One of the most spectacular bulidings in France is nestled at an altitude of 2,876 meters : the Pic du Midi scientific base. Located in the middle of the French Pyrenees, between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, this mountain has become one of the flagship of the Occitanie region and the South West of France. It has been a source of fascination since antiquity.
But few people realize the complexity of its construction, at the end of the 19th century, when the technical means were far from those we know today. The extreme conditions of the site represented a challenge of rare violence for the architects and companies involved in each metamorphosis of the Pic du Midi.
Combining breathtaking real-life footage, 3D reconstructions and analyses, as well as construction archives, this documentary reveals the fate of the XXL construction of the Pic du Midi, its impossibilities, its technological successes, and its almost insurmountable challenges.
Direction: Clémence Rabeau
Production: Label News for RMC Découverte