Impossible Builds

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Narrator

Almost a quarter of a mile tall, the daring design will pay homage to the skyscrapers of yesteryear. For lead architect Greg Pasquirelli, the building will be a legacy to the city he loves. Working in Manhattan is an absolute architect's dream. I mean, here on one small island, you can see every period of architecture of the last 200 years, and you can really see the emergence of the skyscraper, the way it's been thought about, and designed and developed over the past century.

And, you know, it's challenging because some of the best architects in the world have built incredible buildings here. And when you know you're going to add another one to the skyline and to the collection, the bar is set high. -

Narrator

The design may be set, but the postage stamp-sized plot, the protected building, and the extreme proportions of the skyscraper mean to build it, the team must now become construction pioneers, and there are still no guarantees the design actually works. After all the thousands of hours that we've spent working on the project. Of course the worst thing that would happen is we find out we can make it work structurally. If we mess this one up, I mean, it's not like anyone's going to notice, so, that's okay.

(car horn honks) -

Narrator

May, 2015. And on New York's West 57th Street work on the skinny skyscraper is underway. The man tasked with making the cutting edge design a reality is Project Superintendent Anthony Vivelo. We're building a 1400 and some odd foot structure, residential, high-end, stick in the sky.

It is a little skinny up top, and it's gonna rise above everything around here. Hey! -

Narrator

Despite his 30 years industry experience- (beeps) That two by four there! -

Narrator

Nothing could prepare Anthony for his latest project. We're building on a footprint this small. To build 1400-1500 feet up in this small amount of area is a logistical nightmare. -

Narrator

The cramped site isn't the only issue with the project. The very first job, digging out the foundations, means working underground. More specifically, under the near century-old Steinway Hall. This means removing thousands of cubic feet of earth and rock without damaging the protected building above.

Everybody in the team works and helps out each other. That's the only way we'll get through this. If we're not working cohesively together, this will never get built.