Megastructures Collection

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Technology Documentary hosted by Ian Mitchie and Dominic Frisby, published by National Geographic in 2010 - English narration

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Megastructures Collection Awe-inspiring documentaries examining the construction of some of the world's most impressive structures. Megastructures reveals the drama, personal stories and remarkable technological innovations behind some of the most staggering engineering feats of the modern day. We take many architectural miracles for granted but how do you build the world's most iconic dam or an artificial island visible from space

[edit] Bostons Big Dig

Boston, Massachusetts had a world-class traffic problem, an elevated six-lane highway called the Central Artery that ran through the centre of downtown. When it opened in 1959, the Central Artery comfortably carried about 75,000 vehicles a day. It has carried upwards of 200,000, quite uncomfortably, making it one of the most congested highways in the United States.

[edit] The Hoover Dam

Throughout human history, mankind has built monuments to its ingenuity and skill. In Egypt it was the Pyramids. Rome, built the Colosseum. The Greeks built the Acropolis. The great cathedrals of Europe raised the skills of their builders to unequalled heights, creating awe inspiring structures. In the Americas, the cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde and the high mountain city of Machu Pichu speak to the skill and ingenuity of their builders. In the modern era, it's buildings that reach near half a mile into the sky, bridges that stretch enormous distances in a single span, and machines that extend mankind's reach far into space. One monument that must surely be counted among the great achievements of mankind is Hoover Dam.

[edit] Millau Bridge

It is the world’s tallest bridge, at 343 m tall at its highest pillar, the Millau Viaduct in Southern France is almost a third taller than any other bridge in the world. A freeway in the sky, the bridge crosses the river Tarn in France and can save travelers almost an hour of travel between France and the Mediterranean. It also removes the traffic congestion once faced in the town of Millau. The episode documents the difficulties that the crew had to faced, and the challenging processes that were used in its construction. The documentary contains a few words from the mayor of Millau, Jacques Godfrain, the bridge architect, Norman Foster, and designer, Michel Virlogeux.

[edit] Dubais Palm Island

An enormous project is underway in the Arabian Gulf that will change the face of the coastline. It is so vast that it can be seen from space. Palm Jumeirah, one of the most audacious engineering projects the world has ever seen, is an artificial island in the shape of a massive palm tree. A breathtaking megastructure and an ambitious engineering feat, Palm Jumeirah is part of an even bigger plan to transform Dubai into one of the world's premiere tourist destinations. But with only a few years to create this paradise island, it's a race against time. Besides the construction of the island, there is also the challenge of building a small city, including 4,500 luxury houses and apartments, 29 hotels, miles of roads, and all the utilities required by the thousands of people who will be living on and using this island including water, electricity, gas and sewage. The project is due for completion in 2008 - are they on course to meet their deadline? And what other megastructures has the Sheikh planned for Dubai?

[edit] Dubais Dream Palace

As Dubai's oil began to run dry, its ruler conceived the idea of turning the country into the world's leading tourist destination. Revealing the incredible engineering behind the iconic Burj al Arab.

[edit] World Island Wonder

Go on a roller-coaster journey through Dubai's unprecedented land reclamation project, where 300 new manmade islands are being created, pushing the construction team to the limit. Dubai?s desert landscape is transforming itself into the tourist capital of Earth, and the location of the most audacious reclaimed land project to date. From the depths of the Arabian Gulf, 300 new islands are appearing above the waves to form the world map. It?s so large it can be seen from space and so challenging to build that it threatens to push the construction team to the limit. Go on a rollercoaster journey through the story of The World Islands and see how an extraordinary dream is being transformed into an amazing reality.

[edit] The Leaning Tower of Abu Dhabi

An Abu Dhabi tower has been recognized as the "furthest-leaning man-made tower" in the world by Guinness World Records, The 160-meter Capital Gate tower, developed by the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Company, leans at 18 degrees -- over four times the angle of Italy's famous Leaning Tower of Pisa, Capital Gate was designed from the get-go to take an angled stance, unlike the Tower of Pisa, which slanted over with time. The 35-storey tower's 18-degree angle is achieved by staggering the floor plates from the 12th floor up, The tower is expected to be completed in late 2010 and will house a five-star hotel and offices.

[edit] Ekati Diamond Mine

On the edge of the Canadian Arctic, the frigid Ekati Diamond Mine is one of the most remote mines on earth. To work in this brutal sub-Arctic land, Ekati demands some of the world’s fiercest digging tools: a DeMag 655 hydraulic shovel so powerful that it scoops the weight of 900 school buses every hour, a Cat 793C haul truck so strong that it can carry the weight of three dozen elephants in one trip and enough explosives to demolish 50,000 tons of frozen granite in a single day. Diamond Diggers explores the volcanic history and incredible discovery of the frozen Ekati Mine, the inner workings of its monster machines that move mountains of gem-studded earth, and the extreme conditions braved by workers to unearth nearly five million carats of diamonds each year

[edit] Super Port

The Port of Rotterdam is a marine freeway and one of the busiest ports. And on this particular day, the Harbour Control's skills and machines are put to the test when three most challenging ships in the world: 'The Berge Star', 'The Savana Express' and 'The Mighty Servant III', respectively known as 'The Mega Deep', 'The Mega Wide' and 'The Mega Tall' are received.

[edit] Mega Plane

The episode profiles the C-5 Galaxy, one of the largest aircrafts in the world, and the operations of the crew of the mega-plane. The episode includes a look at how the C-5 Galaxy transports military equipment over to the troops in Iraq from America's Dover Air Force Base.

[edit] The Round Skyscraper

Abu Dhabi will set out on the biggest project to date - a new micro-city with a round skyscraper taller than the Statue of Liberty and curved glass skin covering the area of four football fields. The spherical design and the proposed site pose numerous challenges, including design stability and a location that is half a mile out in the Persian Gulf and 25 feet under water. On top of everything, this skyscraper must be completed in just 30 months' time.

[edit] Hoover Bridge

The US-93 Hoover Dam Bypass bridge south of Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. This amazing feet of modern engineering spans Black Canyon downstream of the dam and the Colorado River some 900 feet below. In our modern era we almost never get to see mega structures being built but here's one less than an hour from the Las Vegas strip. This type of construction has never before been attempted on this scale. This is a concrete gravity arch bridge. But there's no way to support the arch from below with scaffolding or frame work as was done on the PCH (Bixby Bridge). A suspension system has been put in place to hold the arch segments until the arch can be completed (Sept 2009). Once the arch is complete and cured, the cables and towers will be removed and the roadway of US-93 will be brought out piece by piece completing the bridge.