Impossible Builds

Cao Ping, the site manager of Ice World, has been away on-site for most of his two-year-old son’s life. See how he works around the clock to ensure the resort’s timely completion.

Already weeks behind schedule, the Ice World construction team must now scramble to work against the torrential rain. However, the treacherous weather environment raises concerns over the safety of the crew.

With only weeks to go before Ice World’s grand opening, the team prepares the building’s final touches. However, when news of COVID-19 captures the world’s attention, the rigorous work on Ice World is brought to a sudden halt.

Over the top, ambitious and nature-defying, China's incredible Ice World will transform 37 acres of sub-tropical quarry into a sub-zero ski resort. The construction team will have to battle the worst nature can throw at them. But if they can pull it off they'll make science fiction a reality.

After draining out the quarry’s water, the Ice World team discovers the quarry’s floor structure is not as stable as what was anticipated. As a result, the engineering team must go back to the drawing board to rethink the design of the building.

Architect Gregg Pasquarelli and his team are eager to redefine the limits of skyscrapers — a design that will present unprecedented challenges to the building’s construction. In May 2015, led by Project Superintendent Anthony Vivelo, the construction team began digging out the foundation for the Skinny Skyscraper on Manhattan’s “Billionaire’s Row.”

Witness the construction of the skinniest skyscraper ever to make it off the drawing board. Located in New York and rising from within a landmarked building the team will attempt to build the world's thinnest skyscraper on the construction equivalent of a postage stamp.

With the building’s exterior making progress, the attention turns toward its interior design. Explore the work carried out by the sixty skilled craftsmen at P.E. Guerin who are tasked with making the Skinny Skyscraper’s interior a luxurious paradise.

High stakes are riding on the team’s successful distribution of concrete on the skyscraper’s groundwork. As Project Superintendent Anthony Vivelo already knows, any leak in the pouring of the concrete could prove to be cataclysmic.

Project Manager Pat Feehan and his team must work around the clock to assemble the newly arrived crane before the hectic Thanksgiving holiday. However, with only 24 hours remaining and limited street space available, the crane must be constructed from the ground up — a process that requires the most meticulous of calculations.

It is now time to see, after all the designing and planning, if the Seahorse can float.

We visit Clax Italia in Rome to see how the bespoke acrylic panels are made for the underwater bedroom on the Seahorse.