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How one design flaw almost toppled a skyscraper - Alex Gendler

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TEDEd Animation

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In 1978, Diane Hartley was writing her undergraduate architecture thesis when she made a shocking discovery. After weeks of poring over the Citicorp Center’s building plans, she’d stumbled on an oversight that threatened to topple the 59-story tower into one of New York City’s most densely populated districts. Alex Gendler digs into the skyscraper’s potentially deadly mistake.

What was Diane Hartley’s motivation for checking the calculations?

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Meet The Creators

  • Director Nicholas Paim
  • Educator Alex Gendler
  • Narrator Jack Cutmore-Scott
  • Storyboard Artist Alopra Studio
  • Animator Alopra Studio
  • Art Director Nicholas Paim
  • Music Stephen LaRosa
  • Sound Designer Stephen LaRosa
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
  • Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Editorial Producer Dan Kwartler
  • Production Coordinator Abdallah Ewis
  • Fact-Checker Eden Girma

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