Building on Ground Zero

A follow-up to the Emmy Award-winning 2002 documentary Why the Towers Fell (VL-9/02), this NOVA episode presents the conclusions of an official investigation—made from an engineer's standpoint—into the World Trade Center's collapse on 9/11, while also adding an updated analysis of the devastating attack, and speculating on the practicality of rebuilding a structure on the site that would be impervious to future attacks. Building on Ground Zero features on-camera interviews with leading building and safety experts, investigators, architects, and engineers, as well as scenes of the newly erected World Trade Center 7 in New York, and Shanghai's World Financial Center, currently under construction, which will soon be the world's tallest building. Whether these new buildings—both featuring innovative advances in safety—and other structures can truly be made safe is a central topic in this eye-opening, informative documentary. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (E. Hulse)