Engineering Repurposed

Engineering Repurposed

From an abandoned New York rail line repurposed into a public park, to a former Danish Shipyard turned sunken museum, explore extraordinary structures transformed from their original function. Discover how and why they were originally built, and the engineering prowess required for such mammoth repurposing projects. Every step of their metamorphosis is revealed and explored.

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Engineering Repurposed on BBC Select

Episode 1: Shipyard to Museum
Enjoy a delicious cocktail in a speakeasy bar located in a rusty bank vault. Cheers!

Why demolish old, abandoned buildings when genius engineers can turn them into exciting new projects? Explore the metamorphosis of an abandoned shipyard in the Danish city of Helsingor that’s been turned into a stunning maritime museum. While across the Atlantic in Detroit, you can wet your whistle in a former rusty bank vault that’s now a speakeasy serving delicious cocktails.

Episode 2: Airplane Wing to House
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a house! Constructed from the wings of a 747.

Explore two structures that are pushing repurposing to innovative new heights. Get on board with a cool use for a Boeing 747’s wings, as they are used for the roof of an incredible California house. Then there’s no drama at all as a theatre that rose like a phoenix from the ashes of the Industrial Revolution is revealed.

Episode 3: Warehouse to Concert Hall
Attend a concert in a unique Hamburg Hall that soars 50 meters into the sky.

Feast your eyes on structural marvels that are brought to life when engineers go rogue. In Hamburg, Germany, attend a concert in a former abandoned warehouse that soars 50 meters into the sky and cost a cool $866 million. And then dig 30 meters underground to explore a revolutionary farm in London, constructed in a derelict tunnel.

Episode 4: Abandoned Rail Line to Park
Stroll through a green and glorious public park that was once a New York rail line.

Explore two upcycled projects to see how they morphed from their original forms into modern, usable spaces. In New York City, stroll through a lush public park that was once an abandoned, elevated railway line. In the Netherlands, a derelict monument is magically transformed into a thriving community hub. How were these engineering marvels achieved?

Episode 5: Sugar Refinery to Climbing Wall
In London, feel the burn at a state-of-the-art gym that used to be a psychiatric hospital.

Learn how cutting-edge engineers have transformed two unfit buildings into superstructures for active living. Feel the burn at a state-of-the-art gym that used to be a London psychiatric hospital. And in Montreal, a climbing complex is constructed from silos that once belonged to a sugar refinery. Experts reveal how these incredible transformations were made.

Episode 6: Grain Silos to Art Museum
Inspect an abandoned silo complex repurposed into a show-stopping art gallery.

Witness the ways in which abandoned structures have been rein vented as part of epic upcycling projects. Inspect a huge, abandoned grain silo complex that has been repurposed into a show-stopping art gallery. Then visit a unique family home that has been meticulously carved out of an ancient fortress.

Episode 7: Coal
Drop to Retail Complex

Tour a building that once fueled the Victorian era but is now a busy retail complex. Examine modern engineering adaptations that have injected life into antiquated, unwanted structures. Tour an astonishing building in London that once fueled the Victorian era with dirty coal but is now a shiny, busy retail complex. Then explore a Viennese gasometer that has become a shining example of communal living. But how was it done?

Episode 8: Prison to Hotel
Marvel at a recording studio that turned an outdated vessel into a boat that really rocks.

Experience how architectural relics can become modern hot spots through innovative engineering visions. Marvel at a floating recording studio that turned an outdated vessel into a boat that really rocks. Then travel to a high-end hotel with an unexpected history. It used to be a prison. Learn how these spectacular transformations took place.

Episode 9: Satellite to Space Launcher
Enjoy the view from a century-old water tower as it is transformed into a unique home.

More amazing engineering transformations take place as redundant structures are turned into incredible new projects. Enjoy the view from a century-old water tower as it is repurposed into a stunning, unique home. Then take flight on a jaw-dropping renovation journey that will rocket the UK space program to prominence.

Episode 10: Malt Buildings to Concert Hall
Take the plane to the plane! Explore a 747 jet that’s been turned into a classy hotel.

Discover repurposing projects that carefully balance history and modern innovations. Skip the runway with a 747 jumbo jet that’s been made over into a classy hotel. Then inspect an abandoned malthouse that has been remodeled into a concert hall filled with intoxicating acoustics. Find out how these astonishing projects came to life.

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