Science Channel's IF WE BUILT IT TODAY Returns Jan. 24
January 14, 2021
What would it look like to reimagine the world’s greatest monuments and structures from throughout history? How would we go about it? What would it cost? What role do politics, science, and design play in their creation? And what elements can we take with us from past builds to ensure we are best representing these important, historically significant structures and cities today. In an all-new season of IF WE BUILT IT TODAY, experts re-imagine the world’s most impressive building projects to reveal how much time, labor, and investment would be necessary to build the most astounding structures in today’s world.
An all-new season of IF WE BUILT IT TODAY kicks off Sunday, January 24 at 8 pm ET/PT on Science Channel with a special two-hour season premiere episode. With the help of architectural experts and urban planners and developers, experts use modern engineering and the latest technology to create a 21st century blueprint for a reimagined Washington, DC. As the 100th anniversary of the Lincoln Memorial approaches, and with an election year that directed all attention to Washington, this two-hour episode explores what the future holds for the landmark-packed capital of the United States – and how its iconic collection of buildings and monuments act as the symbolic heart of a nation. Detailing the early plans for Washington DC and taking cues from evolving capital city plans from Ancient Egypt and Europe, experts survey what the capital might look like if we built it today.
Traveling to Machu Picchu and Malta, France, and beyond, viewers will discover some of the most famous places from around the world through a new lens. The Parthenon, one of the most beautiful structures globally, is also one of the most important surviving buildings of ancient Greece. But how would we go about building beautiful structures today, and how would we use science to measure that beauty?
Built in 1890, Carnegie Hall remains the crown jewel of concert halls with its incomparable acoustics and masterful construction. So how can a room that’s more than a century old, built without modern materials or technology, be so superior to later constructions? Applying ancient knowledge about the science of sound from Ancient Greece, experts explore the secrets of stadium rock and whether it’d be possible to build a modern concert hall equal to this crown jewel without powerful amplifiers or electricity.
Also this season, Hoover Dam is reimagined as an eco-friendly undertaking utilizing perpetual motion and solar power, the Titanic is rebuilt as it was imagined to be – the unsinkable ship, and Stonehenge is constructed in a world where the advantages made possible by digital technology exist at our fingertips. IF WE BUILT IT TODAY is a thoughtful exploration of what we’ve gained and lost in our race to the future and offers a new way of looking at our greatest creations from throughout history.
In addition to watching IF WE BUILT IT TODAY on Science Channel, viewers can join the conversation on social media by using the hashtag #IfWeBuiltitToday and following @ScienceChannel on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
IF WE BUILT IT TODAY is produced for Science Channel by Arcadia Entertainment. For Arcadia, John Wesley Chisholm is Executive Producer. For Science Channel, Lindsey Foster Blumberg is Executive Producer and Jennifer Gross is Producer.
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About Science Channel
Science Channel, a multi-media business unit of Discovery, Inc. is the home of all things science around the clock, including series such as MYTHBUSTERS, OUTRAGEOUS ACTS OF SCIENCE, WHAT ON EARTH?, HOW THE UNIVERSE WORKS, UNEARTHED, and MYSTERIES OF THE ABANDONED. Science Channel’s programming also includes timely, expert-driven specials covering breaking science news and discoveries. Science Channel is the premiere TV, digital and social community for those with a passion for science, space, technology, archeology, and engineering, providing immersive, engaging, high-quality entertainment across all Science Channel assets including: Science Channel television network, available in more than 63 million homes in the U.S; complimentary Video On Demand offering; SCI Go app allowing viewers to catch up on full episodes of their favorite shows anytime; deep video, interactive storytelling and virtual reality at www.sciencechannel.com; and conversations on Science Channel’s popular social platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat via @ScienceChannel.
About Discovery
Discovery, Inc. (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is a global leader in real life entertainment, serving a passionate audience of superfans around the world with content that inspires, informs and entertains. Discovery delivers over 8,000 hours of original programming each year and has category leadership across deeply loved content genres around the world. Available in 220 countries and territories and nearly 50 languages, Discovery is a platform innovator, reaching viewers on all screens, including TV Everywhere products such as the GO portfolio of apps; direct-to-consumer streaming services such as Eurosport Player, Food Network Kitchen and MotorTrend OnDemand; digital-first and social content from Group Nine Media; a landmark natural history and factual content partnership with the BBC; and a strategic alliance with PGA TOUR to create the international home of golf. Discovery’s portfolio of premium brands includes Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Travel Channel, MotorTrend, Animal Planet, Science Channel, and the forthcoming multi-platform JV with Chip and Joanna Gaines, Magnolia, as well as OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network in the U.S., Discovery Kids in Latin America, and Eurosport, the leading provider of locally relevant, premium sports and Home of the Olympic Games across Europe. For more information, please visit corporate.discovery.com and follow @DiscoveryIncTV across social platforms.