While I was taking a day or two off over the Thanksgiving holiday, I came across one more thing to add to my long list of things to be thankful for.
I was running through the on-screen guide to the hundred or more channels my cable TV provider offers, when I ran across a Build It Bigger marathon on the Science channel.
This fascinating TV show is manna for construction junkies.
For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of seeing this show yet, it features a very un-construction-like host named Danny Forster taking viewers behind the scenes at the construction sites of some of the world's most fascinating projects.
The subjects range from the Dallas Cowboys' and Arizona Cardinals' football stadiums, to the new City Center project in Las Vegas, a road under Kuala Lumpur, the Panama Canal, and the "City of Culture" six-building project in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
Danny holds an architectural degree from Harvard, practices in Boston, and is also a stand-up comic, according to the Discovery Channel's Web site. His combination of expert insight, humor, and willingness to actually get involved in the work on each project is a big part of the program's education -- and appeal.
Danny will tell you why things are designed the way they are, then crawl up 170 feet on a roof with a steep 57-degree pitch to help demonstrate how corrugated-steel sheeting is installed -- and let you know he's scared to death, just like most of the rest of us non-iron-workers would be.
The show uses lots of excellent computer-generated animation and graphics to explain concepts. And it also includes interviews with project managers, welders, concrete sprayers, and others who can provide insight into how and why architecture, engineering, and construction are done they way they are.
It's straight forward and fast paced, so the hour zips by as quickly as a blink.
I learn several new things from every episode.
For those of you who, like me, are fascinated by engineering and construction, check out Build it Bigger. It's manna for our hunger to continually learn more about the industry -- and it's fun to watch.
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I was running through the on-screen guide to the hundred or more channels my cable TV provider offers, when I ran across a Build It Bigger marathon on the Science channel.
This fascinating TV show is manna for construction junkies.
For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of seeing this show yet, it features a very un-construction-like host named Danny Forster taking viewers behind the scenes at the construction sites of some of the world's most fascinating projects.
The subjects range from the Dallas Cowboys' and Arizona Cardinals' football stadiums, to the new City Center project in Las Vegas, a road under Kuala Lumpur, the Panama Canal, and the "City of Culture" six-building project in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
Danny holds an architectural degree from Harvard, practices in Boston, and is also a stand-up comic, according to the Discovery Channel's Web site. His combination of expert insight, humor, and willingness to actually get involved in the work on each project is a big part of the program's education -- and appeal.
Danny will tell you why things are designed the way they are, then crawl up 170 feet on a roof with a steep 57-degree pitch to help demonstrate how corrugated-steel sheeting is installed -- and let you know he's scared to death, just like most of the rest of us non-iron-workers would be.
The show uses lots of excellent computer-generated animation and graphics to explain concepts. And it also includes interviews with project managers, welders, concrete sprayers, and others who can provide insight into how and why architecture, engineering, and construction are done they way they are.
It's straight forward and fast paced, so the hour zips by as quickly as a blink.
I learn several new things from every episode.
For those of you who, like me, are fascinated by engineering and construction, check out Build it Bigger. It's manna for our hunger to continually learn more about the industry -- and it's fun to watch.
