Thanks to advances in building design and building materials, more buildings are being built to a scale that would once have been thought impossible. Today, buildings are reaching higher than ever or covering large areas to meet a business need or make a bold statement about a country’s place on the global stage. Let’s look at just a few of these.
1. Al Maktoum International Airport, Dubai
Designed to manage 200 planes at any one time, Al Maktoum International Airport will eventually cover 21 square miles when it is completed in 2020. This makes it one of – if not the – largest airports in the world.
2. Jubail II, Saudi Arabia
Jubail II is a complex that will house over 100 industrial plants, including an oil refinery, and miles of roads and railroads by the time it is finished in 2024. Built over a 22-year period, the latest phase – started in 2014 – will cost over £8bn.
While perhaps not on quite the same scale, leading construction companies Manchester based such as Piggott and Whitfield Manchester construction company have completed their own large-scale projects, evidencing the need for strong project management regardless of the scale.
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3. International Space Station
While this might not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of construction projects, the International Space Station still falls into this category. It is being built by 15 different countries working together to create what could end up being home to over one million people.
4. South-North Water Transfer Project, China
People are also the focus on the South-North Water Transfer Project. North China has over half the world’s population but only 20 per cent of its water. To solve this problem, China is building three canals that will carry water over 600 miles to the north of the country. The project will take 48 years to complete.
5. London Crossrail Project, UK
While it might seem that many of these large construction projects are being built in Asia and the Middle East, we are building Crossrail here in the UK. The project includes building 26 miles of tunnels that will connect 40 stations across the capital and surrounding areas. This is a multi-year project, although the first of the planned lines should go live sometime this year.