Best movies & TV Shows like If We Built It Today

A construction foreman conducts his workers like a symphony orchestra as they build a skyscraper to Franz Liszt's "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2."

World-famous architect Louis Kahn (Exeter Library, Salk Institute, Bangladeshi Capitol Building) had two illegitimate children with two different women outside of his marriage. Son Nathaniel always hoped that someday his father would come and live with him and his mother, but Kahn never left his wife. Instead, Kahn was found dead in a men's room in Penn Station when Nathaniel was only 11.

Today it's a symbol of strength and vitality. 135 years ago, it was a source of controversy. This documentary examines the great problems and ingenious solutions that marked the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. From conception to construction, it traces the bridge's transformation from a spectacular feat of heroic engineering to an honored symbol in American culture.

When construction on Main Street threatens to put the town's shops out of business, mayor Alex Foster decides to throw a Christmas market to boost sales. To do it though, she'll have to convince the reclusive Darcy Hawkins to host it at his family's old mill, bringing up old family feuds and sparking romance in the process.

"Clean Lines, Open Spaces: A View of Mid-Century Modern Architecture" focuses on the construction boom in the United States after World War II. Sometimes considered cold and unattractive, mid-century modern designs were a by-product of post-war optimism and reflected a nation's dedication to building a new future. This new architecture used modern materials such as reinforced concrete, glass and steel and was defined by clean lines, simple shapes and unornamented facades.

The Richardson Olmsted Campus, a former psychiatric center and National Historic Landmark, is seeing new life as it undergoes restoration and adaptation to a modern use.

Bob the Builder and his machine team are ready to tackle any project. Bob and the Can-Do Crew demonstrate the power of positive thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, and follow-through. The team always shows that “The Fun Is In Getting It Done!”

HISTORY’s longest-running series moves to H2. Modern Marvels celebrates the ingenuity, invention and imagination found in the world around us. From commonplace items like ink and coffee to architectural masterpieces and engineering disasters, the hit series goes beyond the basics to provide insight and history into things we wonder about and that impact our lives. This series tells fascinating stories of the doers, the dreamers and sometime-schemers that create everyday items, technological breakthroughs and manmade wonders. The hit series goes deep to explore the leading edge of human inspiration and ambition.

British television series which features unusual and often elaborate architectural homebuilding projects.

Extreme Engineering covers major construction projects from all around the world. Some are futuristic projects that may never be done, others are projects that are on there way to completion.

Architect Danny Forster takes you inside some of the most head-scratching builds in the world. Join Danny as he meets the men and women tackling the unique challenges of constructing the tallest buildings, the most effective military tanks, the largest luxury cruise ships, and the most extreme thrill rides. How do you build a 3,113-foot-long wooden roller coaster in winter temperatures of minus 40 degrees? Or get your workers safely to and from a worksite on a skyscraper that's 1,614 feet above street level? Or dig a water tunnel - along the San Adreas Fault and 1,000 feet below the earth's surface - without it collapsing on itself ... or flooding? Our intrepid host answers these puzzles and more. Don't miss the big stories behind these even bigger engineering marvels.

Dr Jonathan Foyle, architectural historian and novice climber, scales Britain's most iconic structures, to reveal the buildings' secrets.

Follows intrepid individuals as they try to design and construct the home of their dreams.

Britain's iconic and 'secretive' engineering companies reveal how they build the world's most amazing machines. The first part of the series "How to build a nuclear submarine" a documentary following the construction of the Astute nuclear submarine. The second part of the series "How to build a jumbo jet engine", the story of the thousands of people who design, build and test engines at Rolls-Royce’s manufacturing plants in Derby and across the UK, making Rolls-Royce a central part of life for the people of places like Derby. The third and final part of the series "How to build Britain's secret engineers" when the documentary team follows workers at a leading British company on a global journey, as they reveal a handful of their secretive projects including getting Chinook helicopters ready for front line service.

Kevin McCloud follows an innovative community-led regeneration scheme in Castleford.

Capturing the biggest, most complex, most stressful and most dangerous engineering projects around the world, Megabuilders chronicles the most awe-inspiring construction projects in modern engineering.

Fred Dibnah reveals the genius, the vision and the sheer bloody graft that went into creating some of Britain's greatest national monuments. All six episodes look at Britain's architectural heritage. In 'Mighty Cathedrals' Fred examines the innovations in building techniques which allowed the Normans to build some of the nation's most remarkable cathedrals. 'The Art of Castle Building' has Fred take a look at the castles of the North Wales coastline. 'The Age of the Carpenter' sees Fred learn all about the way that carpenters have used their skills to transform medieval castles into homes. In 'Scottish Style' Fred visits Glamis Castle and learns about the Scottish Baronial Style. 'Building the Canals' has Fred visit Bolton and learn about the construction of the first canals. Finally, 'Victorian Splendour' sees Fred looking at the achievements of architects in the 19th century and discovering the story behind the building of the Palace of Westminster and Big Ben.

Robert Kulp and Mike Whiteside are architectural salvage business owners reclaiming vintage pieces from historical buildings and reselling them to people for home renovation projects.

In a quest for world domination, the Nazis built some of the biggest and deadliest pieces of military hardware and malevolent technology in history. This is the stories of the engineers who designed them and how these structures sparked a technological revolution that changed warfare forever.

The enormous popularity of recent British dramas such as Downton Abbey, Mr. Selfridge, and Sherlock, has led to vast interest in the real-life stories and history of the icons of Great Britain. Each episode of this series visits a famous British building or institution to explore its past and present, meeting a wide range of experts and historians along the way.

Based on his book, American writer Stewart Brand takes a look at the life history of buildings - how they're shaped by their architects, and how they're further shaped by their inhabitants.

From ancient ships to modern carriers, THE GREAT SHIPS lets you step on board to explore the design, construction, technology and armaments of history's great vessels of war and peace.

Brojects follows brothers Kevin and Andrew as they retreat from their everyday lives to their cottage sanctuary where they engage in challenging and often quirky DIY cottage building projects. The brothers devise imaginative projects aimed at turning their cottage into the ultimate weekend getaway

McKeyla, Adrienne, Bryden, and Camryn are four super smart and science-skilled girls recruited to join the spy organization, NOV8.

Providing a thought-provoking and imaginative perspective on scientific discovery as it unfolds, each episode follows scientific explorers working on cutting-­edge projects with breakthrough potential, revealing the world of tomorrow... today.

Look past the bricks and mortar and discover the history of some of the most famous buildings on Blueprint NYC. Each episode offers a nuts-and-bolts perspective behind storied sites, like the Wonder Theaters and the Highline, with walking tours and interviews with experts who have a passion for the history and architecture of New York City.

Using the latest 3D scanning technology, Alexander Armstrong and Dr Michael Scott uncover the hidden history of Italian civilisation and city life.

This documentary series showcases how key technological innovations enable giant superstructures to be built. Footage filmed during construction along with CGI reveal the building process with astonishing detail.

Learn about the creation of some of the world’s most ambitious and technologically advanced buildings. From subaquatic homes to futuristic towers and pencil thin skyscrapers, see how these previously impossible structures are taking shape.

Entering a sacred monument is never an unremarkable experience. Whether a place of worship for Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus or Buddhists, the buildings all tend to be architecturally magnificent. And behind the stone, brick, or marble facades are hidden stories of titanic construction sites where brilliant architects, builders and artists came together... From the West to the Far East, these monuments are the concrete witnesses of men's beliefs and of their desire to excel, as well as reminders of their will for political dominance. This series, set in the present day, is about discovering some of the world’s most beautiful and sacred monuments, from Italy to Hungary via France, and on to India, Tunisia and even Myanmar... During each episode we spend a day, from sunrise to sunset, at one of the monuments and learn about its history and architecture, as well as the rituals practiced there, and the people who take care of it.

This series travels the length and breadth of Britain to find out how the Victorians built Britain. It uncovers the incredible and surprising stories behind iconic landmarks; discovers the hidden heroes behind the epic constructions; and finds out how the incredible advances made by the Victorians forged the world we live in today.

What propelled the construction of higher and higher buildings? Which technologies made the discovery of the oceans possible? How are gravity defying bridges designed? What will the future of the aircraft industry be? Combining bluechip photography with innovative CGI, all set in spectacular locations across the world, this documentary series highlights the history of human ingenuity.

Filmed over 2 years - from foundations to opening party - this is the amazing story of the total transformation of an abandoned, industrial island into a luxury destination. Battling against isolation, extreme weather and a punishing schedule the teams building paradise must work night and day to deliver this incredibly ambitious project on time.

Historical buildings in need of restoration. Each episode features a different project, and Nick Knowles follows the restoration work, showing the results, and diving into the history of the building.

Scattered across the United States are abandoned structures, forgotten ruins of the past and monuments to a bygone era. Each one shines a light on the story of this land and its people, revealing the secrets of a hidden America.