Plot Synopsis

BUILDING STUFF is a three-part documentary that follows some of the most creative engineering experts as they build stuff that helps extend our range, amplify our abilities, and alter our environment for the better. The series premiered on Wednesdays, November 13 through 27, 2024 at 9pm ET/8pm CT on PBS and is available for streaming at pbs.org/nova, NOVA on YouTube, the PBS Documentaries Prime Video Channel, and the PBS App. The three episodes are:

"Boost It!" (Wednesday, November 13, 2024): Around the world, engineers are finding ingenious ways to amplify our abilities and senses -- allowing us to access and shape the world way beyond our natural abilities. From helping a blind man see without the use of his eyes to building a sling so powerful it can propel rockets into space, see why engineering just might be the closest thing to a superpower we humans have.

"Reach It!" (Wednesday, November 20, 2024): From the time our species first evolved, we've been on the move. Not content to stay in one place, we've schemed and invented and built our way from one place to the next. From affordable deep sea subs to flying taxis to next-gen space habitats, see how today's engineers are designing and building creative new ways for us to get all around -- and even off -- our planet.

"Change It!" (Wednesday, November 27, 2024): Thousands of years of human innovation have allowed us to shape the environment to improve lives. The consequences of our activities are not always benign -- but there are solutions. From electrifying aviation, to building robots to protect threatened coral reefs, a new generation of engineers is finding creative solutions to some of our most critical environmental challenges.