How Did They Build That?

Smithsonian Channel

Series

2021

TVG

How-to

An exploration of how some of the world’s biggest man-made structures were built.

Trailer

Season 4

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Cast & Crew

Scott Rummel Host

⨁Full Cast & Crew

Where to Stream

2021 Series 4 Seasons40 Episodes

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Upcoming TV Airings

The airings below are based on a generic national schedule. Times and dates can vary by TV provider.

Wednesday, March 11

6:00 AM

Subways & Sightlines

Season 3 • Episode 8

A sculptural high-rise with rippling balconies; Mammoth machines bore 26 miles of tunnels.

Wednesday, March 11

7:00 AM

Mirrors & Marble

Season 2 • Episode 9

Revealing the architectural secrets of Australia's One Central Park, the Oslo Opera House and more.

Wednesday, March 11

8:00 AM

Cantilevers & Lifts

Season 1 • Episode 1

An unstable high rise, an otherworldly museum, and a towering cliffside elevator.

Wednesday, March 11

9:00 AM

Ecobuilds & Earthquakes

Season 4 • Episode 5

A 9,000 ton timber roof is built without stopping flights at Portland International Airport.

Wednesday, March 11

10:00 AM

High Waters & Harsh Winds

Season 4 • Episode 4

Defy gravity in an Amsterdam high-rise; marvel at three interconnected towers in Chicago.

Wednesday, March 11

11:00 AM

Floating & Lifting

Season 3 • Episode 7

Architects and engineers build an eco-friendly convention center on Vancouver's waterfront.

Wednesday, March 11

4:00 PM

Parking & Sparkling

Season 3 • Episode 4

A 1400-foot tapering skyscraper is built right next to New York's Grand Central.

Wednesday, March 11

5:00 PM

Sky Gardens & Seismic Stations

Season 1 • Episode 7

A massive sky garden in Singapore, a tower in Brighton, and a railway station in Vesuvius.

Wednesday, March 11

6:00 PM

Breakthroughs & Bridges

Season 2 • Episode 8

Visiting Gherkin, Evergreen Point Floating Bridge and Musée des Confluences for their origins.

Wednesday, March 11

7:00 PM

Swamps & Swagger

Season 2 • Episode 2

The design and construction of revolutionary buildings in Spain, New York and Florida.

Wednesday, March 11

8:00 PM

Towers & Roofs

Season 1 • Episode 2

A Manhattan high-rise; an Athens cultural center; a Singapore university.

Wednesday, March 18

6:00 AM

Riverparks & Artworks

Season 2 • Episode 1

Visiting Little Island, the Denver Museum of Art and La Tête Carrée to reveal how they were built.

Wednesday, March 18

7:00 AM

Upside Down & Under Sea

Season 2 • Episode 6

Visiting the Vancouver House, Norway's Under restaurant and the Seattle Central Library.

Wednesday, March 18

8:00 AM

Viaducts & Hotels

Season 1 • Episode 4

A towering bridge in France; upside-down hotel in China; Italy's forest into the sky.

Wednesday, March 18

9:00 AM

Jungles & Bricks

Season 3 • Episode 2

Exploring the engineering and architectural masterpieces like The Copper.

Wednesday, March 18

10:00 AM

Canyons & Curves

Season 3 • Episode 3

Engineers grapple with an apartment building; the Gateway Arch takes shape in St. Louis.

Wednesday, March 18

11:00 AM

Supertalls & Firehouses

Season 1 • Episode 5

Alien port authority in Belgium; ultrathin skyscraper in Manhattan; hanging museum in Scotland.

Wednesday, March 18

4:00 PM

Curved & Cables

Season 3 • Episode 9

A new performance center with a tent-like glass-and-steel lobby tests engineers in Kansas City.

Wednesday, March 18

5:00 PM

Radical & Resplendent

Season 2 • Episode 10

Exploring the design and engineering stories behind D.C.'s Museum of African American History.

Wednesday, March 18

6:00 PM

Tricks & Trains

Season 3 • Episode 6

An Olympic and Paralympic museum tests engineers; a curved glass skyscraper battles gravity.

Wednesday, March 18

7:00 PM

Steep & Stunning

Season 2 • Episode 7

The world's steepest mountain railway, a remodeled 145-year-old museum and a futuristic condo.

Wednesday, March 18

8:00 PM

Summit & Submerge

Season 4 • Episode 7

Building an eco-friendly visitor center in the permafrost on Colorado's Pikes Peak tests the team.