Megastructures is a documentary television series appearing on the National Geographic Channel in the United States and the United Kingdom, Channel 5 in the United Kingdom, France 5 in France, and 7mate in Australia.
Each episode is an educational look of varying depth into the construction, operation, and staffing of various structures or construction projects, but not ordinary construction products.
Generally containing interviews with designers and project managers, it presents the problems of construction and the methodology or techniques used to overcome obstacles. In some cases (such as the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge and Petronas Towers) this involved the development of new materials or products that are now in general use within the construction industry.
Megastructures focuses on constructions that are extreme; in the sense that they are the biggest, tallest, longest, or deepest in the world. Alternatively, a project may appear if it had an element of novelty or are a world first (such as Dubai's Palm Islands). This type of project is known as a megaproject.
The series follows similar subjects as the History Channel's Modern Marvels and Discovery Channel's Extreme Engineering, covering areas of architecture, transport, construction and manufacturing.
Episodes
Season 1 (2004) # Country Title Subject US airdate Five Co-production airdate 01 supercarrier for the U.S. Navy — USS Ronald Reagan is a 4.5 billion-dollar Nimitz-class supercarrier. Powered by two nuclear reactors, the long vessel is equipped with all the necessary facilities to house 6,000 personnel and over 80 aircraft. Viewers are given an exclusive look at how the crew of this 'floating naval base' is put through a series of tests in order to obtain their flight deck certification. Take a glimpse at the various facilities on the ship that keep the 6,000-strong crew fed, rested, and entertained. 2004-09-15 02 Autobahn German Autobahnen — What began as a racing track grew into a sophisticated high-speed road system, linking to almost all the major cities in Germany. The Autobahn boasts super thick road beds, 4% or less grades, wide lanes, and utilises sophisticated technology. 2004-10-06 03 Channel Tunnel Undersea tunnel between Coquelles, France and Folkestone, United Kingdom — The Channel Tunnel or Euro Tunnel is one of the world's longest underground rail tunnels, and links England with France. Consisting of two rail tunnels and a small service tunnel, it totals 153 km in length. This episode looks at the race between the British and the French to complete the tunnelling of the Channel Tunnel and the obstacles faced in its construction. 2004-09-222004-09-13 04 Sears Tower Tallest building in Chicago, Illinois — For 20 years, the Sears Tower held the record for the world's tallest building. Completed in 1973, the 110 stories high building is almost half a kilometre tall. And it still holds the record for having the world's highest antenna. John Zils, structural engineer and designer of this mega-structure, shares some of the tower's secrets. And get a behind-the-scenes look at some of the various systems and controls that are vital to the building, such as security monitoring, elevators, the water and power distribution that supplies its many floors, and even the machines that clean the windows. The Sears Tower is now called the Willis Tower. 2004-09-29 05 Kansai International Airport Airport on artificial island in Osaka Bay — Located 5 km off the coast of Osaka, Japan is the Kansai International Airport. The airport is built entirely on a man-made island, 4 km long and 1 km wide. The only link between the island and Osaka is by the world's longest 2-tiered bridge. Although the airport is built to withstand earthquakes and typhoons, the artificial island itself is sinking faster than anticipated. This episode looks at various measures that are taken to keep the airport 'afloat,' and the various facilities and services available to keep the airport running. 2004-10-13 06 Akashi Kaikyo Bridge World's longest suspension bridge — In 1955, two ferries sank along the Akashi Strait in Japan, killing 168 children. The tragedy led to 30 years of research to design a bridge that would link Awaji Island to Kobe. The bridge would need to be able to withstand severe earthquakes and typhoons. In 1988, Japan began construction of the world's longest, highest and most expensive suspension bridge. This episode presents a stage by stage look at the construction of the bridge, and the obstacles faced in its construction, including the Kobe earthquake in 1995. 2004-10-202004-09-20 07 The World's Most Powerful Dam (Itaipu Dam) Dam on the Paraná River — In the Paraná River of South America, lies the Itaipú Dam. Costing 20 billion dollars, the Itaipú Dam is the world's largest and most powerful hydroelectric power plant. It is the culmination of the efforts, accomplishments, and co-operation of two countries, Brazil and Paraguay. This episode examines the efforts undertaken and the sacrifices made to construct the dam, including how the largest diversion channel was constructed to divert water from the world's 7th largest river away from the main construction site. 2004-10-272004-09-27 08 Petronas Towers Twin tower skyscraper in Kuala Lumpur — Designed by Cesar Pelli, the Petronas Towers were the tallest buildings as of their completion date. Located in Kuala Lumpur, the 88 story, 450m tall twin towers carry an Islamic geometrical influence, and are a symbol of Malaysian pride. To foster competition, the contract for the construction of the towers was awarded to two different construction companies, each assigned to work on one of the towers. This episode examines the race between the companies to each complete their tower first, as well as various construction challenges, including soil quality issues, the unique cement mixture that was needed as a steel substitute, and tropical weather. 2004-11-102004-10-04 09 Inside a Super Casino The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey — Megastructures gets an inside look at the 13-year design and construction of Atlantic City's towering new casino, the Borgata. 2004-12-01 10 Money Factory U.S. Treasury 2004-12-31
Season 2 (2005) # Country Title Subject Original airdate Credits 01 Golden Gate Bridge Iconic bridge over San Francisco Bay in San Francisco 2005-03-02 02 Alcatraz Former prison island in San Francisco Bay, California 2005-03-16 03 Inside The Pentagon Headquarters of the US Department of Defense in Arlington, Virginia 2005-04-01 04 World's Busiest Port Port of Singapore, Republic of Singapore 2005-05-13 05 Tau Tona, City of Gold World's deepest mining operations in Carletonville, South Africa 2005-05-21 06 Las Vegas 2005-06-22 07 Ultimate Oil Sands MineBlack Gold (Oil Mine) Syncrude and Shell Canada in oil sands located in Alberta, Canada 2005-07-20 08 Diamond Diggers Ekati Diamond Mine, Canada's first diamond mine, near Lac De Gras, Northwest Territories, Canada 2005-07-27 09 Sea Launch Ocean Odyssey and Sea Launch Commander 2005-08-03 10 North Sea Wall Delta Works 2005-05-28 on NGC (UK) 11 The World's Most Extreme Island (Impossible Islands)Engpedia Dubai's artificial palm islands, United Arab Emirates 2005-09-13 12 Indianapolis Motor Speedway Car racetrack in Speedway, Indiana 2005-09-13 13 Port of Rotterdam (Super Port) The largest port in Europe, in Rotterdam, Netherlands 2005-09-20 14 Air Force Transport (Mega Plane) C-5 Galaxy with the U.S. Air Force 2005-09-20 15 North Branch Correctional Institution (Hi-Tech Prison) High Security Prison, Allegany County, Maryland 2005-09-27 16 Airbus A380 (World's Biggest Airliner) Biggest jumbo jet in commercial service 2005-10-04 17 with the U.S. Navy 2005-10-11 18 Ultimate Casino Venetian Hotel Resort Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada 2005-10-18 19 The Ultimate Roller coaster Kingda Ka roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure theme part in Jackson, New Jersey 2005-10-25 20 Spy Fortress NORAD North American Aerospace Defense Command, Colorado 2005-11-08 21 Berlin Train Terminal (Berlin's Grand Central) Berlin Hauptbahnhof station in Berlin, Germany 2005-11-15 22 America's Big Dig Central Artery / Tunnel Project in Boston, Massachusetts 2005-11-22 23 Ultimate Oil Rigs Construction of new oil rigs 2005-12-06 24 Baikonur Cosmodrome Russian space launch facility in Tyuratam, Kazakhstan 2005-12-13 25 Inside Grand Central Railroad terminal in New York City. 2005-12-08 26 World's Tallest Bridge (Millau Bridge) viaduct near Millau, France 2005-12-20 27 Mega Ship Orient Overseas Container Line / OOCL Atlanta ship 2005-12-27 28 - Deep Sea Drillers 2005-12-31
Season 3 (2006) # Country Title Subject Original airdate Credits 01 Berlin Wall Wall dividing Germany during the Cold War 2006-03-14 02 Megabridges: Denmark to Sweden Oresund Bridge between Copenhagen and Malmö, Sweden 2006-04-18 03 Megabridges: Greece Rio–Antirrio bridge, Gulf of Corinth, Greece 2006-05-02 04 Hoover Dam Colorado River border between Nevada and Arizona in USA 2006-02-11 on Five 05 Inside "NCIS" Naval Criminal Investigative Service of the U.S. Navy 2006-05-30 06 Garbage Mountain Puente Hills Landfill in Whittier, California 2006-08-01 07 Ice Hotel Working hotel made of ice near Jukkasjärvi, Sweden 2006-08-01 08 Supertanker Seri Amanah, a Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) carrier ship 2006-08-31 10 Panama Canal Unlocked Panama Canal Expansion Project, Central America 2006-10-19 12 Rockeaters of Iceland Kárahnjúkar Hydropower Plant 2006-12-31
Season 4 (2007–2008)