Building Big

By James Poniewozik

The U.S. Capitol dome, symbol of our democracy, turns out to be cast iron painted to look like stone--a massive, mighty but hollow facade. There must be a hidden meaning in that. In this five-episode series, author-illustrator David Macaulay (The Way Things Work) looks at megastructures--bridges, domes, skyscrapers, dams and tunnels--and the aspirations they embody. The series is probably a touch light for architecture buffs. For the layperson, it's an engaging look at how and why humankind shaped the landscape with seemingly impossible structures, and was shaped in turn by them.

--By James Poniewozik