The Art of Architecture

BBC Select encourages you to watch this fascinating documentary looking at the construction of New York’s World Trade Center Transportation Hub, better known as the Oculus, which opened in 2016. Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava explains his vision for the structure that needed to be practical and impressive, while also remembering those whose lives were lost during the September 11 attacks.

Trying to redesign a beloved, historical landmark is an incredibly sensitive prospect. Battersea Power Station has been dominating the London skyline for over 90 years. Watch on BBC Select as architect Jim Eyre describes how he planned to bring this derelict structure back to life in this fascinating arts documentary. How can you balance the functional with the emotional attachment to a building?

Architect Kengo Kuma’s V&A museum in Dundee wanted to be more than just a world-renowned gallery. It was hoped the astonishing new building would help to revitalize the Scottish city after decades of decline. Watch and learn on BBC Select as Kuma explains his creative vision in this illuminating arts documentary. Can one building, no matter how impressive, change the fortunes of an entire area?

In a city renowned for its awesome skyscrapers, architect Thomas Heatherwick had a vision to add one more remarkable building to the New York skyline. The Vessel is a series of walkways built in a distinctive honeycomb shape. BBC Select travels to NYC as Heatherwick explains why his building, that has no real purpose, needed to exist. But, this arts documentary asks, will New Yorkers accept it?

The last major renovation to London’s historic Westminster Abbey, the gothic wonder where England’s Kings and Queens are crowned, took place in 1745. So the pressure was on architect Ptolemy Dean as he was tasked with building a new tower inside the church. Watch on BBC Select as this arts documentary charts the construction of Weston Tower. Can a structure be modern and sympathetic to history?

BBC Select heads to the bucolic Scottish countryside as architect Graham Stirk, renowned for his grand, glitzy, city-based projects, creates a new distillery for a famous whisky company. In this intriguing arts documentary, Stirk explains how he combined his creative architectural vision with sympathies for the pastoral location. Can a building ever be truly environmentally friendly?

Created by British architect David Adjaye, the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington DC presented a complicated brief. The building needed to be sympathetic to both the historic structures surrounding it and the often harrowing struggle of African Americans and the horrors of slavery. Watch on BBC Select as this arts documentary charts Adjaye’s creative journey.

Designing a building dedicated to the history of design has its own specific pitfalls. Architect John Pawson was required to transform a disused London building into the world-renowned Design Museum. Watch and learn on BBC Select as this arts documentary follows the ups and downs of the project. Can Pawson maintain his own minimalist vision while still impressing the world’s most famous creatives?

When an architect is designing a home for themselves do they make it a tribute to past work, or create a bold new vision? This is the dilemma facing John Simpson, known for his breathtaking classical buildings. Watch on BBC Select as this intriguing arts documentary focuses on Simpson’s ideas for his own house outside London. How do an creative’s ideas change when they are building for themselves?

When redesigning a historic building that has suffered huge amounts of neglect and decay, do you rip it out and start again or plan a different approach? BBC Select joins architect Matt Somerville as he plans his creative restoration of London's Alexandra Palace theatre, in this fascinating arts documentary. But how much of a building’s decline should be included in its future?