Engineering by Catastrophe

Across the globe, engineers are creating extraordinary modern masterpieces, structures that push beyond the limits of what came before. Each year, innovations grow more impressive as bridges, tunnels, skyscrapers and even spacecraft become bigger, bolder and more ambitious. Yet, every breakthrough brings new risks. To ensure the safest outcomes, engineers must study worst-case scenarios in which major structures are pushed to their limits and fatal flaws are exposed. Fires, explosions, floods and catastrophic collisions are difficult to confront but essential to understand. In this series, we learn from the past to build a safer future.