AllMovie

David Macaulay, the renowned author/ illustrator of The Way Things Work, has a knack for demystifying mechanical structures by explaining the engineering, physics, and human ingenuity that have gone into their design -- although in sum, his explanations usually make the man-made world seem ever more curious and phenomenal. In WGBH Boston's Building Big series, Macaulay visits the world's great architectural structures to tell their stories and the stories of the men who built them; in this program he explores Boston's "Big Dig" project, explains how the first underwater automobile tunnel was built, and profiles the radical engineer who changed London's underground. He showcases the powerful machines that made construction of the Chunnel possible, and serves as guide through the tunnels beneath ancient Rome. The video also includes a mini tunnel-building activity.