You Built the Tallest Building on Earth
So you want to build the tallest building on Earth? Ambitious but good on yer! This episode will tell you how, starting with how not to. Most tall buildings are tall and thin because land is expensive. But this isn't the best design because the lowest floor has to take the weight of all the floors above it. And so eventually, you reach a limit where the structure at the bottom isn't strong enough. If you want to make a building significantly higher, then you need to change the shape and instead take inspiration from wedding cakes. The bottom layers of a wedding cake get wider and wider, which means that they can take more and more weight. In fact, the tallest building ever conceived, the X-Seed 4000, is 4km high and can house a million people - but it's never been built. However, even if you made a giant cone-shaped building, and assuming you have materials that are strong enough, then eventually you would reach another limit, when the weight of the building is too much for the ground below. That's why mountains have a maximum size. So, if you want to go higher still, you need to go to the moon, where gravity is lower and so you can go six times higher. But then that wouldn't be the tallest building on Earth, would it?!
Trailer
Recently Updated Shows
The Sex Lives of College Girls
The Sex Lives of College Girls follows four lovably chaotic suite mates on a mission to grow into their truest, freest selves while attending Vermont's prestigious Essex College.
Bookie
A veteran bookie struggles to survive the impending legalization of sports gambling, increasingly unstable clients, family, co-workers, and a lifestyle that bounces him around every corner of Los Angeles, high and low.
The Madame Blanc Mysteries
Jean White is an antiques dealer who runs a successful business with her husband, Rory. But when he suddenly dies and leaves her nearly penniless, Jean relocates to their one remaining asset - a cottage in French antiques hub Saint Victoire - and begins investigating Rory's mysterious death.
Murdoch Mysteries
Set in Toronto at the dawn of the 20th century, Murdoch Mysteries is a one-hour drama series that explores the intriguing world of William Murdoch, a methodical and dashing detective who pioneers innovative forensic techniques to solve some of the city's most gruesome murders. Murdoch's colleagues include the love of his life, coroner and psychiatrist Dr. Julia Ogden, a staunch ally who shares the detective's fascination for science; Constable George Crabtree, Murdoch's eager but sometimes naïve right-hand man; Inspector Brackenreid, Murdoch's skeptical yet reluctantly supportive boss; and coroner Dr. Emily Grace, Dr. Ogden's protégé.