NEW YORK.
OR BUILD OVER 1,000 MORE DOMES
FOR THE PANTHEON.
TODAY, ALMOST EVERYTHING
WE BUILD USES CONCRETE.
IT'S A $35 BILLION INDUSTRY
IN THE USA.
THE ROMANS MAY HAVE INVENTED IT,
BUT WE'VE TAKEN IT
TO NEW HEIGHTS.
A CONCRETE PANTHEON
SHOULD BE NO PROBLEM, RIGHT?
2,000 YEARS AGO,
THE ROMAN PANTHEON
WAS A PIONEER
OF CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION.
WE WANT TO USE THE SAME MATERIAL
TO BUILD OUR MODERN-DAY REPLICA.
BUT HOW DOES TODAY'S
CONCRETE MEASURE UP?
ROMAN CONCRETE IS DIFFERENT FROM
THE CONCRETE THAT WE USE TODAY.
CONTEMPORARY CONCRETE
IS TYPICALLY HIGHLY LIQUID.
ROMAN CONCRETE IS LESS LIQUID.
IT'S MORE LIKE A MORTAR.
WHATEVER STRUCTURE WE BUILD MAY
HAVE THE FORM OF THE PANTHEON,
BUT IT'S UNLIKELY
TO HAVE ITS DURABILITY.
MOST EXPERTS ATTRIBUTE ROMAN
CONCRETE'S EXCEPTIONAL STRENGTH
TO A SPECIAL INGREDIENT
INSIDE ITS MIXTURE.
THE ROMANS DEVELOPED CONCRETE
USING VOLCANIC ASH
FROM NEAR MOUNT VESUVIUS,
AND THEY DISCOVERED THAT
A PARTICULAR ASH WAS REACTIVE,
MEANING THAT IF IT WERE GROUND
INTO DUST AND MIXED WITH WATER,
IT WOULD SET HARD AND BECOME
ESSENTIALLY A LIQUID STONE.
THE VOLCANIC ASH IS
CALLED POZZOLANA,
BUT IT'S IN SCARCE SUPPLY IN
OUR MODERN CONSTRUCTION WORLD.
POZZOLANA ISN'T USED SO MUCH
THESE DAYS
BECAUSE OF DIFFICULTIES
OF ACCESS, BECAUSE OF EXPENSE,
AND BECAUSE OF LIMITED SUPPLY
COMPARED TO OTHER MATERIALS
THAT WE MIGHT INCLUDE INSTEAD.
BUT CAN WE USE MODERN-DAY
CONCRETE TO BUILD OUR PANTHEON?
WELL, LET'S FIND OUT.
THIS IS ONE OF THOUSANDS
OF READY-MIX CONCRETE PLANTS
SPREAD ACROSS THE WORLD.
WE'VE GOT KEVIN NICKERSON
HERE TO HELP US
MIX UP THE STRONGEST
CONCRETE EARTH CAN PROVIDE.
WE CAN GIVE YOU AS MUCH YOU WANT
TO WHATEVER SPECIFICATION
YOU NEED.
THAT SPECIFICATION
MIGHT BE COLOR.
IT MIGHT BE TEXTURE.
SO IF YOU NEED IT FLOWABLE,
WE CAN DO THAT.
YOU NEED IT DURABLE,
WE CAN DO THAT.
MAXIMIZING THE STRENGTH,
DURABILITY,
AND EVEN THE AESTHETIC
OF CONCRETE
IS ALL ABOUT
THE INGREDIENTS YOU USE.
THERE'S FOUR BASIC COMPONENTS
TO CONCRETE.
THERE'S WATER.
THERE'S AGGREGATE.
CEMENT.
AND THERE'S ADD MIXTURES,
CHEMICAL ADD MIXTURES.
SO AS LONG AS THOSE MATERIALS
ARE AVAILABLE,
WE CAN KEEP PRODUCING CONCRETE
TO YOUR HEART'S CONTENT.
BY FAR, THE MOST IMPORTANT
INGREDIENT IN CONCRETE
IS CEMENT.
CEMENT IS MADE BY GRINDING
AND COMBINING REACTIVITY-PRONE
ROCKS LIKE LIMESTONE
AND SOFTER ROCKS
LIKE SHALE OR CLAY.
SUPERHEAT THE MIXTURE,
AND YOU GET A ROCK-HARD
CHEMICAL COMPOUND.
GRIND IT INTO A POWDER --
THAT'SCEMENT.
THE CEMENT IS WHAT FORMS
THE PASTE.
THAT ULTIMATELY IS WHAT GETS
HARD AND MAKE CONCRETE CONCRETE.
CEMENT IS TO CONCRETE
BASICALLY AS FLOUR IS TO BREAD.
CEMENT IS THE SECOND-MOST-USED
RESOURCE IN THE WORLD.
THE FIRST -- WATER.
ANOTHER INGREDIENT
IN OUR RECIPE.
TOGETHER, WATER AND CEMENT
FORM THE GLUE
THAT HOLDS CONCRETE TOGETHER.
NOW, INGREDIENT NUMBER THREE,
AGGREGATE.
A CATCHALL TERM
FOR THE CRUSHED STONE,
GRAVEL, AND SAND
USED AS REINFORCEMENT.
THE STRONGER YOUR AGGREGATE,
THE STRONGER YOUR CONCRETE.
THIS IS OUR MAIN SOURCE
OF COARSE AGGREGATE.
IN GENERAL, ALL CONCRETE,
THE MAJORITY OF THE CONCRETE,
IS GONNA BE DONE WITH THE 20 MIL
OR THE 3/4-INCH AGGREGATE.
IT'S PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD.
THIS IS WHAT WE'LL CALL
OUR 14-MILLIMETER AGGREGATE,
SO A LITTLE BIT SMALLER THAN
THE GENERAL, EVERYDAY STUFF.
BUT IT MEETS THE NEEDS OF
A DECORATIVE CONCRETE, AS WELL.
YOU CAN SEE, THIS ONE HAS SOME
VERY DISTINCT
COLORING PROPERTIES --
KIND OF A REDDISH BROWN.
AND WE'LL QUITE COMMONLY
USE THAT
IN AN EXPOSED
AGGREGATE APPLICATION.
THE DIFFERENCE --
MAIN DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO
OTHER THAN THE VISUAL ONES IS,
IN FACT,
THIS ONE IS CONSIDERABLY
MORE EXPENSIVE THAN THIS ONE.
WE'RE WILLING TO BREAK THE BANK
FOR A CONCRETE
THAT REALLY SHINES.
QUITE OFTEN, I THINK MANY PEOPLE
THINK OF CONCRETE AS GRAY
AND DULL AND BORING.
BUT WITH AGGREGATES LIKE THESE,
WELL, WE CAN MAKE SOME VERY
APPEALING-LOOKING CONCRETES.
THERE ARE YELLOW ONES.
THERE ARE BLACK-AND-WHITE ONES.
ON TOP OF THIS, WE CAN ACTUALLY
ADD PIGMENTS TO GIVE YOU
JUST ABOUT ANY COLOR
AND ANY VARIETY YOU WANT.
WITH THE RIGHT AGGREGATE,
WE THINK WE CAN BUILD A PANTHEON
ON PAR WITH THE ORIGINAL.
BUT A LITTLE NEW-AGE CHEMISTRY
MIGHT JUST TIP
THE SCALES OUR WAY.
SO, WHAT'S THE LAST INGREDIENT
IN CONCRETE?
ADD MIXTURES.
CHEMICAL CONCOCTIONS
THAT VARY WIDELY,
BASED ON THE APPLICATION
AND LOCATION OF YOUR BUILD.
WE'LL MAKE SURE WE CHOOSE
THE RIGHT CHEMICAL
ADD MIXTURE TO PROTECT AGAINST
NEW YORK'S HARSH WINTERS.
SO, THIS IS WHERE WE'RE ABLE
TO MIX EVERYTHING,
ALL THE DRY INGREDIENTS,
CHEMICALS, WATERS, EVERYTHING.
THIS IS WHERE WE BASICALLY
MIX IT ALL TOGETHER,
MEASURE IT ALL OUT, DUMP IT INTO
THE BACK OF THE TRUCK,
LET THE TRUCK WORK ITS MAGIC.
SO, WE'VE GOT
ALL OF THE INGREDIENTS
WE'LL NEED TO BUILD
OUR MODERN-DAY PANTHEON.
BUT WHAT'S IT GOING TO
LOOK LIKE?
THIS PANTHEON'S DESIGN
WAS OVERSEEN
BY ANCIENT ROME'S
BIGGEST ARCHITECTURE AFICIONADO
WHO JUST SO HAPPENED
TO BE THE EMPEROR HIMSELF.
WHEN HADRIAN BECAME EMPEROR
IN 117,
THIS ALLOWED HIM, REALLY,
TO INDULGE SOMETHING
THAT HAD BEEN HIS GREAT
PASSION THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE.
HE HAS A MASSIVE PALACE OUTSIDE
THE CITY OF ROME AT TIVOLI,
AND HISTORIANS BELIEVE HE HAD
SOME INPUT INTO ITS DESIGN.
AND MANY OF THE ELEMENTS
OF THE PANTHEON ARE ECHOED
IN SOME OF THE BUILDINGS
AND ROOMS AT TIVOLI.
SOME PEOPLE USED TO THINK
THAT PERHAPS HADRIAN HIMSELF
DESIGNED THE PANTHEON,
BUT IT'S UNLIKELY THAT HE WOULD
HAVE REALLY HAD THE EXPERIENCE
TO BUILD SUCH
A SOPHISTICATED BUILDING.
IT'S EXTREMELY LIKELY THAT
HE HAD A LOT OF INPUT INTO IT,
AND THAT IT REPRESENTS
HIS ULTIMATE DREAMS
OF WHAT A BUILDING SHOULD BE.
WE'RE DREAMING OF AN
ARCHITECTURAL WONDER OF OUR OWN,
AND THANKS TO THE BUILDING
MATERIAL WE'VE CHOSEN,
WE CAN GIVE IT
ANY LOOK WE WANT.
CONCRETE CAN DRY INTO
SO MANY DIFFERENT FORMS,
IT HAS FED
THE CREATIVE APPETITES
OF MANY MODERN ARCHITECTS.
THERE WAS A MOVEMENT
IN THE '60s, '50s
AND '60s CALLED BRUTALISM.
BRUTALISM COMES FROM
THE FRENCH WORD BRUTE
WHICH MEANS RAW, PURE.
CONCRETE IS IDEAL
FOR THIS KIND OF NAKEDNESS.
THIS RAWNESS.
BRUTALISM FELL OUT OF STYLE
BY THE 21st CENTURY,
BUT STRUCTURES LIKE THIS ONE
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI
SCREAM BRUTALISM IS BACK.
THE THOMAS B. MURPHY DESIGN
STUDIO WAS NAMED 2018'S
BUILDING OF THE YEAR
BY WORLD ARCHITECTS,
AN INTERNATIONAL NETWORK
OF ARCHITECTS, ENGINEERS,
AND DESIGNERS.
THE POPULARITY OF THE BUILDING
TESTIFIES TO THE POWER
OF CONCRETE
AND TO THE SIMPLE MINIMALIST
DESIGN OF THE BUILDING.
THIS IS THE DESIGN INSPIRATION
WE'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR.
WE'RE IMAGINING
AN ALL-CONCRETE PANTHEON,
A 21st CENTURY MASH-UP
OF CLASSICAL ANTIQUITY
AND MODERN BRUTALISM.
SO, LET'S TAKE THE FORM
OF THE PANTHEON
AND RE-CREATE
IT ENTIRELY FROM CONCRETE.
NOW, HOW ARE WE
GOING TO BUILD IT?
CAN WE BEAT THE ANCIENT
ROMANS' RECORD
AND BUILD AN EVEN BIGGER,
UNREINFORCED CONCRETE DOME?
MAYBE WE CAN ASK WHOEVER BUILT
THIS 55,000-SEAT
DOMED BASEBALL PARK
IN TORONTO, CANADA.
THEY HAD TO FIGURE OUT
HOW TO BUILD
A CONCRETE
DOME ROOF UNREINFORCED,
AND THEN THEY HAD TO FIGURE OUT
HOW TO SIT THAT ROOF
ON A SERIES OF CONCRETE FRAMES
JUST LIKE WE DO HERE.
WE'VE GOT A ROOF SITTING
ON CONCRETE FRAMES HERE.
THE PANTHEON'S GOT
A CONCRETE ROOF
SITTING ON CONCRETE FRAMES
DOWN BELOW.
THE OFFICIAL NAME
IS THE ROGERS CENTER,
BUT IT WAS ORIGINALLY
NAMED THE SKYDOME.
CONSTRUCTION BEGAN IN 1987,
AND THIS BALLPARK SPRUNG UP
IN JUST 2 1/2 YEARS.
SO, THE SKYDOME WAS BASICALLY
THE FIRST OF ITS KIND
IN THE WORLD.
WE HAD TO BUILD A FULLY
RETRACTABLE DOME STADIUM
THAT COULD OPEN A ROOF
IN 20 MINUTES.
IT HAD NEVER BEEN DONE
ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.
THE DOME IS ACTUALLY
FOUR SEPARATE ROOF PANELS,
THREE OF WHICH MOVE
ALONG THIS CUSTOM TRACK.
SO WE'RE UP IN THE RAIL SYSTEM
OF PANEL ONE.
THE RAIL SYSTEM OF PANEL ONE,
PANEL ONE ACTUALLY HAS
FOUR RAILS --
A LOWER RAIL, AN UPPER RAIL,
AN OUTER RAIL,
AND AN INNER RAIL.
THESE ARE REALLY
QUITE HEAVY RAILS,
AND THEY'RE LOCATED
ON A VERY PRECISE GEOMETRY,
A CIRCULAR RADIUS GEOMETRY,
AND THIS IS THE BOGEY
THAT PICKS UP
THE FIRST ARCH TRUSS ITSELF.
YOU KNOW, THIS THING IS REALLY
A DERIVATIVE
OF PURE TRAIN TECHNOLOGY,
THE BOGEY SYSTEM ITSELF.
IT'S BASED ON A RAIL TYPE
OF WHEEL.
IT'S BASED ON A RAIL ITSELF
THAT CAME RIGHT OUT
OF THE RAIL WORLD.
THEY BUILT A DOME THAT MOVES.
WE CAN BUILT AN EVEN BIGGER,
UNREINFORCED CONCRETE DOME,
RIGHT?
FOR SURE, WE COULD
MAKE IT LARGER.
BUT THE MORE IMPORTANT ADD
TO THAT IS, WE WOULDN'T DO IT.
AND WE WOULDN'T DO IT BECAUSE
OF ENGINEERING STANDARDS
AND TECHNOLOGIES AND BUILDING
CODES AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
OUR BUILDING CODES ARE DESIGNED
SO THAT THERE'S A LIFE
SAFETY COMPONENT TO THEM.
WE DON'T WANT OUR PANTHEON
TO BECOME FAMOUS FOR CRUMBLING.
THIS ANCIENT DOME HAS PASSED
THE ULTIMATE SAFETY TEST.
IT'S BEEN STANDING STRONG
FOR 2,000 YEARS.
CONSTRUCTION HAS PROGRESSED
A LOT SINCE THEN,
BUT MAYBE NOT ENOUGH TO MATCH
OUR MODERN-DAY AMBITIONS.
CAN IT BE DONE?
ABSOLUTELY, BUT AT WHAT COST?
WE'RE PROBABLY
NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO BUILD
A BIGGER,
UNREINFORCED DOME,
BUT THE ROMANS HAD
TO MAKE COMPROMISES, TOO.
THE PANTHEON IS
A REMARKABLE BUILDING,
BUT NOT EVERYTHING
WENT ACCORDING TO PLAN.
THIS FAçADE WOULD HAVE BEEN
EVEN MORE REMARKABLE
HAD IT BEEN BUILT
WITH THE SIZE OF COLUMNS
THAT WERE DESIGNED FOR IT.
BECAUSE THESE COLUMNS HERE
ARE TEN FEET TOO SHORT.
AND IN FACT, IF WE LOOK, WE CAN
SEE ON THE ROTUNDA THE OUTLINE
OF WHERE THE ORIGINAL PEDIMENT
SHOULD HAVE MET THE ROTUNDA.
THESE COLUMNS COME FROM EGYPT,
SHIPPED DOWN THE NILE,
AND THEN SHIPPED
ACROSS THE MEDITERRANEAN,
AND THEN SHIPPED UP HERE.
I THINK WE CAN IMAGINE
THAT THERE WERE MANY,
MANY PLACES WHERE
THEY MIGHT HAVE BROKEN,
OR WHERE THE SHIPS
MIGHT HAVE SUNK
OR SOMETHING
MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED.
IF THIS BUILD'S
EVER GOING TO HAPPEN,
WE'VE GOTTA MAKE
SOME CONCESSIONS, TOO.
YOU KNOW, FOR A LARGE,
DOMED STRUCTURE,
WE WOULD USE
THE MODERN-DAY TECHNOLOGIES
OF REINFORCING STEEL,
AND THAT WOULD PROVIDE
AN ENHANCED LEVEL OF SAFETY.
HERE'S THE GOOD NEWS.
IF WE USE REINFORCING STEEL,
WE CAN MAKE OUR CONCRETE DOME
MUCH LARGER.
THE ORIGINAL ONE WAS 43 METERS
OR SO ACROSS.
LET'S SAY WE BUILD ONE THAT'S --
I'D SAY LET'S MAKE IT
TWICE AS BIG.
LET'S MAKE IT 86 METERS ACROSS.
WE'RE GOING TO DO EVERYTHING
WE CAN TO KEEP
OUR MODERN-DAY TEMPLE UPRIGHT.
WE'RE IMAGINING
WHAT IT WOULD TAKE
TO BUILD A MODERN-DAY PANTHEON
IN NEW YORK CITY.
WE WANNA BUILD IT
OUT OF CONCRETE,
AND WE'LL NEED TO PUT
A PLAN INTO PLACE
TO ENSURE THAT OUR STRUCTURE
STAYS STANDING
FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.
I THINK YOU BUILD UP
A MAINTENANCE PLAN
WITH A PROPER BUDGET
AND PROPER SOLUTIONS
TO KEEP THAT STRUCTURE
LOOKING GOOD.
AND THAT'S ALL IN THE PLANNING.
THAT WAS THE PLAN
FOR THE ROGERS CENTER.
THREE DECADES LATER,
THE SAME CONSTRUCTION COMPANY
IS BACK TO REPLACE
THE GLISTENING PVC SHIELD
THAT PROTECTS
THIS STEEL DOME.
SO, THE CREW'S
ACTUALLY UP THERE
REMOVING SOME OF
THE EXISTING MEMBRANE
AND PUTTING A NEW MEMBRANE
BACK ON TOP.
IN ORDER FOR THEM TO DO THAT,
THEY NEED TO DO IT
FROM A SWING STAGE,
WHICH RIDES OVER TOP
OF THE EXISTING MEMBRANE.
THEY GO UP.
THEY CUT IT OUT.
AND THEN THEY PUT
THE NEW MEMBRANE BACK DOWN.
THE BUILDING ITSELF IS ACTUALLY
STILL IN GREAT SHAPE,
SO AS LONG AS THEY KEEP
THE MAINTENANCE UP,
THIS BUILDING WILL LAST
FOR A LONG TIME.
BUT BEFORE WE START
WORRYING ABOUT REPAIRS,
WE'VE GOT TO FINALIZE
OUR CONSTRUCTION PLANS.
SO, HOW MANY PEOPLE DO WE NEED,
AND HOW LONG
IS IT GOING TO TAKE?
WELL, HERE'S THE ANCIENT
BENCHMARK.
IN ORDER TO BUILD THE PANTHEON,
IT WOULD HAVE TAKEN
1,100 LABORERS
ABOUT TEN YEARS TO BUILD IT.
IF WE WERE TO BUILD IT TODAY,
I THINK THERE ARE
SOME EFFICIENCIES
WE CAN TAKE TO TRY TO
SPEED UP THE PROCESS.
HERE'S WHAT
THE TEAM IN TORONTO
THINKS IT'LL TAKE
TO BUILD TODAY.
ON SITE, WE'D NEED PROBABLY
SOMEWHERE IN THE RANGE OF,
DEPENDING ON THE PHASE
OF THE CONSTRUCTION,
FROM 50 PEOPLE
TO MAYBE 250 PEOPLE.
OUR DESIGN TEAM MIGHT BE
STARTING OFF WITH 5,
GOING TO 20,
GOING TO 100 PEOPLE ITSELF.
WE'LL PUT IT AT 350 PEOPLE
AT PEAK PRODUCTION.
SO, HOW LONG?
FROM START TO FINISH,
THE WHOLE THING WE COULD
PROBABLY DO IN A LITTLE MORE
THAN THREE YEARS ITSELF.
SO, LET'S SAY IT'S 3 1/2 YEARS
WITH A MAX CAPACITY WORKFORCE
OF 350 PEOPLE.
NOW, ALL WE NEED
IS THE GREEN LIGHT.
WHETHER YOU'RE BUILDING
A SKYSCRAPER, A PYRAMID,
OR JUST A SIMPLE BUILDING,
I THINK THERE'S SOME PRINCIPLES
OF STUDYING THE PROJECT,
GETTING YOUR RIGHT TEAM ONBOARD,
GETTING YOUR BUDGET,
AND IMPLEMENTING.
THAT'S EXACTLY
WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE
AT THE JOB SITE OF THIS
$200 MILLION DEVELOPMENT.
KEVIN NICKERSON'S TEAM
IS IN CHARGE
OF SUPPLYING
ALL OF THE CONCRETE.
JUST DUMPING THE CONCRETE
INTO THE BACK OF THE TRUCK.
THERE ARE TWO LARGE
PUMPING CYLINDERS,
SO THE PUMPING CYLINDERS,
ONE, IS ACTUALLY SUCKING
TO FILL THE CYLINDER.
THE OTHER IS PUSHING
TO EMPTY THE CYLINDER.
SO AS THEY COME OUT,
THE CONCRETE FLOWS DOWN THROUGH
WHAT'S CALLED
AN S-PIPE DOWN HERE.
CONCRETE IS SUCKED INTO
ONE OF THE CYLINDERS.
IT SWITCHES OVER AND PUSHES OUT,
COMES DOWN THROUGH THE PIPELINE,
ALL THE WAY UP THROUGH THE BOOM,
AND THEN ALL THE WAY TO THE END.
THE TEMPORARY SHELL WHERE
THIS CONCRETE WILL SET
AND HARDEN IS CALLED A FORM.
THEY'VE OBVIOUSLY GOT THE FORM
WORK, OBVIOUSLY, IN PLACE.
THE FORMS ARE IN PLACE.
THE STEEL --
REINFORCING STEEL HAS BEEN TIED,
AND WE'RE FILLING THE FORMS
WITH CONCRETE NOW.
WE TAKE THE HEAVY-DUTY
APPROACH THESE DAYS,
BUT IT WAS THE ROMANS
WHO CONQUERED CONCRETE
CONSTRUCTION FIRST.
THEY WOULD HAVE USED LIKE
A TIMBER BOX COMING UP.
THEY BASICALLY PROVIDE A VOID,
IN OTHER WORDS,
AN OPENING FOR THE CONCRETE
TO SIT INTO.
THEY WOULD HAVE POURED CONCRETE.
THEY WOULD HAVE SLID THE BOX UP.
THEY WOULD HAVE POURED CONCRETE.
YOU WOULD HAVE TO HAVE IT DONE
IN AN EFFICIENT WAY
BECAUSE THERE'S A TIME FROM
WHEN YOU MIX THE CONCRETE
TO WHEN YOU GET THE CONCRETE
INTO THE FORM WORKS.
TIMING IS EVERYTHING,
AND AT THIS CONSTRUCTION SITE,
WORK HAS GROUND TO A HALT.
JUST BEAR WITH ME A SEC HERE.
WE GOTTA --
WELL, WHAT'S HAPPENING?
THIS SEEMS PRETTY BAD RIGHT NOW.
WELL, YEAH.
THE PPO SHAFT WHICH WHAT DRIVES
THE HYDRAULICS,
WHICH DRIVES THE DRUM,
IT JUST -- IT LET GO,
SO WITHOUT THAT,
WE'RE NOT ABLE TO TURN THE DRUM.
SO NOW WE'RE NOT ABLE TO UNLOAD
THE CONCRETE YET.
NOT PRETTY RIGHT NOW.
TIME'S TICKING FOR KEVIN
AND HIS CONCRETE CREW,
AND WE'VE GOT PROBLEMS
OF OUR OWN.
JUST HOW MUCH IS THIS
ALL GOING TO COST?
WE'RE IMAGINING A 21st CENTURY
CONVENTION CENTER
SHAPED LIKE THE PANTHEON,
BUT TWICE AS BIG.
THIS BRUTALIST BEAUTY
WILL BE MADE
OF THE STRONGEST CONCRETE
IN THE WORLD,
AND IT'S GOING TO TAKE UP TO
350 WORKERS
3 1/2 YEARS TO BUILD.
SO, LET'S DO IT.
FIRST UP, OUR FOUNDATION.
YOU WOULD EXCAVATE THE BEDROCK,
INSTALL THE FOOTINGS,
PUT ROCK ANCHORS IN SO THAT
THE ACTUAL FOOTINGS
WERE SECURED TO THE ROCK.
ONCE THE FOUNDATION'S SECURE,
WE'LL ERECT THE STRUCTURAL FRAME
OF OUR PANTHEON.
THERE'S SIX INDIVIDUAL,
LARGE FRAME COLUMN SYSTEMS
THAT SUPPORT THE ROOF ITSELF.
SO WHAT WE WOULD DO, BASICALLY,
IS CONSTRUCT
THE FORMS THEMSELVES.
IT'S A TEMPORARY STRUCTURE.
WE'D PLACE REBAR INSIDE THAT.
THE CONCRETE WOULD COME IN
AND BE POURED.
IT WOULD SIT THERE
FOR A DAY OR TWO,
AND THEN WE'D RELEASE IT
AND TAKE THE FORMS OFF.
WHILE WE'RE WAITING FOR
THE CONCRETE TO DRY,
KEVIN'S DIGGING DEEP TO GET
HIS BIG JOB BACK ON TRACK.
WE'RE JUST TRYING TO EMPTY
THIS OUT JUST ENOUGH
SO WE CAN GET 'EM
BACK DOWN THE ROAD.
WITH THE DRUM NOT BEING ABLE
TO TURN, THE CONCRETE,
WE'VE GOT ABOUT TWO HOURS,
GIVE OR TAKE,
AND THE CONCRETE
IS GOING TO GET HARD,
AND WE'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE
TO GET IT OUT OF THE DRUM.
SO THERE'S A BIT
OF AN EMERGENCY.
WITH THE MIXER BREAKING DOWN,
THE CREW MIGHT HAVE TO RESORT
TO ANCIENT BACK-BREAKING
BUILDING TECHNIQUES,
ROMAN STYLE.
THEY WOULD HAVE HAD TO MAKE
SCAFFOLD AROUND THIS,
WHICH IS BASICALLY A STAIRWAY.
THEY WOULD HAVE TO BRING
THE CONCRETE UP IN WAGONS
OR BUCKETS
OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
GOOD NEWS.
REINFORCEMENTS HAVE ARRIVED.
WE GOT TWO MORE TRUCKS
JUST ARRIVING TO THE SITE.
THEY FINALLY GOT THROUGH
THE TRAFFIC,
SO WE'RE RUSHING
TO GET 'EM BACKED IN HERE
TO KEEP THINGS ROLLING AGAIN.
SO WE'LL GET HIM GEARED UP.
AND WE GOT ANOTHER ONE
COMING IN RIGHT BEHIND HIM.
ALL RIGHT, WE'RE ALL SET
TO ROLL AGAIN.
ONCE OUR STRUCTURAL FRAME
HAS HARDENED,
WE'VE GOT TO CONSTRUCT
THE CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT
OF OUR NEW PANTHEON.
BUT WAIT.
HOW DID THE ROMANS
PULL THIS OFF?
WHAT WAS REALLY
TECHNICALLY CHALLENGING
IS BUILDING A DOME
WITH THAT SPAN.
IT'S A VERY, VERY WIDE SPAN
TO BUILD.
YOU HAVE TO PUT A WOODEN
FRAMEWORK ACROSS THE DOME,
AND THEN LAY
THE CONCRETE ON TOP.
WHILE THE CONCRETE ON TOP
WAS SETTING,
AND UNTIL IT BECOMES HARD
AND CAN CARRY LOADS,
THE WOODEN FORM WORK
HAS TO REMAIN IN PLACE.
THERE WAS A KIND OF ELEMENT
OF HOPE AT THAT MOMENT
THAT THE DOME WOULDN'T COLLAPSE.
THERE WAS A CONSCIOUS EFFORT
BY THE BUILDERS
TO REDUCE THE WEIGHT,
AND THEREFORE, REDUCE THE LOADS
ON THE WALLS
AND ON THE FOUNDATIONS.
THE ROMANS
WERE REALLY SMART IN THAT
THEY HAD DIFFERENT KINDS
OF AGGREGATE.
THEY HAD DENSE,
HEAVY AGGREGATES,
AND THEY HAD LIGHTER AGGREGATES.
AND IN THE ROOF OF THE PANTHEON,
THEY ACTUALLY USED
DIFFERENT KINDS OF AGGREGATES,
DEPENDING ON WHERE
THE FORCES WERE
AND THE LOAD CONDITIONS
ON THAT ROOF.
IT'S QUITE INTERESTING.
SOME OF THE CONCRETE
IN THE PANTHEON
IS ALMOST LIGHT ENOUGH
TO FLOAT IN WATER.
TODAY, IT'S NO PROBLEM FOR US
TO PUMP UP OUR CONCRETE
ONE STORY AT A TIME.
SO, UP HERE AT THE ACTUAL
STRUCTURAL SLAB NOW,
BOYS ARE GETTING EVERYTHING
PLACED DOWN,
SO WE'RE DOING
A STRUCTURAL FLOOR HERE TODAY.
SO THEY'VE GOT ALL THE FORM
WORK IN PLACE.
WE'RE USING THE PUMP TO GET IT
UP HERE TO THIS ELEVATED LEVEL.
WE COULD USE A SIMILAR PUMP
TO REACH THE HEIGHTS
OF OUR NEW PANTHEON DOME,
BUT WE'VE GOT ANOTHER IDEA.
WE'RE GOING TO POUR
AND SET OUR DOME OFF-SITE.
AND WHEN THE CONCRETE DRIES,
WE'LL FLY IT IN
WITH A FLEET OF AERIAL CRANES.
SECURING IT ON TOP OF OUR
CONCRETE FRAME.
NOW, FOR THE INTERIOR WORK.
IT'S VERY IMPORTANT
HOW YOU FINISH EVERY SUITE
FROM THE MINUTE DETAIL.
I THINK SOME PEOPLE
DON'T SEE THAT, BUT I SEE IT.
WE'RE GOING TO SPARE NO EXPENSE
TO TURN THIS CONCRETE FRAME
INTO THE WORLD'S MOST
STATE-OF-THE-ART
CONVENTION CENTER.
WE'LL HOST OUR FIRST EVENT,
A SYMPOSIUM,
FEATURING THE WORLD'S PANTHEON
OF EXPERTS ON ANCIENT ROME.
WE DID IT!
WE BUILD A NEW PANTHEON
IN NEW YORK CITY.
IT'S MADE OF 100% CONCRETE.
IT TOOK 3 1/2 YEARS
AND 350 PEOPLE TO DO IT.
SO, HOW MUCH DID IT COST?
WE ASKED THE TEAM IN TORONTO
TO CRUNCH THE NUMBERS FOR US.
MAYBE IN THE RANGE OF SOMETHING
LIKE $170 MILLION
TO AROUND $200 MILLION ITSELF.
LET'S PUT IT AT $200 MILLION
TO BUILD THE STRUCTURE.
BUT WE'RE JUST GETTING STARTED.
ON TOP OF THAT,
THERE'D BE ADDITIONAL COSTS
SUCH AS LAND,
DEVELOPMENT, PERMIT FEES.
THE COST DEPENDS ON FINISHES.
THE COST DEPENDS ON THE ULTIMATE
USE OF THE BUILDING.
WE'LL ADD IN ANOTHER
$100 MILLION
TO COVER THE COST OF
OUR LUXURIOUS INTERIOR WORK.
SO, FINAL PRICE TAG?
$350 MILLION.
BUT CAN WE GET
A 2,000-YEAR INSURANCE POLICY?
IF YOU WERE TO PUT STEEL INSIDE
THE CONCRETE OF THE PANTHEON,
THAT STEEL OR IRON WOULD CORRODE
WITHIN A FEW CENTURIES.
EVEN IF MATERIALS
DEGRADE OVER TIME,
ANY BUILDING CAN LAST
IF IT'S TAKEN CARE OF.
OUR BEST CHANCE TO OUTLIVE
THIS PANTHEON
IS A LIFETIME OF MAINTENANCE.
WE'RE VERY LUCKY
TO HAVE THE PANTHEON.
IT SURVIVED WHEN SO MANY
OTHER ROMAN BUILDINGS HAVE NOT.
IT'S BEEN REPAIRED.
IT'S BEEN STRUCTURALLY
SUPPORTED.
OTHERWISE, YOU KNOW,
BUILDINGS DON'T SURVIVE.
IF THEY'RE NOT USED,
THEY DON'T SURVIVE.
PEOPLE NEED TO LOVE IT, USE IT,
AND TAKE CARE OF IT.
THAT'S HOW YOU BECOME
AN ARCHITECTURAL ICON.
THE PANTHEON HAS HAD
ENORMOUS INFLUENCE ACROSS ALMOST
EVERY CREATIVE HUMAN ENDEAVOR
FROM ARTS TO LITERATURE,
BUT MOST OF ALL,
THROUGH ARCHITECTURE.
THE IDEALS OF THIS ARCHITECTURE
SPEAK TO MONUMENTALITY,
DURABILITY, BUT ALSO DEMOCRACY.
THIS BUILDING WILL STAND
FOR A LONG TIME,
AND IT IS SUPPORTED
BY THE PEOPLE.
THOUGH WE DON'T KNOW
IF OUR PANTHEON WOULD STAND
FOR 2,000 YEARS,
WE'LL ALWAYS NEED A PLACE
WHERE PEOPLE CAN COME TOGETHER
AND SHARE IDEAS.
THE PANTHEON DREAM IS TO GATHER
AS A COMMUNITY UNDER ONE ROOF,
UNITED IN THE BELIEF OF WHAT
GREAT THINGS WE CAN ACCOMPLISH.
IF WE BUILT IT TODAY.
MYTHICAL GODS OF ANCIENT ROME --
HAS BEEN DRAWING A CROWD SINCE
IT WAS BUILT 2,000 YEARS AGO.
I CAN'T THINK OF A PLACE
THAT WOULD GIVE
A GREATER SENSE OF YOUR POWER.
IT'S THE ANCIENT ROMANS'
BEST-PRESERVED BUILDING.
MADE OUT OF THEIR MOST FAMOUS
BUILDING MATERIAL.
USING CONCRETE,
ROMANS WERE ABLE TO EXPAND
INTO WHOLE NEW GEOMETRIES
OF CONSTRUCTION.
THEY BEGAN TO BUILD LARGE DOMES
THAT HAD NEVER BEFORE BEEN SEEN
IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD.
AS OUR CONCRETE WORLD
CRUMBLES AROUND US,
COULD THE SECRET SOLUTION
BE HIDDEN INSIDE THE PANTHEON?
CONCRETE WE USE TODAY
IS DIFFERENT THAN THE CONCRETE
THAT THE ROMANS USED.
THE ROMANS TOOK WHAT COULD HAVE
BEEN A RATHER DULL,
UTILITARIAN MATERIAL,
AND THEY TURNED IT INTO
WHAT WAS REALLY AN ART FORM.
CAN WE DO AS THE ROMANS DID
AND USE CONCRETE
TO ERECT
AN ARCHITECTURAL ICON?
THE SAME PHILOSOPHY IN CULTURAL
AND ARTISTIC FLAIR
SHOULD BE REFLECTED.
WE'RE MIXING UP THE STRONGEST
CONCRETE ON EARTH
AND GETTING READY
FOR A BRUTAL BATTLE
BETWEEN CLASSIC
AND CONTEMPORARY.
IF WE WERE TO REBUILD
THE PANTHEON TODAY,
WE HAVE TO THINK
IN TERMS OF MILLENNIA.
WE WOULD WANT TO GO BIGGER
AND DO SOMETHING
THAT IS EVEN MORE INNOVATIVE.
WE'RE ON THE JOB SITE OF ONE
OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST WONDERS.
AND WE'RE WONDERING,
HOW LONG WOULD IT TAKE?
HOW MUCH WOULD IT COST?
HOW MANY WORKERS WOULD WE NEED?
COULD WE EVEN DO IT
IF WE BUILT IT TODAY?
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
ROME.
ITALY'S BUSTLING MODERN CAPITAL.
2,000 YEARS AGO, IT WAS
THE BIGGEST CITY IN THE WORLD.
MOST OF THE ANCIENT METROPOLIS
HAS SINCE FALLEN INTO RUINS,
BUT THE PANTHEON
STILL STANDS.
PANTHEON IS ONE OF
THE GREAT MYSTERIES
OF THE ROMAN WORLD.
YOU DON'T HAVE THAT MANY
LITERARY REFERENCES
ABOUT THE NAMING
OF THE BUILDING.
THE WORD PANTHEON MEANS
"OF ALL THE GODS."
ITS PURPOSE, WHY EXACTLY IT WAS
BUILT THE WAY IT WAS,
IT'S REALLY WRAPPED IN
A WHOLE SERIES OF MYSTERIES.
BUT ONE THING WE CAN AGREE UPON
IS THAT THERE ARE
SOME UNBELIEVABLY INNOVATIVE
CONSTRUCTION METHODS
IN THE PANTHEON.
IT'S 14 STORIES HIGH.
NOT MUCH COMPARED TO TODAY'S
MOST FAMOUS SKYSCRAPERS.
BUT THE PANTHEON ENDURES
AS A MASTERPIECE
OF ARCHITECTURAL BEAUTY
AND ENGINEERING ACUMEN.
IF YOU WERE A ROMAN COMING TO
SEE THIS PANTHEON
FOR THE FIRST TIME,
WHAT YOU WOULD HAVE SEEN
AS YOU WALKED TOWARDS IT
IS A VERY CONVENTIONAL TEMPLE.
BUT HEN, AS YOU WENT INSIDE,
IT WAS NOT A CONVENTIONAL TEMPLE
AT ALL.
EVERYTHING ABOUT IT WAS OPULENT.
TODAY, IT'S ADORNED WITH
RENAISSANCE-ERA PAINTINGS
AND STATUES.
BUT ITS MARBLE FLOORS
AND GRANITE COLUMNS
HAVE BEEN TURNING HEADS
FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.
ONLY ONCE YOU ENTER THE INTERIOR
SPACE DO YOU SEE
THAT THE BUILDING
IS NOT RECTANGULAR.
IT'S CIRCULAR.
THE HEIGHT FROM THE OCULUS
TO THE GROUND
IS THE SAME AS THE DIAMETER.
WHICH MEANS THAT, IF YOU WERE
TO CONTINUE THE DOME,
YOU WOULD HAVE A PERFECT SPHERE.
THIS DOME IS THE PANTHEON'S
CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT.
BUILT WITH MORE THAN 4,500 TONS
OF ROMAN CONCRETE,
IT'S BIGGER THAN THE DOME
OF ST. PETER'S CATHEDRAL
AND THE UNITED STATES CAPITOL
BUILDING.
TODAY, IT IS STILL THE LARGEST
UNREINFORCED CONCRETE
BUILDING IN THE WORLD.
IT'S THIS INTERESTING DOMED --
CONCRETE DOME STRUCTURE
ABOVE YOU,
AND THE HOLE IN THE ROOF,
TOO, AN OCULUS,
THAT LETS IN LIGHT
TO ILLUMINATE THE INTERIOR.
THIS OPENING TO THE SKIES
REMAINS UNCOVERED TO THIS DAY.
WHEN IT RAINS, WATER DRAINS OUT
THROUGH FOUR TINY GRATES.
THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF THE DOME
AND THE OCULUS
WAS TO REPRESENT
THE POWER OF THE EMPIRE
AND THE POWER OF THE SINGLE
LIGHT SOURCE, THE EMPEROR.
BUT AS THE SUN BEGAN TO SET
ON THE ROMAN EMPIRE,
THE PANTHEON'S OWNERSHIP
CHANGED HANDS.
IN 609, IT WAS CHANGED
INTO A CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
WHEN THE PANTHEON BECOMES
A CHURCH,
IT BASICALLY GUARANTEES
ITS SURVIVAL
FOR THE NEXT 15 CENTURIES
BECAUSE IT BECOMES
A LIVING HOUSE OF WORSHIP.
BEING A CHRISTIAN CHURCH
MEANS THAT IT'S BEING REPAIRED.
IT'S BEING STRUCTURALLY
SUPPORTED.
AS A CHURCH, THE PANTHEON
HAS SERVED AS A FINAL
RESTING PLACE OF KINGS,
QUEENS, AND THE RENAISSANCE
ARTIST, RAPHAEL.
NO BUILDING HAS PLAYED A MORE
IMPORTANT ROLE IN ROMAN LIFE
OVER THE PAST TWO MILLENNIA.
IT'S THIS AMAZING FEAT OF
ARCHITECTURE AND ENGINEERING
THAT HAS LASTED FOR SO LONG,
AND YOU CAN VISIT IT TODAY,
AND IT'S NOT MUCH DIFFERENT
THAN IT WAS
WHEN IT WAS ORIGINALLY BUILT.
BUT COULD WE BUILD
A LONG-LASTING PANTHEON TODAY?
WHEN WE BUILD TODAY, WE OFTEN
THINK IN TERMS OF DECADES --
POSSIBLY A CENTURY.
ROMANS BUILT FOR MILLENNIA.
IN SOME RESPECTS,
IT'S NOT REALLY POSSIBLE
BASED SIMPLY ON THE MATERIAL
USED, THE CONCRETE.
ROMAN CONCRETE IS QUITE
DIFFERENT FROM TODAY'S CONCRETE.
WE'RE CERTAINLY CAPABLE
OF RECONSTRUCTING
THE EXACT SAME FORMS,
MAKING A DOME THE SAME SIZE,
PUTTING UP COLUMNS OUT FRONT.
ALL OF THOSE ELEMENTS
WE HAVE THE ENGINEERING, SKILL,
AND CONSTRUCTION
EXPERTISE TO DO.
I GUESS THE QUESTION IS,
TO WHAT END?
IT'S TIME TO REIMAGINE
THIS ARCHITECTURAL WONDER.
WE WOULD WANT TO GO BIGGER
THAN THE PANTHEON.
WE WANT SOMETHING
THAT IS CUTTING EDGE,
THAT TAKES THAT TO THE EXTREME
AND IS DIFFERENT THAN ANYTHING
THAT ANYBODY HAS REALLY SEEN
OR EXPERIENCED TO DATE.
CAN WE BUILD A MODERN
ENGINEERING ICON
IN WORSHIP OF THIS
ANCIENT ROMAN TEMPLE?
OUR MODERN MEGA-DEVELOPER
LOVES THE IDEA.
WHETHER YOU'RE BUILDING
A STRUCTURE 2,000 YEARS AGO
LIKE THE PANTHEON OR BUILDING
A BEAUTIFUL BUILDING TODAY,
THE SAME PHILOSOPHY AND CULTURE
AND ARTISTIC FLAIR
SHOULD BE REFLECTED.
AND THAT'S WHY IT'S IMPORTANT
TO SURROUND YOURSELF
AND YOUR TEAM
WITH SUCH CREATIVE MINDS
THAT REFLECT THE DAY OF THAT
YOU'RE ERECTING A BUILDING.
SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT IDEA,
BUTCAN WE AFFORD
THIS ARCHITECTURAL FEAT?
THE QUESTION OF PROFITABILITY,
IT'S A QUESTION MARK FOR ME.
BUT IS THAT IMPORTANT IF YOU'RE
BUILDING A CULTURE
AND A COMMUNITY?
IN MY VIEW, THAT'S SECONDARY.
WE'LL HAVE TO COME UP
WITH THE NECESSARY FUNDING
TO COMPLETE OUR PROJECT,
BUT BEFORE WE BUILD OUR BUDGET,
WE'VE GOT TO FIGURE OUT
WHAT THIS BUILDING
IS GONNA LOOK LIKE.
ANDWHAT WE'RE GOING TO
BUILD IT OUT OF.
IF WE WERE TO REBUILD
THE PANTHEON TODAY,
I WOULD FIGHT TO BUILD IT
OUT OF TRADITIONAL MATERIALS.
BUT WE DON'T EXACTLY KNOW
WHY THEY BUILT THISPANTHEON.
AND IT WASN'T EVEN
THE FIRST ONE.
THIS IS, IN FACT, THE THIRD
PANTHEON ON THIS SITE.
THERE WERE TWO OTHER PANTHEONS,
AND THEY BOTH BURNED DOWN.
AND IT'S THOUGHT THAT PROBABLY
THE ORIGINAL TEMPLE HERE
WAS DEDICATED
TO THE OLYMPIAN GODS.
ROMAN TEMPLES, THEY'RE DIFFERENT
IN WHAT WE WOULD CONCEIVE OF,
LET'S SAY, A CHURCH
OR A SYNAGOGUE OR A MOSQUE
IN WHICH YOU WORSHIP
IN THE INTERIOR OF THE BUILDING.
YOU GO AS A COMMUNITY DURING
SPECIFIC RELIGIOUS FESTIVALS,
SO THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE
GO TO ATTEND THESE THINGS,
AND THERE'S JUST NOT ENOUGH
SPACE INSIDE THE TEMPLE.
ALL OF THE CEREMONY
TAKES PLACE IN THE EXTERIOR.
PANTHEON VERSION THREE
WAS COMMISSIONED
BY EMPEROR HADRIAN
IN 117 B.C.
A TIME WHEN THE ROLE THESE
TEMPLES SERVED IN ROMAN LIFE
WAS EVOLVING.
WE THINK THAT PROBABLY THIS
PANTHEON, THE THIRD PANTHEON,
FUNCTIONED MORE AS A KIND
OF AUDIENCE HALL FOR HADRIAN,
RATHER THAN AS
AN ACTUAL TEMPLE AS SUCH.
ROME'S PANTHEON HAS SERVED
AS AN ANCIENT TEMPLE
FOR POLYTHEISTIC WORSHIP,
AN EMPEROR'S PRIVATE SOAP BOX,
AND TODAY,
A CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
THIS DOME'S SURE WORN
A LOT OF HATS OVER THE YEARS.
WE WANNA RE-CREATE
THE PANTHEON TODAY,
BUT WHAT PURPOSE
WILL OUR STRUCTURE HAVE?
TODAY, WE MIGHT BUILD A PANTHEON
TO HONOR HEROES
OR TO PROVIDE A HOUSE FOR BOOKS
OR A HOUSE FOR GOVERNMENT.
THE LEGACY OF THE PANTHEON IS ON
FULL DISPLAY ACROSS THE GLOBE.
YOU SEE READING ROOMS,
CAPITAL BUILDINGS,
MUSEUMS INFLUENCED
BY ROMAN ARCHITECTURE
AND PARTICULARLY
BY THE PANTHEON.
SEVEN MILLION PEOPLE PASS
THROUGH THE WOODEN DOORS
OF THIS ANCIENT ICON EACH YEAR.
WE WANNA MAKE SURE
OUR MODERN-DAY PANTHEON
WILL ALSO DRAW A CROWD.
MILLIONS OF TOURISTS FLOCK
TO THE PANTHEON EACH YEAR
TO GET A GLIMPSE OF ANCIENT ROME
IN ALL ITS GLORY.
IN FACT, PEOPLE HAVE BEEN
GATHERING AT THIS ICONIC SITE
FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.
IF YOU THINK OF IT, IT'S A PLACE
WHERE PEOPLE CAME TOGETHER.
THEY MET. THEY EXCHANGED
IDEAS ABOUT THINGS.
WE HAVE ALL SORTS OF BUILDINGS
THAT FULFILL THE SAME FUNCTION
IN THE WORLD TODAY.
IF YOU THINK OF A TRADE
AND CONVENTION CENTER.
LIKE A CONVENTION CENTER TODAY,
THE PANTHEON WAS
A DESTINATION BUILDING
THAT BROUGHT THE MASSES
TO THE CENTER OF THE CITY.
AND OUR MODERN MEGA-DEVELOPER
BELIEVES THAT TODAY,
IF WE BUILD IT,
THEY WILL COME.
WE BUILD WORLD TRADE
CONVENTION CENTERS
AND CULTURAL CENTERS
THESE DAYS.
IT'S TO BRING COMMUNITIES
AND CULTURES TOGETHER.
I THINK BY INVITING PEOPLE
TO COME TO YOUR COMMUNITY
AND THE CORE
AND THE HEART OF YOUR CITY,
THEY SPEND TIME IN YOUR
RESTAURANTS, IN YOUR HOTELS.
I MEAN, THERE'S A CULTURAL
EXCHANGE.
IF WE WANNA USE THE PANTHEON
AS INSPIRATION
TO BUILD
A MODERN CONVENTION CENTER,
WE'VE GOTTA BUILD SOMETHING
STRUCTURALLY SOUND,
ARCHITECTURALLY RENOWNED,
AND STRONG ENOUGH TO LAST
FOR AT LEAST 2,000 YEARS.
AND THAT MISSION WILL GUIDE
EVERY DECISION
WE MAKE ABOUT
OUR MODERN-DAY PANTHEON.
WHERE ARE WE GOING TO BUILD?
WHAT ARE WE BUILDING IT OUT OF?
WHAT'S IT GOING TO LOOK LIKE?
HOW ARE WE GOING TO DO IT?
HOW MANY PEOPLE
IS IT GOING TO TAKE?
HOW LONG?
AND HOW MUCH IS THIS WHOLE THING
GOING TO COST?
BEFORE WE BRING
IN THE HEAVY EQUIPMENT,
WE'VE GOTTA FIGURE OUT
WHEREWE'RE GOING TO BUILD IT.
WHEN THIS PANTHEON WAS BUILT,
ROME WAS A SUPER-SIZED CITY.
THERE WERE PROBABLY BETWEEN 1
MILLION AND 1.2 MILLION PEOPLE
WHO LIVED IN THE CITY,
WHICH MAKES IT LARGER
THAN ANY CITY
IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD
PRIOR TO THE 18th CENTURY.
BUT IT WASN'T
JUST ITS POPULATION
THAT MADE ANCIENT ROME
THE GREATEST CITY OF ITS AGE.
IT'S CROWDED.
IT'S BUSY.
IT'S ALWAYS BUZZING
WITH ACTIVITY.
IT'S ALSO A COSMOPOLITAN CENTER.
ROME 2,000 YEARS AGO
SOUNDS A LOT
LIKE THE BIGGEST CITY
OF A MODERN SUPERPOWER.
NEW YORK CITY MUST BE
THE MOST DYNAMIC CITY
OR ONE OF THE MOST
DYNAMIC CITIES,
CERTAINLY, IN THE WORLD,
AND IT'S CONSTANTLY
CHANGING AND GROWING.
NOT ONLY IS THIS
THE BIGGEST CITY IN AMERICA,
IT'S AMONG THE MOST COSMOPOLITAN
CITIES IN THE WORLD.
YOU KNOW, THE CLASSIC NEW YORKER
WAS BORN SOMEWHERE ELSE,
GOT TO NEW YORK, LOOKED AROUND,
AND SAID,
"THANK GOD
I HAVE FOUND HOME."
THOSE OF US THAT WERE BORN HERE,
LIKE ME,
ARE DESCENDED
FROM PEOPLE LIKE THAT.
MORE THAN 8 MILLION PEOPLE
LIVE IN NEW YORK CITY.
AND EVERY YEAR, ALMOST
63 MILLION MORE COME TO VISIT
ITS TEMPLE
OF TOURIST ATTRACTIONS.
A PLACE OF BEAUTY,
A PLACE OF GRAND BUILDINGS,
A PLACE OF MEMORY.
AND ALSO, I SUSPECT THAT QUITE
A FEW OF THE BUILDINGS
GOING UP RIGHT NOW THAT ARE
SO NEW COME BACK IN 30 YEARS,
THEY'LL BE LANDMARKS.
SO, WE'LL BUILD
IN NEW YORK CITY.
BUT WHAT ARE WE GOING
TO BUILD IT FROM?
THE SEARCH STARTS HERE.
THE PANTHEON IS MADE
OF A NUMBER OF MATERIALS.
THERE ARE BUILDING STONES USED,
TRAVERTINE AND LIMESTONE.
THERE ARE GRANITE COLUMNS.
THERE ARE MARBLE
DECORATIVE ELEMENTS.
BRICK IS USED THROUGHOUT,
AS WELL,
BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT
SINGLE BUILDING MATERIAL
USED IN THE STRUCTURE
IS CONCRETE.
BUT WHY DOESN'T THE PANTHEON
LOOK ANYTHING
LIKE OUR MODERN
CONCRETE BUILDINGS?
THE VIEWERS AT THE TIME WOULDN'T
SEE THE CONCRETE ITSELF.
THE CONCRETE ALWAYS
HAD FACING MATERIAL ON IT,
SO THEY SEE THE FACING MATERIAL.
THEY DON'T SEE THE CONCRETE.
THE PROBLEM WITH CONCRETE
IS THAT,
ONCE YOU TAKE OFF
THE FACING MATERIAL,
IT BECOMES VERY SUSCEPTIBLE
TO DEGRADATION.
AND SO IT ERODES AWAY.
THE RUINS THAT LITTER ROME TO
THIS DAY FELL APART GRADUALLY.
THANKS TO 1,500 YEARS
OF PILLAGING,
NEGLECT, AND DEGRADATION.
BUT TODAY'S BUILDINGS
COME DOWN WITH A BANG.
THE UNITED STATES ALONE PRODUCES
ALMOST HALF A BILLION TONS
OF CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION
WASTE A YEAR.
MOST OF THAT DEBRIS,
YOU GUESSED IT, CONCRETE.
SO, DO WE REALLY WANT A PANTHEON
MADE FROM 21st CENTURY CONCRETE?
AS WE THINK ABOUT BUILDING
A MONUMENT THAT'S GOING TO LAST
FOR A MILLENNIA
AS THE ROMANS BUILT,
WE HAVE TO CONSIDER
THE DURABILITY
AND THE SOLIDITY
OF THOSE MATERIALS.
AND EVEN IF
WE WANT TO USE CONCRETE
FOR OUR MODERN-DAY PANTHEON,
IT'S LIKELY NOT GOING TO BE
IDENTICAL TO THE ORIGINAL.
ONE OF THE GREAT INVENTIONS
OF THE ROMAN PERIOD
WAS ROMAN CONCRETE.
THEY REALLY MADE IT INTO
THEIR OWN MATERIAL
IN A WAY
THAT OTHER CULTURES DIDN'T.
WITH CONCRETE, YOU CAN MAKE
SHAPES THAT CURVE,
AND YOU CAN USE IT
IN BOW VAULTS AND ARCHES
AND DOMES TO SPAN
HUGE DISTANCES.
BUT WITH THE FALL OF ROME,
THE RECIPE
FOR CONCRETE DISAPPEARED.
WE WOULDN'T SEE LARGE-SCALE
CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION AGAIN
UNTIL THE DAWN
OF THE 20th CENTURY.
THE INGALLS BUILDING IN OHIO WAS
THE FIRST CONCRETE SKYSCRAPER.
IT WAS BUILT IN 1903.
IT WAS ONLY 16 STORIES HIGH,
BUT IT LAID THE GROUND FOR
THE MODERN CONCRETE EXPLOSION.
THE HOOVER DAM WAS, BY FAR,
THE BIGGEST CONCRETE STRUCTURE
EVER BUILT
WHEN IT OPENED IN 1936.
THERE'S ENOUGH CONCRETE HERE
TO PAVE A HIGHWAY
FROM SAN FRANCISCO TO NEW YORK.
OR BUILD OVER 1,000 MORE DOMES
FOR THE PANTHEON.
TODAY, ALMOST EVERYTHING
WE BUILD USES CONCRETE.
IT'S A $35 BILLION INDUSTRY
IN THE USA.
THE ROMANS MAY HAVE INVENTED IT,
BUT WE'VE TAKEN IT
TO NEW HEIGHTS.
A CONCRETE PANTHEON
SHOULD BE NO PROBLEM, RIGHT?
2,000 YEARS AGO,
THE ROMAN PANTHEON
WAS A PIONEER
OF CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION.
WE WANT TO USE THE SAME MATERIAL
TO BUILD OUR MODERN-DAY REPLICA.
BUT HOW DOES TODAY'S
CONCRETE MEASURE UP?
ROMAN CONCRETE IS DIFFERENT FROM
THE CONCRETE THAT WE USE TODAY.
CONTEMPORARY CONCRETE
IS TYPICALLY HIGHLY LIQUID.
ROMAN CONCRETE IS LESS LIQUID.
IT'S MORE LIKE A MORTAR.
WHATEVER STRUCTURE WE BUILD MAY
HAVE THE FORM OF THE PANTHEON,
BUT IT'S UNLIKELY
TO HAVE ITS DURABILITY.
MOST EXPERTS ATTRIBUTE ROMAN
CONCRETE'S EXCEPTIONAL STRENGTH
TO A SPECIAL INGREDIENT
INSIDE ITS MIXTURE.
THE ROMANS DEVELOPED CONCRETE
USING VOLCANIC ASH
FROM NEAR MOUNT VESUVIUS,
AND THEY DISCOVERED THAT
A PARTICULAR ASH WAS REACTIVE,
MEANING THAT IF IT WERE GROUND
INTO DUST AND MIXED WITH WATER,
IT WOULD SET HARD AND BECOME
ESSENTIALLY A LIQUID STONE.
THE VOLCANIC ASH IS
CALLED POZZOLANA,
BUT IT'S IN SCARCE SUPPLY IN
OUR MODERN CONSTRUCTION WORLD.
POZZOLANA ISN'T USED SO MUCH
THESE DAYS
BECAUSE OF DIFFICULTIES
OF ACCESS, BECAUSE OF EXPENSE,
AND BECAUSE OF LIMITED SUPPLY
COMPARED TO OTHER MATERIALS
THAT WE MIGHT INCLUDE INSTEAD.
BUT CAN WE USE MODERN-DAY
CONCRETE TO BUILD OUR PANTHEON?
WELL, LET'S FIND OUT.
THIS IS ONE OF THOUSANDS
OF READY-MIX CONCRETE PLANTS
SPREAD ACROSS THE WORLD.
WE'VE GOT KEVIN NICKERSON
HERE TO HELP US
MIX UP THE STRONGEST
CONCRETE EARTH CAN PROVIDE.
WE CAN GIVE YOU AS MUCH YOU WANT
TO WHATEVER SPECIFICATION
YOU NEED.
THAT SPECIFICATION
MIGHT BE COLOR.
IT MIGHT BE TEXTURE.
SO IF YOU NEED IT FLOWABLE,
WE CAN DO THAT.
YOU NEED IT DURABLE,
WE CAN DO THAT.
MAXIMIZING THE STRENGTH,
DURABILITY,
AND EVEN THE AESTHETIC
OF CONCRETE
IS ALL ABOUT
THE INGREDIENTS YOU USE.
THERE'S FOUR BASIC COMPONENTS
TO CONCRETE.
THERE'S WATER.
THERE'S AGGREGATE.
CEMENT.
AND THERE'S ADD MIXTURES,
CHEMICAL ADD MIXTURES.
SO AS LONG AS THOSE MATERIALS
ARE AVAILABLE,
WE CAN KEEP PRODUCING CONCRETE
TO YOUR HEART'S CONTENT.
BY FAR, THE MOST IMPORTANT
INGREDIENT IN CONCRETE
IS CEMENT.
CEMENT IS MADE BY GRINDING
AND COMBINING REACTIVITY-PRONE
ROCKS LIKE LIMESTONE
AND SOFTER ROCKS
LIKE SHALE OR CLAY.
SUPERHEAT THE MIXTURE,
AND YOU GET A ROCK-HARD
CHEMICAL COMPOUND.
GRIND IT INTO A POWDER --
THAT'SCEMENT.
THE CEMENT IS WHAT FORMS
THE PASTE.
THAT ULTIMATELY IS WHAT GETS
HARD AND MAKE CONCRETE CONCRETE.
CEMENT IS TO CONCRETE
BASICALLY AS FLOUR IS TO BREAD.
CEMENT IS THE SECOND-MOST-USED
RESOURCE IN THE WORLD.
THE FIRST -- WATER.
ANOTHER INGREDIENT
IN OUR RECIPE.
TOGETHER, WATER AND CEMENT
FORM THE GLUE
THAT HOLDS CONCRETE TOGETHER.
NOW, INGREDIENT NUMBER THREE,
AGGREGATE.
A CATCHALL TERM
FOR THE CRUSHED STONE,
GRAVEL, AND SAND
USED AS REINFORCEMENT.
THE STRONGER YOUR AGGREGATE,
THE STRONGER YOUR CONCRETE.
THIS IS OUR MAIN SOURCE
OF COARSE AGGREGATE.
IN GENERAL, ALL CONCRETE,
THE MAJORITY OF THE CONCRETE,
IS GONNA BE DONE WITH THE 20 MIL
OR THE 3/4-INCH AGGREGATE.
IT'S PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD.
THIS IS WHAT WE'LL CALL
OUR 14-MILLIMETER AGGREGATE,
SO A LITTLE BIT SMALLER THAN
THE GENERAL, EVERYDAY STUFF.
BUT IT MEETS THE NEEDS OF
A DECORATIVE CONCRETE, AS WELL.
YOU CAN SEE, THIS ONE HAS SOME
VERY DISTINCT
COLORING PROPERTIES --
KIND OF A REDDISH BROWN.
AND WE'LL QUITE COMMONLY
USE THAT
IN AN EXPOSED
AGGREGATE APPLICATION.
THE DIFFERENCE --
MAIN DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO
OTHER THAN THE VISUAL ONES IS,
IN FACT,
THIS ONE IS CONSIDERABLY
MORE EXPENSIVE THAN THIS ONE.
WE'RE WILLING TO BREAK THE BANK
FOR A CONCRETE
THAT REALLY SHINES.
QUITE OFTEN, I THINK MANY PEOPLE
THINK OF CONCRETE AS GRAY
AND DULL AND BORING.
BUT WITH AGGREGATES LIKE THESE,
WELL, WE CAN MAKE SOME VERY
APPEALING-LOOKING CONCRETES.
THERE ARE YELLOW ONES.
THERE ARE BLACK-AND-WHITE ONES.
ON TOP OF THIS, WE CAN ACTUALLY
ADD PIGMENTS TO GIVE YOU
JUST ABOUT ANY COLOR
AND ANY VARIETY YOU WANT.
WITH THE RIGHT AGGREGATE,
WE THINK WE CAN BUILD A PANTHEON
ON PAR WITH THE ORIGINAL.
BUT A LITTLE NEW-AGE CHEMISTRY
MIGHT JUST TIP
THE SCALES OUR WAY.
SO, WHAT'S THE LAST INGREDIENT
IN CONCRETE?
ADD MIXTURES.
CHEMICAL CONCOCTIONS
THAT VARY WIDELY,
BASED ON THE APPLICATION
AND LOCATION OF YOUR BUILD.
WE'LL MAKE SURE WE CHOOSE
THE RIGHT CHEMICAL
ADD MIXTURE TO PROTECT AGAINST
NEW YORK'S HARSH WINTERS.
SO, THIS IS WHERE WE'RE ABLE
TO MIX EVERYTHING,
ALL THE DRY INGREDIENTS,
CHEMICALS, WATERS, EVERYTHING.
THIS IS WHERE WE BASICALLY
MIX IT ALL TOGETHER,
MEASURE IT ALL OUT, DUMP IT INTO
THE BACK OF THE TRUCK,
LET THE TRUCK WORK ITS MAGIC.
SO, WE'VE GOT
ALL OF THE INGREDIENTS
WE'LL NEED TO BUILD
OUR MODERN-DAY PANTHEON.
BUT WHAT'S IT GOING TO
LOOK LIKE?
THIS PANTHEON'S DESIGN
WAS OVERSEEN
BY ANCIENT ROME'S
BIGGEST ARCHITECTURE AFICIONADO
WHO JUST SO HAPPENED
TO BE THE EMPEROR HIMSELF.
WHEN HADRIAN BECAME EMPEROR
IN 117,
THIS ALLOWED HIM, REALLY,
TO INDULGE SOMETHING
THAT HAD BEEN HIS GREAT
PASSION THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE.
HE HAS A MASSIVE PALACE OUTSIDE
THE CITY OF ROME AT TIVOLI,
AND HISTORIANS BELIEVE HE HAD
SOME INPUT INTO ITS DESIGN.
AND MANY OF THE ELEMENTS
OF THE PANTHEON ARE ECHOED
IN SOME OF THE BUILDINGS
AND ROOMS AT TIVOLI.
SOME PEOPLE USED TO THINK
THAT PERHAPS HADRIAN HIMSELF
DESIGNED THE PANTHEON,
BUT IT'S UNLIKELY THAT HE WOULD
HAVE REALLY HAD THE EXPERIENCE
TO BUILD SUCH
A SOPHISTICATED BUILDING.
IT'S EXTREMELY LIKELY THAT
HE HAD A LOT OF INPUT INTO IT,
AND THAT IT REPRESENTS
HIS ULTIMATE DREAMS
OF WHAT A BUILDING SHOULD BE.
WE'RE DREAMING OF AN
ARCHITECTURAL WONDER OF OUR OWN,
AND THANKS TO THE BUILDING
MATERIAL WE'VE CHOSEN,
WE CAN GIVE IT
ANY LOOK WE WANT.
CONCRETE CAN DRY INTO
SO MANY DIFFERENT FORMS,
IT HAS FED
THE CREATIVE APPETITES
OF MANY MODERN ARCHITECTS.
THERE WAS A MOVEMENT
IN THE '60s, '50s
AND '60s CALLED BRUTALISM.
BRUTALISM COMES FROM
THE FRENCH WORD BRUTE
WHICH MEANS RAW, PURE.
CONCRETE IS IDEAL
FOR THIS KIND OF NAKEDNESS.
THIS RAWNESS.
BRUTALISM FELL OUT OF STYLE
BY THE 21st CENTURY,
BUT STRUCTURES LIKE THIS ONE
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI
SCREAM BRUTALISM IS BACK.
THE THOMAS B. MURPHY DESIGN
STUDIO WAS NAMED 2018'S
BUILDING OF THE YEAR
BY WORLD ARCHITECTS,
AN INTERNATIONAL NETWORK
OF ARCHITECTS, ENGINEERS,
AND DESIGNERS.
THE POPULARITY OF THE BUILDING
TESTIFIES TO THE POWER
OF CONCRETE
AND TO THE SIMPLE MINIMALIST
DESIGN OF THE BUILDING.
THIS IS THE DESIGN INSPIRATION
WE'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR.
WE'RE IMAGINING
AN ALL-CONCRETE PANTHEON,
A 21st CENTURY MASH-UP
OF CLASSICAL ANTIQUITY
AND MODERN BRUTALISM.
SO, LET'S TAKE THE FORM
OF THE PANTHEON
AND RE-CREATE
IT ENTIRELY FROM CONCRETE.
NOW, HOW ARE WE
GOING TO BUILD IT?
CAN WE BEAT THE ANCIENT
ROMANS' RECORD
AND BUILD AN EVEN BIGGER,
UNREINFORCED CONCRETE DOME?
MAYBE WE CAN ASK WHOEVER BUILT
THIS 55,000-SEAT
DOMED BASEBALL PARK
IN TORONTO, CANADA.
THEY HAD TO FIGURE OUT
HOW TO BUILD
A CONCRETE
DOME ROOF UNREINFORCED,
AND THEN THEY HAD TO FIGURE OUT
HOW TO SIT THAT ROOF
ON A SERIES OF CONCRETE FRAMES
JUST LIKE WE DO HERE.
WE'VE GOT A ROOF SITTING
ON CONCRETE FRAMES HERE.
THE PANTHEON'S GOT
A CONCRETE ROOF
SITTING ON CONCRETE FRAMES
DOWN BELOW.
THE OFFICIAL NAME
IS THE ROGERS CENTER,
BUT IT WAS ORIGINALLY
NAMED THE SKYDOME.
CONSTRUCTION BEGAN IN 1987,
AND THIS BALLPARK SPRUNG UP
IN JUST 2 1/2 YEARS.
SO, THE SKYDOME WAS BASICALLY
THE FIRST OF ITS KIND
IN THE WORLD.
WE HAD TO BUILD A FULLY
RETRACTABLE DOME STADIUM
THAT COULD OPEN A ROOF
IN 20 MINUTES.
IT HAD NEVER BEEN DONE
ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.
THE DOME IS ACTUALLY
FOUR SEPARATE ROOF PANELS,
THREE OF WHICH MOVE
ALONG THIS CUSTOM TRACK.
SO WE'RE UP IN THE RAIL SYSTEM
OF PANEL ONE.
THE RAIL SYSTEM OF PANEL ONE,
PANEL ONE ACTUALLY HAS
FOUR RAILS --
A LOWER RAIL, AN UPPER RAIL,
AN OUTER RAIL,
AND AN INNER RAIL.
THESE ARE REALLY
QUITE HEAVY RAILS,
AND THEY'RE LOCATED
ON A VERY PRECISE GEOMETRY,
A CIRCULAR RADIUS GEOMETRY,
AND THIS IS THE BOGEY
THAT PICKS UP
THE FIRST ARCH TRUSS ITSELF.
YOU KNOW, THIS THING IS REALLY
A DERIVATIVE
OF PURE TRAIN TECHNOLOGY,
THE BOGEY SYSTEM ITSELF.
IT'S BASED ON A RAIL TYPE
OF WHEEL.
IT'S BASED ON A RAIL ITSELF
THAT CAME RIGHT OUT
OF THE RAIL WORLD.
THEY BUILT A DOME THAT MOVES.
WE CAN BUILT AN EVEN BIGGER,
UNREINFORCED CONCRETE DOME,
RIGHT?
FOR SURE, WE COULD
MAKE IT LARGER.
BUT THE MORE IMPORTANT ADD
TO THAT IS, WE WOULDN'T DO IT.
AND WE WOULDN'T DO IT BECAUSE
OF ENGINEERING STANDARDS
AND TECHNOLOGIES AND BUILDING
CODES AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
OUR BUILDING CODES ARE DESIGNED
SO THAT THERE'S A LIFE
SAFETY COMPONENT TO THEM.
WE DON'T WANT OUR PANTHEON
TO BECOME FAMOUS FOR CRUMBLING.
THIS ANCIENT DOME HAS PASSED
THE ULTIMATE SAFETY TEST.
IT'S BEEN STANDING STRONG
FOR 2,000 YEARS.
CONSTRUCTION HAS PROGRESSED
A LOT SINCE THEN,
BUT MAYBE NOT ENOUGH TO MATCH
OUR MODERN-DAY AMBITIONS.
CAN IT BE DONE?
ABSOLUTELY, BUT AT WHAT COST?
WE'RE PROBABLY
NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO BUILD
A BIGGER,
UNREINFORCED DOME,
BUT THE ROMANS HAD
TO MAKE COMPROMISES, TOO.
THE PANTHEON IS
A REMARKABLE BUILDING,
BUT NOT EVERYTHING
WENT ACCORDING TO PLAN.
THIS FAçADE WOULD HAVE BEEN
EVEN MORE REMARKABLE
HAD IT BEEN BUILT
WITH THE SIZE OF COLUMNS
THAT WERE DESIGNED FOR IT.
BECAUSE THESE COLUMNS HERE
ARE TEN FEET TOO SHORT.
AND IN FACT, IF WE LOOK, WE CAN
SEE ON THE ROTUNDA THE OUTLINE
OF WHERE THE ORIGINAL PEDIMENT
SHOULD HAVE MET THE ROTUNDA.
THESE COLUMNS COME FROM EGYPT,
SHIPPED DOWN THE NILE,
AND THEN SHIPPED
ACROSS THE MEDITERRANEAN,
AND THEN SHIPPED UP HERE.
I THINK WE CAN IMAGINE
THAT THERE WERE MANY,
MANY PLACES WHERE
THEY MIGHT HAVE BROKEN,
OR WHERE THE SHIPS
MIGHT HAVE SUNK
OR SOMETHING
MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED.
IF THIS BUILD'S
EVER GOING TO HAPPEN,
WE'VE GOTTA MAKE
SOME CONCESSIONS, TOO.
YOU KNOW, FOR A LARGE,
DOMED STRUCTURE,
WE WOULD USE
THE MODERN-DAY TECHNOLOGIES
OF REINFORCING STEEL,
AND THAT WOULD PROVIDE
AN ENHANCED LEVEL OF SAFETY.
HERE'S THE GOOD NEWS.
IF WE USE REINFORCING STEEL,
WE CAN MAKE OUR CONCRETE DOME
MUCH LARGER.
THE ORIGINAL ONE WAS 43 METERS
OR SO ACROSS.
LET'S SAY WE BUILD ONE THAT'S --
I'D SAY LET'S MAKE IT
TWICE AS BIG.
LET'S MAKE IT 86 METERS ACROSS.
WE'RE GOING TO DO EVERYTHING
WE CAN TO KEEP
OUR MODERN-DAY TEMPLE UPRIGHT.
WE'RE IMAGINING
WHAT IT WOULD TAKE
TO BUILD A MODERN-DAY PANTHEON
IN NEW YORK CITY.
WE WANNA BUILD IT
OUT OF CONCRETE,
AND WE'LL NEED TO PUT
A PLAN INTO PLACE
TO ENSURE THAT OUR STRUCTURE
STAYS STANDING
FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.
I THINK YOU BUILD UP
A MAINTENANCE PLAN
WITH A PROPER BUDGET
AND PROPER SOLUTIONS
TO KEEP THAT STRUCTURE
LOOKING GOOD.
AND THAT'S ALL IN THE PLANNING.
THAT WAS THE PLAN
FOR THE ROGERS CENTER.
THREE DECADES LATER,
THE SAME CONSTRUCTION COMPANY
IS BACK TO REPLACE
THE GLISTENING PVC SHIELD
THAT PROTECTS
THIS STEEL DOME.
SO, THE CREW'S
ACTUALLY UP THERE
REMOVING SOME OF
THE EXISTING MEMBRANE
AND PUTTING A NEW MEMBRANE
BACK ON TOP.
IN ORDER FOR THEM TO DO THAT,
THEY NEED TO DO IT
FROM A SWING STAGE,
WHICH RIDES OVER TOP
OF THE EXISTING MEMBRANE.
THEY GO UP.
THEY CUT IT OUT.
AND THEN THEY PUT
THE NEW MEMBRANE BACK DOWN.
THE BUILDING ITSELF IS ACTUALLY
STILL IN GREAT SHAPE,
SO AS LONG AS THEY KEEP
THE MAINTENANCE UP,
THIS BUILDING WILL LAST
FOR A LONG TIME.
BUT BEFORE WE START
WORRYING ABOUT REPAIRS,
WE'VE GOT TO FINALIZE
OUR CONSTRUCTION PLANS.
SO, HOW MANY PEOPLE DO WE NEED,
AND HOW LONG
IS IT GOING TO TAKE?
WELL, HERE'S THE ANCIENT
BENCHMARK.
IN ORDER TO BUILD THE PANTHEON,
IT WOULD HAVE TAKEN
1,100 LABORERS
ABOUT TEN YEARS TO BUILD IT.
IF WE WERE TO BUILD IT TODAY,
I THINK THERE ARE
SOME EFFICIENCIES
WE CAN TAKE TO TRY TO
SPEED UP THE PROCESS.
HERE'S WHAT
THE TEAM IN TORONTO
THINKS IT'LL TAKE
TO BUILD TODAY.
ON SITE, WE'D NEED PROBABLY
SOMEWHERE IN THE RANGE OF,
DEPENDING ON THE PHASE
OF THE CONSTRUCTION,
FROM 50 PEOPLE
TO MAYBE 250 PEOPLE.
OUR DESIGN TEAM MIGHT BE
STARTING OFF WITH 5,
GOING TO 20,
GOING TO 100 PEOPLE ITSELF.
WE'LL PUT IT AT 350 PEOPLE
AT PEAK PRODUCTION.
SO, HOW LONG?
FROM START TO FINISH,
THE WHOLE THING WE COULD
PROBABLY DO IN A LITTLE MORE
THAN THREE YEARS ITSELF.
SO, LET'S SAY IT'S 3 1/2 YEARS
WITH A MAX CAPACITY WORKFORCE
OF 350 PEOPLE.
NOW, ALL WE NEED
IS THE GREEN LIGHT.
WHETHER YOU'RE BUILDING
A SKYSCRAPER, A PYRAMID,
OR JUST A SIMPLE BUILDING,
I THINK THERE'S SOME PRINCIPLES
OF STUDYING THE PROJECT,
GETTING YOUR RIGHT TEAM ONBOARD,
GETTING YOUR BUDGET,
AND IMPLEMENTING.
THAT'S EXACTLY
WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE
AT THE JOB SITE OF THIS
$200 MILLION DEVELOPMENT.
KEVIN NICKERSON'S TEAM
IS IN CHARGE
OF SUPPLYING
ALL OF THE CONCRETE.
JUST DUMPING THE CONCRETE
INTO THE BACK OF THE TRUCK.
THERE ARE TWO LARGE
PUMPING CYLINDERS,
SO THE PUMPING CYLINDERS,
ONE, IS ACTUALLY SUCKING
TO FILL THE CYLINDER.
THE OTHER IS PUSHING
TO EMPTY THE CYLINDER.
SO AS THEY COME OUT,
THE CONCRETE FLOWS DOWN THROUGH
WHAT'S CALLED
AN S-PIPE DOWN HERE.
CONCRETE IS SUCKED INTO
ONE OF THE CYLINDERS.
IT SWITCHES OVER AND PUSHES OUT,
COMES DOWN THROUGH THE PIPELINE,
ALL THE WAY UP THROUGH THE BOOM,
AND THEN ALL THE WAY TO THE END.
THE TEMPORARY SHELL WHERE
THIS CONCRETE WILL SET
AND HARDEN IS CALLED A FORM.
THEY'VE OBVIOUSLY GOT THE FORM
WORK, OBVIOUSLY, IN PLACE.
THE FORMS ARE IN PLACE.
THE STEEL --
REINFORCING STEEL HAS BEEN TIED,
AND WE'RE FILLING THE FORMS
WITH CONCRETE NOW.
WE TAKE THE HEAVY-DUTY
APPROACH THESE DAYS,
BUT IT WAS THE ROMANS
WHO CONQUERED CONCRETE
CONSTRUCTION FIRST.
THEY WOULD HAVE USED LIKE
A TIMBER BOX COMING UP.
THEY BASICALLY PROVIDE A VOID,
IN OTHER WORDS,
AN OPENING FOR THE CONCRETE
TO SIT INTO.
THEY WOULD HAVE POURED CONCRETE.
THEY WOULD HAVE SLID THE BOX UP.
THEY WOULD HAVE POURED CONCRETE.
YOU WOULD HAVE TO HAVE IT DONE
IN AN EFFICIENT WAY
BECAUSE THERE'S A TIME FROM
WHEN YOU MIX THE CONCRETE
TO WHEN YOU GET THE CONCRETE
INTO THE FORM WORKS.
TIMING IS EVERYTHING,
AND AT THIS CONSTRUCTION SITE,
WORK HAS GROUND TO A HALT.
JUST BEAR WITH ME A SEC HERE.
WE GOTTA --
WELL, WHAT'S HAPPENING?
THIS SEEMS PRETTY BAD RIGHT NOW.
WELL, YEAH.
THE PPO SHAFT WHICH WHAT DRIVES
THE HYDRAULICS,
WHICH DRIVES THE DRUM,
IT JUST -- IT LET GO,
SO WITHOUT THAT,
WE'RE NOT ABLE TO TURN THE DRUM.
SO NOW WE'RE NOT ABLE TO UNLOAD
THE CONCRETE YET.
NOT PRETTY RIGHT NOW.
TIME'S TICKING FOR KEVIN
AND HIS CONCRETE CREW,
AND WE'VE GOT PROBLEMS
OF OUR OWN.
JUST HOW MUCH IS THIS
ALL GOING TO COST?
WE'RE IMAGINING A 21st CENTURY
CONVENTION CENTER
SHAPED LIKE THE PANTHEON,
BUT TWICE AS BIG.
THIS BRUTALIST BEAUTY
WILL BE MADE
OF THE STRONGEST CONCRETE
IN THE WORLD,
AND IT'S GOING TO TAKE UP TO
350 WORKERS
3 1/2 YEARS TO BUILD.
SO, LET'S DO IT.
FIRST UP, OUR FOUNDATION.
YOU WOULD EXCAVATE THE BEDROCK,
INSTALL THE FOOTINGS,
PUT ROCK ANCHORS IN SO THAT
THE ACTUAL FOOTINGS
WERE SECURED TO THE ROCK.
ONCE THE FOUNDATION'S SECURE,
WE'LL ERECT THE STRUCTURAL FRAME
OF OUR PANTHEON.
THERE'S SIX INDIVIDUAL,
LARGE FRAME COLUMN SYSTEMS
THAT SUPPORT THE ROOF ITSELF.
SO WHAT WE WOULD DO, BASICALLY,
IS CONSTRUCT
THE FORMS THEMSELVES.
IT'S A TEMPORARY STRUCTURE.
WE'D PLACE REBAR INSIDE THAT.
THE CONCRETE WOULD COME IN
AND BE POURED.
IT WOULD SIT THERE
FOR A DAY OR TWO,
AND THEN WE'D RELEASE IT
AND TAKE THE FORMS OFF.
WHILE WE'RE WAITING FOR
THE CONCRETE TO DRY,
KEVIN'S DIGGING DEEP TO GET
HIS BIG JOB BACK ON TRACK.
WE'RE JUST TRYING TO EMPTY
THIS OUT JUST ENOUGH
SO WE CAN GET 'EM
BACK DOWN THE ROAD.
WITH THE DRUM NOT BEING ABLE
TO TURN, THE CONCRETE,
WE'VE GOT ABOUT TWO HOURS,
GIVE OR TAKE,
AND THE CONCRETE
IS GOING TO GET HARD,
AND WE'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE
TO GET IT OUT OF THE DRUM.
SO THERE'S A BIT
OF AN EMERGENCY.
WITH THE MIXER BREAKING DOWN,
THE CREW MIGHT HAVE TO RESORT
TO ANCIENT BACK-BREAKING
BUILDING TECHNIQUES,
ROMAN STYLE.
THEY WOULD HAVE HAD TO MAKE
SCAFFOLD AROUND THIS,
WHICH IS BASICALLY A STAIRWAY.
THEY WOULD HAVE TO BRING
THE CONCRETE UP IN WAGONS
OR BUCKETS
OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
GOOD NEWS.
REINFORCEMENTS HAVE ARRIVED.
WE GOT TWO MORE TRUCKS
JUST ARRIVING TO THE SITE.
THEY FINALLY GOT THROUGH
THE TRAFFIC,
SO WE'RE RUSHING
TO GET 'EM BACKED IN HERE
TO KEEP THINGS ROLLING AGAIN.
SO WE'LL GET HIM GEARED UP.
AND WE GOT ANOTHER ONE
COMING IN RIGHT BEHIND HIM.
ALL RIGHT, WE'RE ALL SET
TO ROLL AGAIN.
ONCE OUR STRUCTURAL FRAME
HAS HARDENED,
WE'VE GOT TO CONSTRUCT
THE CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT
OF OUR NEW PANTHEON.
BUT WAIT.
HOW DID THE ROMANS
PULL THIS OFF?
WHAT WAS REALLY
TECHNICALLY CHALLENGING
IS BUILDING A DOME
WITH THAT SPAN.
IT'S A VERY, VERY WIDE SPAN
TO BUILD.
YOU HAVE TO PUT A WOODEN
FRAMEWORK ACROSS THE DOME,
AND THEN LAY
THE CONCRETE ON TOP.
WHILE THE CONCRETE ON TOP
WAS SETTING,
AND UNTIL IT BECOMES HARD
AND CAN CARRY LOADS,
THE WOODEN FORM WORK
HAS TO REMAIN IN PLACE.
THERE WAS A KIND OF ELEMENT
OF HOPE AT THAT MOMENT
THAT THE DOME WOULDN'T COLLAPSE.
THERE WAS A CONSCIOUS EFFORT
BY THE BUILDERS
TO REDUCE THE WEIGHT,
AND THEREFORE, REDUCE THE LOADS
ON THE WALLS
AND ON THE FOUNDATIONS.
THE ROMANS
WERE REALLY SMART IN THAT
THEY HAD DIFFERENT KINDS
OF AGGREGATE.
THEY HAD DENSE,
HEAVY AGGREGATES,
AND THEY HAD LIGHTER AGGREGATES.
AND IN THE ROOF OF THE PANTHEON,
THEY ACTUALLY USED
DIFFERENT KINDS OF AGGREGATES,
DEPENDING ON WHERE
THE FORCES WERE
AND THE LOAD CONDITIONS
ON THAT ROOF.
IT'S QUITE INTERESTING.
SOME OF THE CONCRETE
IN THE PANTHEON
IS ALMOST LIGHT ENOUGH
TO FLOAT IN WATER.
TODAY, IT'S NO PROBLEM FOR US
TO PUMP UP OUR CONCRETE
ONE STORY AT A TIME.
SO, UP HERE AT THE ACTUAL
STRUCTURAL SLAB NOW,
BOYS ARE GETTING EVERYTHING
PLACED DOWN,
SO WE'RE DOING
A STRUCTURAL FLOOR HERE TODAY.
SO THEY'VE GOT ALL THE FORM
WORK IN PLACE.
WE'RE USING THE PUMP TO GET IT
UP HERE TO THIS ELEVATED LEVEL.
WE COULD USE A SIMILAR PUMP
TO REACH THE HEIGHTS
OF OUR NEW PANTHEON DOME,
BUT WE'VE GOT ANOTHER IDEA.
WE'RE GOING TO POUR
AND SET OUR DOME OFF-SITE.
AND WHEN THE CONCRETE DRIES,
WE'LL FLY IT IN
WITH A FLEET OF AERIAL CRANES.
SECURING IT ON TOP OF OUR
CONCRETE FRAME.
NOW, FOR THE INTERIOR WORK.
IT'S VERY IMPORTANT
HOW YOU FINISH EVERY SUITE
FROM THE MINUTE DETAIL.
I THINK SOME PEOPLE
DON'T SEE THAT, BUT I SEE IT.
WE'RE GOING TO SPARE NO EXPENSE
TO TURN THIS CONCRETE FRAME
INTO THE WORLD'S MOST
STATE-OF-THE-ART
CONVENTION CENTER.
WE'LL HOST OUR FIRST EVENT,
A SYMPOSIUM,
FEATURING THE WORLD'S PANTHEON
OF EXPERTS ON ANCIENT ROME.
WE DID IT!
WE BUILD A NEW PANTHEON
IN NEW YORK CITY.
IT'S MADE OF 100% CONCRETE.
IT TOOK 3 1/2 YEARS
AND 350 PEOPLE TO DO IT.
SO, HOW MUCH DID IT COST?
WE ASKED THE TEAM IN TORONTO
TO CRUNCH THE NUMBERS FOR US.
MAYBE IN THE RANGE OF SOMETHING
LIKE $170 MILLION
TO AROUND $200 MILLION ITSELF.
LET'S PUT IT AT $200 MILLION
TO BUILD THE STRUCTURE.
BUT WE'RE JUST GETTING STARTED.
ON TOP OF THAT,
THERE'D BE ADDITIONAL COSTS
SUCH AS LAND,
DEVELOPMENT, PERMIT FEES.
THE COST DEPENDS ON FINISHES.
THE COST DEPENDS ON THE ULTIMATE
USE OF THE BUILDING.
WE'LL ADD IN ANOTHER
$100 MILLION
TO COVER THE COST OF
OUR LUXURIOUS INTERIOR WORK.
SO, FINAL PRICE TAG?
$350 MILLION.
BUT CAN WE GET
A 2,000-YEAR INSURANCE POLICY?
IF YOU WERE TO PUT STEEL INSIDE
THE CONCRETE OF THE PANTHEON,
THAT STEEL OR IRON WOULD CORRODE
WITHIN A FEW CENTURIES.
EVEN IF MATERIALS
DEGRADE OVER TIME,
ANY BUILDING CAN LAST
IF IT'S TAKEN CARE OF.
OUR BEST CHANCE TO OUTLIVE
THIS PANTHEON
IS A LIFETIME OF MAINTENANCE.
WE'RE VERY LUCKY
TO HAVE THE PANTHEON.
IT SURVIVED WHEN SO MANY
OTHER ROMAN BUILDINGS HAVE NOT.
IT'S BEEN REPAIRED.
IT'S BEEN STRUCTURALLY
SUPPORTED.
OTHERWISE, YOU KNOW,
BUILDINGS DON'T SURVIVE.
IF THEY'RE NOT USED,
THEY DON'T SURVIVE.
PEOPLE NEED TO LOVE IT, USE IT,
AND TAKE CARE OF IT.
THAT'S HOW YOU BECOME
AN ARCHITECTURAL ICON.
THE PANTHEON HAS HAD
ENORMOUS INFLUENCE ACROSS ALMOST
EVERY CREATIVE HUMAN ENDEAVOR
FROM ARTS TO LITERATURE,
BUT MOST OF ALL,
THROUGH ARCHITECTURE.
THE IDEALS OF THIS ARCHITECTURE
SPEAK TO MONUMENTALITY,
DURABILITY, BUT ALSO DEMOCRACY.
THIS BUILDING WILL STAND
FOR A LONG TIME,
AND IT IS SUPPORTED
BY THE PEOPLE.
THOUGH WE DON'T KNOW
IF OUR PANTHEON WOULD STAND
FOR 2,000 YEARS,
WE'LL ALWAYS NEED A PLACE
WHERE PEOPLE CAN COME TOGETHER
AND SHARE IDEAS.
THE PANTHEON DREAM IS TO GATHER
AS A COMMUNITY UNDER ONE ROOF,
UNITED IN THE BELIEF OF WHAT
GREAT THINGS WE CAN ACCOMPLISH.
IF WE BUILT IT TODAY.