Building Big: Domes

Starring:Building Big
Studio: Wgbh Boston
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Description
Where gods meet and players play-discover the domed wonders of the world. What holds up the Astrodome? Why did the Romans leave a hole in the roof of the Pantheon? Tour the world and trace the 2000-year history of domes with award-winning author-illustratorand captivating storytellerDavid Macaulay (The Way Things Work). From Houston's Astrodome to Rome's St. Peter's Cathedral, to the geodesic domes of Buckminster Fuller, Domes introduces ingenious designers, recounts rarely told heroic stories, and reveals amazing triumphs through spectacular film footage, fascinating facts, and dramatic recreations.

- Discover the innovative technique that ancient builders used in Constantinople to build the dome of the great church Hagia Sophia on a square base

- View amazing archival photos that detail the painstaking, groundbreaking evolution of Washington, DC's Capitol Dome

- See why the former owner of the Barnum & Bailey Circus created the revolutionary Houston Astrodome

- Meet engineering cult figure Buckminster Fuller, and see how his interlocking triangle design became the controversial geodesic dome

- Bonus activity! Build your own mini-dome with Kenny and Caroline from the PBS kids' show ZOOM using only newspaper and masking tape

David Macaulay hosts Building Big, the five-part series that brings you the amazing truth behind the greatest manmade wonders of the world. From the top of the Golden Gate Bridge to inside the Hoover Dam, Building Big travels the world exploring Bridges, Tunnels, Dams, Skyscrapers and Domes in unforgettable, really big adventures.

Description

Award-winning author-illustrator—and captivating storyteller—David Macaulay (The Way Things Work) goes to extremes with five really big adventures that explore the greatest manmade wonders of the world. The series introduces the courageous creators and builders and reveals the deadly disasters and personal triumphs behind these breathtaking structures. Spectacular film footage, dramatic recreations and David's unique illustrations excite, explain and entertain in a big way. • Tower above the clouds on the Golden Gate; build the Brooklyn Bridge; and explore Europe's groundbreaking spans in • See how dams change not only the course of rivers, but the course of history as well, in an adventure that reaches from the top of the Hoover Dam to the banks of the Nile in Dams; Discover 2000 years of architectural wonders as Domes explores the Houston Astrodome, St. Peter's Cathedral, the geodesic domes of Buckminster Fuller, and more • Go to the top of the skyline for tall tales about Skyscrapers including Chicago's Sears Tower, New York's Empire State Building and Malaysia's record-setting Petronas Towers • Be a "mole" in Boston's "Big Dig;" explore the "Chunnel;" and go deep under New York's Hudson River for a wild look at Tunnels • Bonus Activities! Join Kenny and Caroline from the PBS kids' show ZOOM and other kids and their parents as they build five scaled-down structures using only common household items like straws, masking tape, and newspaper

Customer Reviews:

Good and informative.......2007-01-10

The videos kept my attention and that of my gifted middle school students. Good explanations and visuals to help make material comprehensible.

Brain-building entertainment.......2004-09-02

This set of five videos by artist/architect David Macaulay provides many hours of insightful entertainment and a great introduction to science and technology on a practical level. Each themed film - Bridges, Skyscrapers, Tunnels Domes and Dams - provides an in-depth historical treatment of the particular structure, interesting stories and overviews from famous structures and basic scientific principles involved in each project.

The set features lots of great location shoots with David Macaulay narrating interesting stories and pointing out details of each site.

To give you an idea, "Tunnels" covers aqueducts and water-carrying tunnels of Ancient Rome, early canal and train tunnels of the 19th century (particularly in England and the U.S.), archaic and modern methods of tunnel digging (particularly under rivers), issues involving tunnel safety (both during the project and during use afterwards) with a special emphasis (in all areas) on the building of the Channel Tunnel in the 1990s between England and France. Each video also includes a "Building Small" segment and pamphlet so that families can tackle simple science projects at home that demonstrate principles of architecture.

Our family has really enjoyed these movies - from the four year old all the way up to Mom and Dad. The material is substantial, but easy to understand (particularly with the excellent use of computer graphics and artistic sketches).

My only caution would be that there were a few photos from an airplane crash into the Empire state Building in the 1940s that are a little graphic for young children. I was very excited to learn that these are coming out on DVD this fall.

Average customer rating:

Building Big: Domes
Starring: David Macaulay
Director: Tom Levenson
Manufacturer: Wgbh Boston
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

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WGBH Boston | Television | Genres | DVD | Video

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Similar Items:

Building Big: Skyscrapers
Building Big: Bridges
Building Big: Dams
Building Big: Tunnels
Building Big

ASIN: B0002XVSEC
Release Date: 2004-10-26

Description

Where gods meet and players play-discover the domed wonders of the world. What holds up the Astrodome? Why did the Romans leave a hole in the roof of the Pantheon? Tour the world and trace the 2000-year history of domes with award-winning author-illustrator—and captivating storyteller—David Macaulay (The Way Things Work). From Houston's Astrodome to Rome's St. Peter's Cathedral, to the geodesic domes of Buckminster Fuller, Domes introduces ingenious designers, recounts rarely told heroic stories, and reveals amazing triumphs through spectacular film footage, fascinating facts, and dramatic recreations.

- Discover the innovative technique that ancient builders used in Constantinople to build the dome of the great church Hagia Sophia on a square base

- View amazing archival photos that detail the painstaking, groundbreaking evolution of Washington, DC's Capitol Dome

- See why the former owner of the Barnum & Bailey Circus created the revolutionary Houston Astrodome

- Meet engineering cult figure Buckminster Fuller, and see how his interlocking triangle design became the controversial geodesic dome

- Bonus activity! Build your own mini-dome with Kenny and Caroline from the PBS kids' show ZOOM using only newspaper and masking tape

Includes bonus hands-on building activity designed for kids.

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