Nova, High-Risk High-Rise

Wednesday, Jan. 5, at 9 PM

Repeats Thursday, Jan. 6, at 2 AM and Tuesday, Jan. 11, at 5 PM

Every year, hundreds of new skyscrapers are built around the globe. As nations vie for prestige, these shimmering towers are rising higher and higher. But for all their impressive engineering, are these buildings safe? Can we be sure how they will hold up in earthquakes, fires and other potential disasters? What have—or haven’t—we learned from past tragedies?

NOVA explores the science behind the risks of sky-high buildings, from the structural limits of building materials to the threats presented by wind, fire and earthquakes.