Best of Megastructures
In
the last 100 years, 11 different skyscrapers
have held the title of world's tallest building. With
improvements in technology and materials,
humans are pushing the limits of what buildings can do.
The National Geographic Channel reports
on designers pushing the limits in Best
of Megastructures.
Dubai is developing a reputation for being the home of
the most extreme buildings on the
planet. Measuring more than 320 meters high, Dubai's
Burj Al Arab is the tallest hotel in the world. As if
being taller than the Eiffel Tower wasn't enough, it
also stands on a massive man-made
island 270 meters off the
coast. Inspired by the shape of a
traditional sail, the Burj Al Arab has faced, and withstood,
numerous challenges to become Dubai's Dream Palace.
Down the beach from the Burj Al Arab and four
kilometers into the Persian Gulf, another
mammoth construction project is underway. This one won't break any
records for height, but The World will become the
largest man-made group of islands ever created.
Requiring more than 320 million cubic meters
of sand, The World will recreate a map of the globe
in the form of 300 islands. After it''s completed, 250,000
people are expected to
become residents of the World Island
Wonder.
Of course, the best plans require the best
materials. A variety of
buildings, from the Roman Pantheon to
the Panama Canal, have
stood the test of time
because of concrete. Over 9,000 years after inventing
bricks, we're still using them by the
billions. And speaking of
the world's most amazing buildings,
it's impossible to ignore steel. The
past and future of these amazing building materials are
revealed in Megastructures: Concrete,
Megastructures: Brick, and Megastructures: Steel.
With the
breathtaking structures that are being
planned, the sky is
literally
the limit. Take a look
at what architects are
achieving and how they're doing it in Best of
Megastructures. |