Engineering Europe (2025) s01e04 Episode Script
Poland
1
[Narrator] These are
the engineering wonders
of the Nordic region.
Their secrets revealed
in a way never seen before.
Nordic engineers build
in extreme conditions,
creating spectacular
superstructures
and frozen wonders.
They break boundaries
with innovative watercraft
and wooden marvels
on a breathtaking scale.
In this series, we reveal
the secrets of the engineering
that built Europe's
great nations,
the wonders that shape
its cities,
landscapes, and history.
We reveal the astonishing
innovations
and surprising connections
that helped forge
this mighty continent.
♪
♪
The Nordic region is
a collection of countries
located in northern Europe.
It stretches from Finland
and the Scandinavian countries
in the east
to the Faroe Islands, Iceland
and Greenland to the west.
The Nordic nations are built
on lands of fire and ice.
Today, engineers in this region
are united in a battle
to build in extreme environments
and work with nature
to forge the future.
From bridges spanning
frozen fjords in Norway
to geothermal power plants on
Iceland’s dramatic lava fields.
♪
For centuries, Nordic engineers
have tamed
some of the world's
most extreme environments
with extreme engineering.
♪
From deep fjords to
snow-covered mountains,
engineers have conquered these
lands with pioneering projects.
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault
is built
130 meters into
a frozen mountain
in the outer reaches
of the Arctic Circle.
It’s designed to safeguard
the world’s food plants.
Engineers battled the elements
to build this wind farm
on a desolate mountain range
inside the Arctic Circle
in Norway.
On Iceland's
Reykjanes Peninsula,
a pioneering engineering
project is underway
to combat an extreme threat.
♪
Iceland's volcanic landscape
is dotted
with critical infrastructure,
including the world famous
Blue Lagoon tourist resort
and its neighboring
geothermal power station.
The power station generates
electricity and hot water
for 30,000 people, and
the lagoon is one of Iceland's
top tourist destinations.
♪
Engineers in monster machines
are working around the clock
here to build
a unique superstructure.
Colossal barriers,
the height of office blocks.
The barriers perform
a crucial role
protecting these
vital economic cogs
from the imminent threat
of volcanic eruptions.
Six volcanic systems lie
across the peninsula.
They became active in 2021,
having lain dormant
for the last 800 years.
Engineers immediately
began a colossal
barrier-building project to
divert searing hot lava flows
away from key locations.
♪
Horn Hrafnsdóttir is
the driving force
behind the barrier project.
[Horn Hrafnsdóttir] What we are
trying to protect
is the Blue Lagoon and
the geothermal power plants
that we can see over there.
[Narrator]
Horn uses state-of-the-art
computer simulations
to predict the path
of future lava flows,
so she knows where
to build the barriers.
Now, the team is racing
to raise the height
of this barrier and plug gaps
along the route
before the next
eruption strikes.
To do this, the team's
first job is to collect
the raw material they need.
The landscape here is filled
with solidified lava
from thousands of years
of eruptions.
It’s perfect for building
durable barriers.
So the engineers use explosives
to break it up.
Giant bulldozers then scoop
and fill huge dumper trucks
with the lava and soil mix and
transport it to the worksite.
Here, an enormous excavator
piles the tough, rocky mix
on top of the key barrier,
protecting the Blue Lagoon.
The hot lava from
the recent eruption
still steams on the other side
of the slope.
Horn uses an aerial camera
to track the team’s progress.
[speaking Icelandic]
The drone gives Horn
a bird's-eye view
of the entire worksite.
The lava field from the last
eruption is easy to spot,
because it’s still too hot
for snow to settle on it.
[Horn] So this was the critical
point, so we are closing that.
We need the slopes to be good.
So when we have earthquakes,
nothing breaks away.
The barriers should work,
but it’s always the question,
does Mother Nature intend
to change something
and do something else?
[Narrator] Work filling
the last gap in the barrier
is now almost complete.
♪
[Horn] I'm very happy
with the work
that’s been done here today.
So we are trying to do our best,
and we hope this will work.
[Narrator] The barrier
is in good shape.
Now it's a waiting game
until the next eruption
to see if their work is enough
to save these vital cogs
in Iceland’s economy.
♪
Nordic engineers have a rich
history of harnessing nature
in surprising ways.
Centuries ago, Icelandic
builders covered houses
in thick layers of turf
for insulation.
In Norway's Lofoten Archipelago,
engineers repurposed this
island into a football ground.
Near Rovaniemi, Finland,
engineers have found a way
to build with one of the most
abundant resources
the Arctic has to offer.
♪
This winter wonderland
is the location
of the Arctic SnowHotel.
It's a huge seasonal resort
under construction,
with rooms made
from snow and ice.
Once complete, this frozen
wonder will feature
20 guest rooms,
an ice bar,
and even a snow chapel.
♪
Constructing the hotel's rooms
from just snow and ice
is no simple task.
The team starts with
the exterior walls.
They use a large excavator
to move a special wall mold
into place.
The machine has a huge
snow-spreading arm
to scoop and crush snow
to fill the mold.
♪
Workers clamber in
to compact the snow by hand.
This reduces air gaps
and increases the strength
of the wall.
♪
When finished, the team removes
the wall mold
and brings in another to form
the interior space and ceiling.
[Narrator] The build team,
led by Ville Haavikko,
are three weeks
into constructing
this icy mega project.
[Ville Haavikko] Hardest part
of building the SnowHotel,
mostly the pressure comes
with the time and the weather.
Today, it might be really cold.
Tomorrow, it’s plus degrees.
[Narrator] The hotel is due to
open just five days from now,
and Ville's 25-strong team
is racing
to complete the roofs in time.
The excavator gets to work,
covering the huge mold
with a layer of snow
up to a meter thick.
Once finished, they compact it
and leave it to set solid.
And then it’s time for
the all important inspection.
[Narrator] Each of
the SnowHotel's frozen rooms
must be signed off
by owner Ville Haavikko
before they’re ready
for guests to stay in.
[Ville] So we're going
to remove this mold,
and we hope that
it will stay there.
Doesn’t get broken.
Looks good.
Looks really good.
[Narrator] Success.
The snowy structure
is self-supporting.
[Ville] This was the last
mold filling
for building the SnowHotel.
So, really good feelings.
[Narrator]
Over the next few days,
Ville's team works
around the clock,
adding the finishing touches
to the hotel.
They complete the other rooms,
creating unique,
hand-carved snow art
and installing intricate
ice sculptures.
And to top it off, there’s also
a working ice sauna.
Designed for 15-minute sessions,
up to five millimeters
of the internal walls melts
each time they turn up the heat,
but without compromising
the structure.
Finland's frozen wonder is
only open for 15 weeks
before this epic
endeavor vanishes
with the arrival
of the warmer weather.
♪
♪
Nordic engineers have
built megastructures
to traverse their vast region.
The Halogaland Bridge is
the longest suspension bridge
within the Arctic Circle
and spans 1,500 meters
over a freezing fjord.
The eight-kilometer-long
Atlantic Highway in Norway
crisscrosses some of the
region’s most remote coastline.
West of Finland's Oulu city,
a team of engineers is battling
Arctic temperatures to build
a colossal new causeway.
♪
This winding construction site
crossing the frozen Baltic Sea
is the birthplace
of a vast new highway,
called the Hailuoto Causeway.
It will carry road traffic
between Finland's
Hailuoto Island
and the mainland city of Oulu,
a hub for high-tech industries.
♪
Today, the only way to travel
between the two is by ferry.
This new 121 million-euro
project will create
an audacious road link
across the sea,
consisting of two huge bridges
and a raised causeway
made from 1.3 million cubic
meters of blasted rock.
When complete, it will be
the longest causeway
in the country.
♪
Building this structure is
a Herculean challenge.
The bitterly cold Arctic waters
around Hailuoto Island
create a unique problem
for engineers.
The causeway's two bridges
will stretch
700 meters across
the Baltic Sea.
When the water freezes over,
it forms a sheet of shifting
sea ice up to a meter thick
that can wreak havoc with
structures like bridge pillars.
To prevent this, the team must
anchor massive concrete bumpers
called ice breakers
into the seabed
that surround each pillar.
[ice creaking]
The bumpers' special shape
forces the ice up,
so it breaks under its own
weight, protecting the bridge
and its pillars in even
the harshest of Arctic winters.
♪
To create a huge ice breaker,
the team needs a vast amount of
concrete, around 50 truckloads.
♪
Engineers here are now
five hours into
a backbreaking 12-hour
operation to pour concrete
into this ice breaker's
huge pyramid-shaped mold.
Jukka Pakkila oversees this
enormous engineering operation.
[Jukka Pakkila] There’s a load
every 10 to 15 minutes.
This is a process that keeps
going on about 12 hours.
So it’s basically a ballet.
[Narrator] A fleet of trucks
empty concrete
into a huge mobile pump.
A giant hose channels it
into a mold.
Once empty, each truck
heads back to refill,
while another takes its place.
♪
Pouring this much concrete
in one go
creates a surprising problem:
heat.
[Narrator] The more concrete
the team
at the Hailuoto Causeway
project pours,
the more a peculiar
quirk of chemistry
makes their job even harder.
A chemical reaction occurs
when concrete begins to set.
It generates heat, which
workers must control
to ensure the concrete sets
without cracks.
The team pumps liquid coolant
through a network of tubes
installed inside the mold
to keep the concrete cool
while it hardens.
As day turns to night,
the team empties
their final truckload
of concrete into the mold.
And workers smooth the surface.
[Narrator] The team will leave
the ice breaker to cool
and set solid for five days,
then remove the mold.
Over the coming months,
the team must construct
the bridges,
finish the rocky causeway,
and pave the roadways
before this new highway is due
to open in a year’s time.
♪
For centuries, Nordic engineers
have not only mastered
extreme engineering projects,
they have also pioneered
the construction
of incredible marine marvels.
♪
♪
Nordic engineers are experts
at constructing innovative ways
to traverse the waters
that crisscross their lands.
Viking longships were designed
for speed and agility,
with a shallow draught that
allowed them to navigate
both open seas and rivers.
And in the 17th century, the
Kalmar Nyckel helped establish
the first Swedish colony
in the United States,
crossing the Atlantic
an astonishing eight times.
In Stockholm, Sweden,
a revolutionary new type
of electric ferry
is pushing the limits
of traveling on water.
This record-breaking
all-electric vessel
transports commuters from
a nearby island to the city
in half the time
of a regular diesel craft.
The vessel resembles
a traditional passenger ferry
close to land,
but it undergoes
an amazing transformation
when it reaches deeper water.
♪
It appears to fly,
skimming over the waves
like a magic carpet.
This astonishing sailing
technique greatly reduces drag,
which increases battery life
and minimizes wake.
It allows the ferry
to travel much faster
than traditional vessels
of a similar size.
The secret to gliding
above the waves
lies in ingenious
hidden technology.
Two pods extend down
from the stern.
Their twin screws can spin
up to 3,500 RPM
to accelerate the boat
up to 25 knots.
At the bow, a hydrofoil
shaped like an aircraft wing,
pushes the ferry up until
it’s flying above the waves.
A ring of sensors constantly
monitors its position,
and a computer adjusts the
hydrofoil 100 times a second,
to give passengers
the ultimate smooth ride.
♪
These groundbreaking electric
vessels are being manufactured
in this facility
just outside Stockholm.
The craft are so successful
that workers here are building
many more for customers
around the globe.
Alex Kiviorg oversees production
of around 25 vessels a year.
[Alex Kiviorg]
This is the P-12 hull mold.
What's gonna happen today is
we're going to open up the mold
and de-mold the hull
that’s inside.
[Narrator] Workers use
carbon fiber to build
the ferry's hull
and superstructure.
This material is
both lightweight
and incredibly strong.
They place the fibrous
fabric material
into a hull-shaped mold.
They then infuse it with
a special glue called an epoxy
and leave it to harden
for up to two days.
Once the hull is set solid,
it’s time to break it out.
[Alex] There’s going to be
a lot of action.
They're going to put in some
wedges to push the sides open
and to pop out the hull
from the mold.
[Narrator] It's a delicate
operation to remove the mold
without damaging
the brand new hull inside.
♪
It takes some good
old-fashioned brute force
to drive in the wedges.
After 10 minutes of banging
[worker groans]
the hull finally starts
to separate from the mold,
and the team prizes
the wall panels free.
It’s the moment of truth.
Is the hull in one piece?
[Narrator] The team must now
examine the new shell
to ensure there’s no damage
to the electric ferry.
[Alex] What we see here is the
black is the hull itself now,
and the light blue is the mold,
and now you can see how
beautifully the mold released.
♪
[Narrator] They use
a chain winch
mounted on a large steel frame
to lift and maneuver
the huge hull
across the workshop.
♪
[Alex] It looks great.
I mean, I’m very happy
with how it’s gone today.
[Narrator] The birth of a new
hull is cause for celebration.
[Worker] Ready? Cheese.
[All] Cheese!
[Narrator] Over the next
seven months,
Alex's team sand and paint
the hull,
attach its superstructure,
and install the batteries
and the all important
hydrofoil wing.
Hydrofoil technology has
existed for over a century,
but this modern,
fully electric vessel
revolutionizes the concept.
Once complete, the team
will ship this craft
to the Middle East, where it
will transport passengers
to and from a luxury resort,
with a range of over
70 kilometers per charge,
setting a new standard
for travel on water.
♪
Engineers across the Nordic
nations have pioneered
innovative ways
to build crossings
over the region’s waterways.
The world famous Oresund Bridge
that connects Denmark and Sweden
has an awe-inspiring design
where the road traffic
travels above the railway.
In Norway, the Hardanger
suspension bridge helps connect
the country with a span longer
than the Golden Gate Bridge.
Outside Copenhagen in Denmark,
one epic bridge project is set
to transform road and rail
connections across the region.
♪
This colossal construction is
the new Storstrom Bridge.
At almost four kilometers long,
it will be one of the longest
bridges in the country.
Once complete,
this 4.1 billion-kroner project
will form a vital artery
in the trading route
between Copenhagen and Germany.
Construction on the project
begins in 2018.
First, engineers
build and install
40 concrete bridge supports
and the huge central pillar
on the seabed.
A barge hauls 4,000-ton
sections of bridge deck
out to sea, where four enormous
winches lift them into place.
♪
The team is now seven years
into this mega project,
and are undertaking one
of the final critical stages
of the build:
mounting the bridge’s
giant stay cables.
Design manager Barbara Macauley
has been involved
with the bridge
from the beginning.
[Barbara Macaulay] Today,
we're installing the strands
inside the cable stay.
The strands are very important
to the structure,
and it's very important
they're installed correctly.
They are what is holding
the main span of the bridge.
[Narrator] The team must secure
a total of 36
super-strong stay cables to
ensure the huge central pillar
supports the main span
of the bridge.
But installing a stay cable
is no easy task.
Each cable is enormous
and made up of a series
of smaller individual wires
called strands.
♪
[Barbara] We have anywhere
from 60 individual strands
inside one cable stay,
up to 103.
So it's essentially lots
and lots of parallel wires
making up one cable stay.
[Narrator] To create
a single giant cable,
the team's first job is
to feed the smaller strands
up to the top of the bridge
one by one,
where workers must
lock them into place.
Engineers inside the bridge
use a winch
to pull each strand
up to the top.
[radio chatter]
[speaking foreign language]
[Narrator] Once the strand
arrives, the team use
a special cone-shaped wedge
to anchor it into the bridge.
[Worker] Okay, now we can
put this down.
[Narrator] Now, they must lock
the other end of the strand
into the road deck below.
[Worker]
Okay, passing wire down.
[Narrator] Another wedge secures
the base of the strand.
Next, they use
a huge hydraulic jack
to lock the strand into
the bridge and pull it tight.
♪
A computer ensures
the jack applies
exactly the right amount
of tension to the strand.
♪
[Worker] Okay.
[Barbara] That was another one
of the strands of the 103
for the stay cable
successfully installed.
[Narrator] The team must secure
more than 2,800 strands
to complete work
on the 36 cables
that hold up this
pioneering crossing.
The Storstrom Bridge is
due to open to vehicles
in less than a year,
marking a new chapter
in Denmark's drive
to conquer the water
that surrounds this
small Nordic nation.
♪
Nordic engineers have not only
pioneered the creation
of innovative marine marvels,
they have also pushed
the limits of design
and construction to create
awe-inspiring architecture.
♪
♪
Nordic innovators harnessed
timber from their vast forests
to build extraordinary wooden
wonders over the centuries.
In Norway,
medieval architects built
colorful timber structures
to create the Bryggen wharf.
And across the country,
workers build spectacular
timber hideaways
high in the treetops.
A pioneering construction
in Stockholm, Sweden,
will soon be the biggest
timber construction
the city has ever seen.
♪
This mammoth construction site
is Wood City.
The build team here
is just eight months
into an innovative 15-year
mega redevelopment project
to construct the world’s
largest wooden city.
[Narrator] Stockholm's Wood City
will transform
this old industrial area.
2,000 homes, 7,000 offices,
a quarter of a million
square meters
of living and working space,
with its own school
and restaurants
all built from wood.
This huge sustainable project
is estimated to cost
one billion euros.
Building timber structures
is no simple task,
and with such a vast project,
the team must work fast
to keep the build on schedule.
[Narrator] Building with wood is
faster and uses far less carbon
than steel and concrete.
It's also a natural insulator,
which will help to make
the city cheaper to heat.
Project manager
Hakan Hyllengren oversees
construction
on this groundbreaking
timber metropolis.
[Hakan Hyllengren]
So today it’s a big day.
We got almost 20 wall panels
we’re gonna lift
onto the second floor.
[Narrator] Workers erect each
of Wood City's 25 blocks
from bespoke prefabricated
wooden panels.
The walls, joints,
and upper floors
of these apartment buildings
are made entirely from timber.
The biggest advantage of using
prefabricated wooden panels
is speed.
Hakan’s team can complete an
entire floor in just one week.
♪
[Hakan] It’s a fast build.
Almost two hours of working,
we already got all the outside
walls up and ready.
♪
[Narrator] The secret to
building tall timber structures
lies in how the wooden panels
are crafted.
The walls are made
from layers of wood,
carefully glued together,
rather than a single block.
This ingenious building material
is called
cross-laminated timber.
[Hakan] Here you can see
the cross-laminated timber.
So you have five layers,
and they're all glued together
in different direction,
and that's where you get
the strength that can compete
with steel and concrete.
♪
[Narrator] By midafternoon,
the build team gears up
to install their
final wall panel.
They carefully slot the panel
into the gap
and lock it into place.
[Hakan] It’s gone really well,
we completed almost 20 panels.
So, job well done.
Really successful day.
[Narrator] The team is set to
finish work on Wood City's
residential blocks
in a little over a year.
Once the project is complete,
the entire wooden city
will totally transform
this part of Stockholm,
setting a new standard
for sustainable building
with timber.
♪
Nordic architects have long
reached for the stars
with innovative tall structures.
In Sweden, the Turning Torso
was the world's first
twisting skyscraper,
rotating a full 90 degrees
as it soars 190 meters
into the air.
And Copenhagen's Kaktus Towers
prick the sky
with their razor-sharp design.
One new structure outside
Helsinki, Finland,
is redrawing
the country’s skyline.
♪
Soaring 185 meters into the air,
this enormous edifice
is the Prysmian Tower.
When complete, it will become
the tallest building in Finland.
But this is no ordinary
skyscraper.
It’s an astonishing
vertical factory.
The titanic tower will be used
to manufacture
highly-specialized
extra-high-voltage
undersea power cables.
The tower is a supercharged
cable-coating machine.
At the top,
the bare conductor wire
at the heart
of an undersea cable
runs into a special machine
that coats it
in a thick, protective layer
of polyethylene.
In a horizontal factory,
the hot molten plastic
could droop and deform,
spoiling the sensitive cable.
So this production line
is vertical.
In this tower,
even the thickest cable
remains perfectly straight.
♪
♪
Construction work
begins in 2023.
It takes 24 months to erect
the cylindrical structure
floor by floor.
As the building grows taller,
the site's tower crane
must grow with it,
jumping up several floors at a
time to allow work to continue.
♪
Now, engineers are racing
to complete the tower
by installing huge window panels
on the outer edge
of the top floor.
At this height, strong winds
can wreak havoc with the build
and make the installation work
a monumental challenge.
Site supervisor Ville Hakala
is in charge of the operation.
[Ville Hakala]
The weather defines
how many windows we can get.
It's one of the biggest
and most challenging phases
on this project.
[Narrator]
The team uses a special
remote-controlled crane,
fitted with suction pads.
They carefully maneuver
the giant 400-kilogram window
across the construction floor
to the outer rim of the tower.
[Ville] Some people don't want
to go on the outer rim at all,
but most of my team
is okay with it.
Just don’t look down.
[Narrator] To install
the windows at the top
of Finland's tallest tower,
engineers must delicately
thread the glass panel
through a web of steel beams.
[Narrator] Once in position,
they must perfectly align it
to ensure there are no air gaps.
Then lock it into
the skeleton of the building.
Success.
The tower’s final huge exterior
window locks into place.
[Ville] It feels very nice
that now the job is done.
[Narrator] With their new super
tower, the plant will be able
to manufacture
up to one kilometer
of extra-high-voltage
undersea cables every day.
From here, the cable will travel
to another part of the factory
where machines will wind
steel wire armor around it.
♪
And add a final
exterior coating.
It won't be long before
undersea cables
manufactured in Finland's
tallest tower
are delivering electricity
to countries across the globe.
♪
For centuries, Nordic engineers
have been world leaders
in constructing
breathtaking wooden wonders
that were built to last.
Urnes Stave Church in Norway
is the oldest preserved
wooden building in the country,
dating back to 1130.
Borgund Stave Church features
some of the most magnificent
timber carvings of any
wooden place of worship.
Inland from the port city
of Bergen,
a team of specialists is
working to preserve
an historic marvel
of Norwegian engineering.
♪
These soaring mountains
and deep fjords
were once home
to the fearsome Vikings.
Their marauding came to an end
over 900 years ago,
but their mastery of building
with wood was preserved.
Their ancestors harnessed
these skills to build
this stunning banqueting hall
over 700 years ago.
And it stands today as the
oldest secular wooden building
in Norway.
[Narrator] A team of architects
and researchers
led by Bjorg Agasoster is
part of a long-running
research project to record the
structure and others like it
for study and preservation.
The team uses
a state-of-the-art 3D scanner
to digitally map
the entire structure.
[Bjorg Agasoster] We are
scanning this building
to understand it more.
It is a very unique building
in Norwegian history.
It’s actually one of its kind.
[Narrator] The 3D scanner uses
precision laser beams to record
the structure with
millimeter accuracy,
creating a digital twin.
Bjorg uses a drone to capture
high-resolution images
of the building from above.
[Bjorg] You ready?
[Operator] Yeah.
[Bjorg] Shall we take
the drone up?
[Operator] Sure.
[Narrator] The aerial images,
combined with a 3D scan,
will produce a highly accurate
computer-generated model
of the ancient hall.
The team will then use this
digital twin as a reference,
comparing future scans
to investigate
if the wet and humid
climate here
has any deteriorating effect.
[Bjorg] With the climate change,
it’s probably going
to rain even more.
So that makes it even more
important to document it
and see, after five years,
has there been any change?
How has the rain affected it?
[Narrator] Inside the structure,
the main banqueting hall
showcases remarkable ancient
construction techniques.
The medieval craftsmen
used thick wooden posts
to mark out the corners
of the room.
They then slotted planks
into the posts
to form the sturdy frame,
floor, and ceiling.
These techniques hark back
to the age of the Vikings.
800 years ago, while the rest
of Europe was building
stone cathedrals, the Nordic
people used similar technology
to build their mighty
stave churches out of wood.
Huge timber posts
form a sturdy backbone
with wooden arches
for extra strength,
and a ceiling like an upturned
Viking longboat
all built without a single
metal nail or screw.
Bjorg finds echoes of these
historic techniques
in the banqueting hall.
[Bjorg] Here you see
one of the staves,
and you have one in each corner,
and they’re all connected
by these massive beams.
You can see how the carpenter
who did it used his axe,
and it’s quite beautiful.
[Narrator] Once the scanning
is complete,
Bjorg feeds the information
into a computer
to generate the 3D model.
[Bjorg] Here we have the model,
and so far,
it looks really great.
This 3D model will help us
to monitor the building
in case something happened.
[Narrator] Thanks to this
modern technology,
Bjorg and her team should be
able to preserve the building
for generations to come,
no matter what
the future brings.
♪
♪
The Nordic nations are pioneers
of building
in extreme landscapes.
Today, their engineers continue
to push boundaries,
building in increasingly
hostile environments,
while continuing
to work with nature
to forge the future
of northern Europe.
♪
[Narrator] These are
the engineering wonders
of the Nordic region.
Their secrets revealed
in a way never seen before.
Nordic engineers build
in extreme conditions,
creating spectacular
superstructures
and frozen wonders.
They break boundaries
with innovative watercraft
and wooden marvels
on a breathtaking scale.
In this series, we reveal
the secrets of the engineering
that built Europe's
great nations,
the wonders that shape
its cities,
landscapes, and history.
We reveal the astonishing
innovations
and surprising connections
that helped forge
this mighty continent.
♪
♪
The Nordic region is
a collection of countries
located in northern Europe.
It stretches from Finland
and the Scandinavian countries
in the east
to the Faroe Islands, Iceland
and Greenland to the west.
The Nordic nations are built
on lands of fire and ice.
Today, engineers in this region
are united in a battle
to build in extreme environments
and work with nature
to forge the future.
From bridges spanning
frozen fjords in Norway
to geothermal power plants on
Iceland’s dramatic lava fields.
♪
For centuries, Nordic engineers
have tamed
some of the world's
most extreme environments
with extreme engineering.
♪
From deep fjords to
snow-covered mountains,
engineers have conquered these
lands with pioneering projects.
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault
is built
130 meters into
a frozen mountain
in the outer reaches
of the Arctic Circle.
It’s designed to safeguard
the world’s food plants.
Engineers battled the elements
to build this wind farm
on a desolate mountain range
inside the Arctic Circle
in Norway.
On Iceland's
Reykjanes Peninsula,
a pioneering engineering
project is underway
to combat an extreme threat.
♪
Iceland's volcanic landscape
is dotted
with critical infrastructure,
including the world famous
Blue Lagoon tourist resort
and its neighboring
geothermal power station.
The power station generates
electricity and hot water
for 30,000 people, and
the lagoon is one of Iceland's
top tourist destinations.
♪
Engineers in monster machines
are working around the clock
here to build
a unique superstructure.
Colossal barriers,
the height of office blocks.
The barriers perform
a crucial role
protecting these
vital economic cogs
from the imminent threat
of volcanic eruptions.
Six volcanic systems lie
across the peninsula.
They became active in 2021,
having lain dormant
for the last 800 years.
Engineers immediately
began a colossal
barrier-building project to
divert searing hot lava flows
away from key locations.
♪
Horn Hrafnsdóttir is
the driving force
behind the barrier project.
[Horn Hrafnsdóttir] What we are
trying to protect
is the Blue Lagoon and
the geothermal power plants
that we can see over there.
[Narrator]
Horn uses state-of-the-art
computer simulations
to predict the path
of future lava flows,
so she knows where
to build the barriers.
Now, the team is racing
to raise the height
of this barrier and plug gaps
along the route
before the next
eruption strikes.
To do this, the team's
first job is to collect
the raw material they need.
The landscape here is filled
with solidified lava
from thousands of years
of eruptions.
It’s perfect for building
durable barriers.
So the engineers use explosives
to break it up.
Giant bulldozers then scoop
and fill huge dumper trucks
with the lava and soil mix and
transport it to the worksite.
Here, an enormous excavator
piles the tough, rocky mix
on top of the key barrier,
protecting the Blue Lagoon.
The hot lava from
the recent eruption
still steams on the other side
of the slope.
Horn uses an aerial camera
to track the team’s progress.
[speaking Icelandic]
The drone gives Horn
a bird's-eye view
of the entire worksite.
The lava field from the last
eruption is easy to spot,
because it’s still too hot
for snow to settle on it.
[Horn] So this was the critical
point, so we are closing that.
We need the slopes to be good.
So when we have earthquakes,
nothing breaks away.
The barriers should work,
but it’s always the question,
does Mother Nature intend
to change something
and do something else?
[Narrator] Work filling
the last gap in the barrier
is now almost complete.
♪
[Horn] I'm very happy
with the work
that’s been done here today.
So we are trying to do our best,
and we hope this will work.
[Narrator] The barrier
is in good shape.
Now it's a waiting game
until the next eruption
to see if their work is enough
to save these vital cogs
in Iceland’s economy.
♪
Nordic engineers have a rich
history of harnessing nature
in surprising ways.
Centuries ago, Icelandic
builders covered houses
in thick layers of turf
for insulation.
In Norway's Lofoten Archipelago,
engineers repurposed this
island into a football ground.
Near Rovaniemi, Finland,
engineers have found a way
to build with one of the most
abundant resources
the Arctic has to offer.
♪
This winter wonderland
is the location
of the Arctic SnowHotel.
It's a huge seasonal resort
under construction,
with rooms made
from snow and ice.
Once complete, this frozen
wonder will feature
20 guest rooms,
an ice bar,
and even a snow chapel.
♪
Constructing the hotel's rooms
from just snow and ice
is no simple task.
The team starts with
the exterior walls.
They use a large excavator
to move a special wall mold
into place.
The machine has a huge
snow-spreading arm
to scoop and crush snow
to fill the mold.
♪
Workers clamber in
to compact the snow by hand.
This reduces air gaps
and increases the strength
of the wall.
♪
When finished, the team removes
the wall mold
and brings in another to form
the interior space and ceiling.
[Narrator] The build team,
led by Ville Haavikko,
are three weeks
into constructing
this icy mega project.
[Ville Haavikko] Hardest part
of building the SnowHotel,
mostly the pressure comes
with the time and the weather.
Today, it might be really cold.
Tomorrow, it’s plus degrees.
[Narrator] The hotel is due to
open just five days from now,
and Ville's 25-strong team
is racing
to complete the roofs in time.
The excavator gets to work,
covering the huge mold
with a layer of snow
up to a meter thick.
Once finished, they compact it
and leave it to set solid.
And then it’s time for
the all important inspection.
[Narrator] Each of
the SnowHotel's frozen rooms
must be signed off
by owner Ville Haavikko
before they’re ready
for guests to stay in.
[Ville] So we're going
to remove this mold,
and we hope that
it will stay there.
Doesn’t get broken.
Looks good.
Looks really good.
[Narrator] Success.
The snowy structure
is self-supporting.
[Ville] This was the last
mold filling
for building the SnowHotel.
So, really good feelings.
[Narrator]
Over the next few days,
Ville's team works
around the clock,
adding the finishing touches
to the hotel.
They complete the other rooms,
creating unique,
hand-carved snow art
and installing intricate
ice sculptures.
And to top it off, there’s also
a working ice sauna.
Designed for 15-minute sessions,
up to five millimeters
of the internal walls melts
each time they turn up the heat,
but without compromising
the structure.
Finland's frozen wonder is
only open for 15 weeks
before this epic
endeavor vanishes
with the arrival
of the warmer weather.
♪
♪
Nordic engineers have
built megastructures
to traverse their vast region.
The Halogaland Bridge is
the longest suspension bridge
within the Arctic Circle
and spans 1,500 meters
over a freezing fjord.
The eight-kilometer-long
Atlantic Highway in Norway
crisscrosses some of the
region’s most remote coastline.
West of Finland's Oulu city,
a team of engineers is battling
Arctic temperatures to build
a colossal new causeway.
♪
This winding construction site
crossing the frozen Baltic Sea
is the birthplace
of a vast new highway,
called the Hailuoto Causeway.
It will carry road traffic
between Finland's
Hailuoto Island
and the mainland city of Oulu,
a hub for high-tech industries.
♪
Today, the only way to travel
between the two is by ferry.
This new 121 million-euro
project will create
an audacious road link
across the sea,
consisting of two huge bridges
and a raised causeway
made from 1.3 million cubic
meters of blasted rock.
When complete, it will be
the longest causeway
in the country.
♪
Building this structure is
a Herculean challenge.
The bitterly cold Arctic waters
around Hailuoto Island
create a unique problem
for engineers.
The causeway's two bridges
will stretch
700 meters across
the Baltic Sea.
When the water freezes over,
it forms a sheet of shifting
sea ice up to a meter thick
that can wreak havoc with
structures like bridge pillars.
To prevent this, the team must
anchor massive concrete bumpers
called ice breakers
into the seabed
that surround each pillar.
[ice creaking]
The bumpers' special shape
forces the ice up,
so it breaks under its own
weight, protecting the bridge
and its pillars in even
the harshest of Arctic winters.
♪
To create a huge ice breaker,
the team needs a vast amount of
concrete, around 50 truckloads.
♪
Engineers here are now
five hours into
a backbreaking 12-hour
operation to pour concrete
into this ice breaker's
huge pyramid-shaped mold.
Jukka Pakkila oversees this
enormous engineering operation.
[Jukka Pakkila] There’s a load
every 10 to 15 minutes.
This is a process that keeps
going on about 12 hours.
So it’s basically a ballet.
[Narrator] A fleet of trucks
empty concrete
into a huge mobile pump.
A giant hose channels it
into a mold.
Once empty, each truck
heads back to refill,
while another takes its place.
♪
Pouring this much concrete
in one go
creates a surprising problem:
heat.
[Narrator] The more concrete
the team
at the Hailuoto Causeway
project pours,
the more a peculiar
quirk of chemistry
makes their job even harder.
A chemical reaction occurs
when concrete begins to set.
It generates heat, which
workers must control
to ensure the concrete sets
without cracks.
The team pumps liquid coolant
through a network of tubes
installed inside the mold
to keep the concrete cool
while it hardens.
As day turns to night,
the team empties
their final truckload
of concrete into the mold.
And workers smooth the surface.
[Narrator] The team will leave
the ice breaker to cool
and set solid for five days,
then remove the mold.
Over the coming months,
the team must construct
the bridges,
finish the rocky causeway,
and pave the roadways
before this new highway is due
to open in a year’s time.
♪
For centuries, Nordic engineers
have not only mastered
extreme engineering projects,
they have also pioneered
the construction
of incredible marine marvels.
♪
♪
Nordic engineers are experts
at constructing innovative ways
to traverse the waters
that crisscross their lands.
Viking longships were designed
for speed and agility,
with a shallow draught that
allowed them to navigate
both open seas and rivers.
And in the 17th century, the
Kalmar Nyckel helped establish
the first Swedish colony
in the United States,
crossing the Atlantic
an astonishing eight times.
In Stockholm, Sweden,
a revolutionary new type
of electric ferry
is pushing the limits
of traveling on water.
This record-breaking
all-electric vessel
transports commuters from
a nearby island to the city
in half the time
of a regular diesel craft.
The vessel resembles
a traditional passenger ferry
close to land,
but it undergoes
an amazing transformation
when it reaches deeper water.
♪
It appears to fly,
skimming over the waves
like a magic carpet.
This astonishing sailing
technique greatly reduces drag,
which increases battery life
and minimizes wake.
It allows the ferry
to travel much faster
than traditional vessels
of a similar size.
The secret to gliding
above the waves
lies in ingenious
hidden technology.
Two pods extend down
from the stern.
Their twin screws can spin
up to 3,500 RPM
to accelerate the boat
up to 25 knots.
At the bow, a hydrofoil
shaped like an aircraft wing,
pushes the ferry up until
it’s flying above the waves.
A ring of sensors constantly
monitors its position,
and a computer adjusts the
hydrofoil 100 times a second,
to give passengers
the ultimate smooth ride.
♪
These groundbreaking electric
vessels are being manufactured
in this facility
just outside Stockholm.
The craft are so successful
that workers here are building
many more for customers
around the globe.
Alex Kiviorg oversees production
of around 25 vessels a year.
[Alex Kiviorg]
This is the P-12 hull mold.
What's gonna happen today is
we're going to open up the mold
and de-mold the hull
that’s inside.
[Narrator] Workers use
carbon fiber to build
the ferry's hull
and superstructure.
This material is
both lightweight
and incredibly strong.
They place the fibrous
fabric material
into a hull-shaped mold.
They then infuse it with
a special glue called an epoxy
and leave it to harden
for up to two days.
Once the hull is set solid,
it’s time to break it out.
[Alex] There’s going to be
a lot of action.
They're going to put in some
wedges to push the sides open
and to pop out the hull
from the mold.
[Narrator] It's a delicate
operation to remove the mold
without damaging
the brand new hull inside.
♪
It takes some good
old-fashioned brute force
to drive in the wedges.
After 10 minutes of banging
[worker groans]
the hull finally starts
to separate from the mold,
and the team prizes
the wall panels free.
It’s the moment of truth.
Is the hull in one piece?
[Narrator] The team must now
examine the new shell
to ensure there’s no damage
to the electric ferry.
[Alex] What we see here is the
black is the hull itself now,
and the light blue is the mold,
and now you can see how
beautifully the mold released.
♪
[Narrator] They use
a chain winch
mounted on a large steel frame
to lift and maneuver
the huge hull
across the workshop.
♪
[Alex] It looks great.
I mean, I’m very happy
with how it’s gone today.
[Narrator] The birth of a new
hull is cause for celebration.
[Worker] Ready? Cheese.
[All] Cheese!
[Narrator] Over the next
seven months,
Alex's team sand and paint
the hull,
attach its superstructure,
and install the batteries
and the all important
hydrofoil wing.
Hydrofoil technology has
existed for over a century,
but this modern,
fully electric vessel
revolutionizes the concept.
Once complete, the team
will ship this craft
to the Middle East, where it
will transport passengers
to and from a luxury resort,
with a range of over
70 kilometers per charge,
setting a new standard
for travel on water.
♪
Engineers across the Nordic
nations have pioneered
innovative ways
to build crossings
over the region’s waterways.
The world famous Oresund Bridge
that connects Denmark and Sweden
has an awe-inspiring design
where the road traffic
travels above the railway.
In Norway, the Hardanger
suspension bridge helps connect
the country with a span longer
than the Golden Gate Bridge.
Outside Copenhagen in Denmark,
one epic bridge project is set
to transform road and rail
connections across the region.
♪
This colossal construction is
the new Storstrom Bridge.
At almost four kilometers long,
it will be one of the longest
bridges in the country.
Once complete,
this 4.1 billion-kroner project
will form a vital artery
in the trading route
between Copenhagen and Germany.
Construction on the project
begins in 2018.
First, engineers
build and install
40 concrete bridge supports
and the huge central pillar
on the seabed.
A barge hauls 4,000-ton
sections of bridge deck
out to sea, where four enormous
winches lift them into place.
♪
The team is now seven years
into this mega project,
and are undertaking one
of the final critical stages
of the build:
mounting the bridge’s
giant stay cables.
Design manager Barbara Macauley
has been involved
with the bridge
from the beginning.
[Barbara Macaulay] Today,
we're installing the strands
inside the cable stay.
The strands are very important
to the structure,
and it's very important
they're installed correctly.
They are what is holding
the main span of the bridge.
[Narrator] The team must secure
a total of 36
super-strong stay cables to
ensure the huge central pillar
supports the main span
of the bridge.
But installing a stay cable
is no easy task.
Each cable is enormous
and made up of a series
of smaller individual wires
called strands.
♪
[Barbara] We have anywhere
from 60 individual strands
inside one cable stay,
up to 103.
So it's essentially lots
and lots of parallel wires
making up one cable stay.
[Narrator] To create
a single giant cable,
the team's first job is
to feed the smaller strands
up to the top of the bridge
one by one,
where workers must
lock them into place.
Engineers inside the bridge
use a winch
to pull each strand
up to the top.
[radio chatter]
[speaking foreign language]
[Narrator] Once the strand
arrives, the team use
a special cone-shaped wedge
to anchor it into the bridge.
[Worker] Okay, now we can
put this down.
[Narrator] Now, they must lock
the other end of the strand
into the road deck below.
[Worker]
Okay, passing wire down.
[Narrator] Another wedge secures
the base of the strand.
Next, they use
a huge hydraulic jack
to lock the strand into
the bridge and pull it tight.
♪
A computer ensures
the jack applies
exactly the right amount
of tension to the strand.
♪
[Worker] Okay.
[Barbara] That was another one
of the strands of the 103
for the stay cable
successfully installed.
[Narrator] The team must secure
more than 2,800 strands
to complete work
on the 36 cables
that hold up this
pioneering crossing.
The Storstrom Bridge is
due to open to vehicles
in less than a year,
marking a new chapter
in Denmark's drive
to conquer the water
that surrounds this
small Nordic nation.
♪
Nordic engineers have not only
pioneered the creation
of innovative marine marvels,
they have also pushed
the limits of design
and construction to create
awe-inspiring architecture.
♪
♪
Nordic innovators harnessed
timber from their vast forests
to build extraordinary wooden
wonders over the centuries.
In Norway,
medieval architects built
colorful timber structures
to create the Bryggen wharf.
And across the country,
workers build spectacular
timber hideaways
high in the treetops.
A pioneering construction
in Stockholm, Sweden,
will soon be the biggest
timber construction
the city has ever seen.
♪
This mammoth construction site
is Wood City.
The build team here
is just eight months
into an innovative 15-year
mega redevelopment project
to construct the world’s
largest wooden city.
[Narrator] Stockholm's Wood City
will transform
this old industrial area.
2,000 homes, 7,000 offices,
a quarter of a million
square meters
of living and working space,
with its own school
and restaurants
all built from wood.
This huge sustainable project
is estimated to cost
one billion euros.
Building timber structures
is no simple task,
and with such a vast project,
the team must work fast
to keep the build on schedule.
[Narrator] Building with wood is
faster and uses far less carbon
than steel and concrete.
It's also a natural insulator,
which will help to make
the city cheaper to heat.
Project manager
Hakan Hyllengren oversees
construction
on this groundbreaking
timber metropolis.
[Hakan Hyllengren]
So today it’s a big day.
We got almost 20 wall panels
we’re gonna lift
onto the second floor.
[Narrator] Workers erect each
of Wood City's 25 blocks
from bespoke prefabricated
wooden panels.
The walls, joints,
and upper floors
of these apartment buildings
are made entirely from timber.
The biggest advantage of using
prefabricated wooden panels
is speed.
Hakan’s team can complete an
entire floor in just one week.
♪
[Hakan] It’s a fast build.
Almost two hours of working,
we already got all the outside
walls up and ready.
♪
[Narrator] The secret to
building tall timber structures
lies in how the wooden panels
are crafted.
The walls are made
from layers of wood,
carefully glued together,
rather than a single block.
This ingenious building material
is called
cross-laminated timber.
[Hakan] Here you can see
the cross-laminated timber.
So you have five layers,
and they're all glued together
in different direction,
and that's where you get
the strength that can compete
with steel and concrete.
♪
[Narrator] By midafternoon,
the build team gears up
to install their
final wall panel.
They carefully slot the panel
into the gap
and lock it into place.
[Hakan] It’s gone really well,
we completed almost 20 panels.
So, job well done.
Really successful day.
[Narrator] The team is set to
finish work on Wood City's
residential blocks
in a little over a year.
Once the project is complete,
the entire wooden city
will totally transform
this part of Stockholm,
setting a new standard
for sustainable building
with timber.
♪
Nordic architects have long
reached for the stars
with innovative tall structures.
In Sweden, the Turning Torso
was the world's first
twisting skyscraper,
rotating a full 90 degrees
as it soars 190 meters
into the air.
And Copenhagen's Kaktus Towers
prick the sky
with their razor-sharp design.
One new structure outside
Helsinki, Finland,
is redrawing
the country’s skyline.
♪
Soaring 185 meters into the air,
this enormous edifice
is the Prysmian Tower.
When complete, it will become
the tallest building in Finland.
But this is no ordinary
skyscraper.
It’s an astonishing
vertical factory.
The titanic tower will be used
to manufacture
highly-specialized
extra-high-voltage
undersea power cables.
The tower is a supercharged
cable-coating machine.
At the top,
the bare conductor wire
at the heart
of an undersea cable
runs into a special machine
that coats it
in a thick, protective layer
of polyethylene.
In a horizontal factory,
the hot molten plastic
could droop and deform,
spoiling the sensitive cable.
So this production line
is vertical.
In this tower,
even the thickest cable
remains perfectly straight.
♪
♪
Construction work
begins in 2023.
It takes 24 months to erect
the cylindrical structure
floor by floor.
As the building grows taller,
the site's tower crane
must grow with it,
jumping up several floors at a
time to allow work to continue.
♪
Now, engineers are racing
to complete the tower
by installing huge window panels
on the outer edge
of the top floor.
At this height, strong winds
can wreak havoc with the build
and make the installation work
a monumental challenge.
Site supervisor Ville Hakala
is in charge of the operation.
[Ville Hakala]
The weather defines
how many windows we can get.
It's one of the biggest
and most challenging phases
on this project.
[Narrator]
The team uses a special
remote-controlled crane,
fitted with suction pads.
They carefully maneuver
the giant 400-kilogram window
across the construction floor
to the outer rim of the tower.
[Ville] Some people don't want
to go on the outer rim at all,
but most of my team
is okay with it.
Just don’t look down.
[Narrator] To install
the windows at the top
of Finland's tallest tower,
engineers must delicately
thread the glass panel
through a web of steel beams.
[Narrator] Once in position,
they must perfectly align it
to ensure there are no air gaps.
Then lock it into
the skeleton of the building.
Success.
The tower’s final huge exterior
window locks into place.
[Ville] It feels very nice
that now the job is done.
[Narrator] With their new super
tower, the plant will be able
to manufacture
up to one kilometer
of extra-high-voltage
undersea cables every day.
From here, the cable will travel
to another part of the factory
where machines will wind
steel wire armor around it.
♪
And add a final
exterior coating.
It won't be long before
undersea cables
manufactured in Finland's
tallest tower
are delivering electricity
to countries across the globe.
♪
For centuries, Nordic engineers
have been world leaders
in constructing
breathtaking wooden wonders
that were built to last.
Urnes Stave Church in Norway
is the oldest preserved
wooden building in the country,
dating back to 1130.
Borgund Stave Church features
some of the most magnificent
timber carvings of any
wooden place of worship.
Inland from the port city
of Bergen,
a team of specialists is
working to preserve
an historic marvel
of Norwegian engineering.
♪
These soaring mountains
and deep fjords
were once home
to the fearsome Vikings.
Their marauding came to an end
over 900 years ago,
but their mastery of building
with wood was preserved.
Their ancestors harnessed
these skills to build
this stunning banqueting hall
over 700 years ago.
And it stands today as the
oldest secular wooden building
in Norway.
[Narrator] A team of architects
and researchers
led by Bjorg Agasoster is
part of a long-running
research project to record the
structure and others like it
for study and preservation.
The team uses
a state-of-the-art 3D scanner
to digitally map
the entire structure.
[Bjorg Agasoster] We are
scanning this building
to understand it more.
It is a very unique building
in Norwegian history.
It’s actually one of its kind.
[Narrator] The 3D scanner uses
precision laser beams to record
the structure with
millimeter accuracy,
creating a digital twin.
Bjorg uses a drone to capture
high-resolution images
of the building from above.
[Bjorg] You ready?
[Operator] Yeah.
[Bjorg] Shall we take
the drone up?
[Operator] Sure.
[Narrator] The aerial images,
combined with a 3D scan,
will produce a highly accurate
computer-generated model
of the ancient hall.
The team will then use this
digital twin as a reference,
comparing future scans
to investigate
if the wet and humid
climate here
has any deteriorating effect.
[Bjorg] With the climate change,
it’s probably going
to rain even more.
So that makes it even more
important to document it
and see, after five years,
has there been any change?
How has the rain affected it?
[Narrator] Inside the structure,
the main banqueting hall
showcases remarkable ancient
construction techniques.
The medieval craftsmen
used thick wooden posts
to mark out the corners
of the room.
They then slotted planks
into the posts
to form the sturdy frame,
floor, and ceiling.
These techniques hark back
to the age of the Vikings.
800 years ago, while the rest
of Europe was building
stone cathedrals, the Nordic
people used similar technology
to build their mighty
stave churches out of wood.
Huge timber posts
form a sturdy backbone
with wooden arches
for extra strength,
and a ceiling like an upturned
Viking longboat
all built without a single
metal nail or screw.
Bjorg finds echoes of these
historic techniques
in the banqueting hall.
[Bjorg] Here you see
one of the staves,
and you have one in each corner,
and they’re all connected
by these massive beams.
You can see how the carpenter
who did it used his axe,
and it’s quite beautiful.
[Narrator] Once the scanning
is complete,
Bjorg feeds the information
into a computer
to generate the 3D model.
[Bjorg] Here we have the model,
and so far,
it looks really great.
This 3D model will help us
to monitor the building
in case something happened.
[Narrator] Thanks to this
modern technology,
Bjorg and her team should be
able to preserve the building
for generations to come,
no matter what
the future brings.
♪
♪
The Nordic nations are pioneers
of building
in extreme landscapes.
Today, their engineers continue
to push boundaries,
building in increasingly
hostile environments,
while continuing
to work with nature
to forge the future
of northern Europe.
♪