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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. |
