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Seasons & Episodes

EP1 Sears Tower, Chicago Jul 01, 2009

Still the tallest tower in the US – as well as the tallest building in the world for 25 years – the $175million Sears Tower broke boundaries in not only height but design and construction when it was completed in 1973. But building the tallest building in the world brings its own logistical headaches – and the crippling cost of funding an iconic tower can take its toll. Presented by Keith Keaveney. Architects: S.O.M (Bruce Graham)

EP2 Commerzbank, Frankfort Jul 01, 2009

Charlie Luxton travels to Commerzbank, Frankfurt to explore the world's first eco-friendly skyscraper, designed by British architect Norman Foster.

EP3 Eureka Tower, Melbourne Jul 15, 2009

Vertical City goes up top Down Under to the tallest residential building in the world – the 300m Eureka Tower, the most exclusive address in the Southern Hemisphere. But is living the high life destroying our traditional city communities? Are these Vertical Villages changing the way we live forever? Presented by Keith Keaveney. Architects: Karl Fender and Nonda Katsalidis.

EP4 Torre Mayor, Mexico City Jul 22, 2009

The strongest building on Earth, Torre Mayor is constructed to withstand earthquakes that would obliterate the average skyscraper. Built in the wake of Mexico City’s most devastating earthquake in 1985, this monument to engineering has become a haven of safety in one of the world’s most active seismic zones. But can the ever growing height of skyscrapers compete with typhoons and earthquakes? Can man’s high rise addiction really conquer nature? Presented by Keith Keaveney.

EP5 Q1, Australian Gold Coast Jul 29, 2009

Surfer's Paradise has come a long way from a small town with great waves perched on the south-east coast of Australia. Surfer's has a growing reputation as the resort of choice for the rich and famous, and the skyline is growing too with the massive Q1 Tower dominating the landscape. But how has this uber-skyscraper effected the paradise that is Surfer's? Presented by Keith Keaveney. Architects: The Sunland Group

EP6 Cira Centre, Philadelphia Jul 29, 2009

You’re a new developer, you want to build a tower in a bleak part of town and you’ve got to fill half the building before you get planning permission. What do you do? Get in a Superstar Architect to ensure your skyscraper gets noticed and gets headlines. Cesar Pelli waved his magic design wand over the Cira Center and made it stand apart from any other high rise in the area. But are celebrity architects over paid and over hyped? Presented by Keith Keaveney. Architects: Cesar Pelli and Associates

EP7 Cologne Cathedral Aug 17, 2009

Even before the modern skyscraper, the super tall building has been a source of innovation and fierce competition – and no time was the fight for height fiercer than in the late 18th century when cathedrals across Europe competed to make their spires the tallest. Cologne was the tallest building in the world for 4 years – but where did the money for these religious super spires come from? And just how fierce – and dirty - did the fight become? Presented by Charlie Luxton.

EP8 Triumph Place, Moscow Aug 20, 2009

In 2003, Moscow's Triumph Palace became Europe's tallest building. In the 1940s Josef Stalin commissioned a series of seven tall towers that would compete with the skyscrapers of New York. Known as the Seven Sisters. Matt Berman investigates the design and political genesis of these towers and examines why an eighth sister, the Triumph Palace, has been added in 21st century capitalist Moscow.

EP9 Naberezhnaya Tower, Moscow Aug 17, 2009

Moscow has become Europe’s skyscraper capital, with the Naberezhnaya Tower holding the title of the continent’s tallest building. It represents a new era for the city, one in which Moscow can finally compete with the other major financial centres of the world. Presented by Matt Berman.

EP10 John Hancock Center, Chicago Sep 03, 2009

The John Hancock Center in Chicago is one of the most influential skyscrapers of the twentieth century. When completed in 1969 this was the tallest tower in the world outside New York City and is still the most famous structural expressionist style building in high rise architecture. Presented by Charlie Luxton.

EP11 1180 Peachtree, Atlanta Sep 10, 2009

1180 Peachtree is a striking icon on the Atlanta skyline, its huge fins making it distinct from other skyscrapers in the city. But it’s not all about good looks - 1180 is creating a new era for the city’s towers. Presented by Matt Berman.

EP12 Taipei 101, Taiwan Sep 17, 2009

Taiwan, China’s renegade province, wanted to make the world sit up and notice it – so it built the planet’s tallest skyscraper, Taipei 101, in its capital city. An architectural meeting of East meets West, Taiwan’s biggest global advertising board and symbol of achievement was a defiant gesture towards its neighbouring superpower, and a calculated quest for Taiwanese commercial attention proving that in modern times, the super-tall building is more than just the corporation HQ of the past. Presented by Matt Berman.

EP13 Shanghai World Finance Centre Sep 23, 2009

With the highest roof on earth, the sleek Shanghai World Finance Center stands in the city that has overtaken New York and Chicago as skyscraper capital of the world. Setting the standard for a new generation of supertall skyscrapers, this Japanese-developed tower, built on Chinese land, also symbolises a new era in relations between the two previously hostile countries after Japan's violent invasion of China in the 1930s. Presented by Matt Berman.

EP14 Petronas Towers, Malaysia Oct 01, 2009

In the late 1980s the Malaysian government decided to build a skyscraper so unprecedented in size and so ambitious that it sought to overtake Chicago’s Sears Tower as the tallest building in the world. The result – the elaborately curved Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur – achieved both goals. Presented by Matt Berman.

EP15 John Hancock Tower, Boston Oct 08, 2009

Behind the glistening façade of Boston’s John Hancock Tower lies one of the most embarrassing moments in architectural history. The insurance company wanted to express their corporate might by building a modernist skyscraper in the heart of Boston’s historic core.Their dream tower turned into their worst nightmare and what followed is one of the most unbelievable tales in architectural history. Presented by Matt Berman.

EP16 2 International Finance Centre, Hong Kong Oct 15, 2009

Stunning skylines are fuelled by money – and Hong Kong has one of the most stunning in the world. With a lack of land on the island, the only way is up. The most prized – and expensive - plot is the financial district of Central where one skyscraper towers above the rest, star of Batman movies and gleaming white pillar of capitalism, 2 International Finance Center. Presented by Matt Berman.

7.4| 0h30m| en| More Info

Released: 01 July 2009 Ended

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Country: United States of America

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Synopsis

Vertical City stars architecture expert Charlie Luxton as he takes a high rise hike around the world's most iconic skyscrapers, discovering the stories of power, politics and daring design that lie behind their construction.

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