The BEST episodes of Megastructures

#1 - Money Factory

Season 2004 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/31/2004

#2 - World's Biggest Airliner (Airbus A380)

Season 2005 - Episode 16 - Aired 10/4/2005

It is the largest passenger plane ever built and it is a 12 billion dollar investment. The episode documents the history of the Airbus A380, from its design concept, its interior features, the precision manufacturing, the logistics, the final assembly and its final maiden flight.

#3 - Sears Tower

Season 2004 - Episode 4 - Aired 9/29/2004

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 kilometer 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 secrets about the tower. And get a behind-the-scenes look at some of the various systems and controls that are vital to the building, like security monitoring, the elevators, and the water and power distribution to the various levels, and even the machines that cleans the windows.

#4 - Autobahn

Season 2004 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/19/2004

What began as a racing track, and thanks to Adolf Hitler’s World War II propaganda efforts, the track grew into a sophisticated high-speed road system, linking to almost all the major cities in Germany. The Autobahn boasts of having super thick road beds, 4% or less grades, wide lanes, and build on layers of technology. The Autobahn allows vehicles to travel at speeds exceeding 160km/h for roughly 2/3 of its roads. The episode profiles the operations of the highway cops, and their reliance on technology in training, monitoring of roads and various methods of arrest. It also looks at the ADAC, an automobile club, which provides on the spot road assistance. Nicknamed ‘The Yellow Angels’, they also provide air medical rescue. The system of maintenance of the Autobahn is also examined. All this infrastructure makes this mega structure into one of the world’s most safest super highway.

#5 - Kansai International Airport

Season 2004 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/13/2004

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. The episode looks at the various measures that are taken to keep the airport ‘afloat’, and the various facilities and services available to keep the airport running.

#6 - Ultimate Oil Sands Mine

Season 2005 - Episode 7 - Aired 7/20/2005

Located in Alberta, Canada is the world’s largest known single deposit of oil worth trillions of dollars. However, the oil is trapped in a complex mixture of sand, water and clay, and the cost of extracting the fuel from the soil will cost billions. The episode profiles the competition between the Syncrude and the Shell Oil companies to extract the black gold. It looks at the various mega machines and systems that are used to extract, transport and the process used to separate the oil from the sand.

#7 - Hoover Dam

Season 2006 - Episode 4 - Aired 5/16/2006

Exploring Nevada's Hoover Dam in Black Canyon on the Colorado River. The 726-foot dam weighs more than 6,600,000 tons and is 660 feet thick at its base. Completed in 1936, it can store up to two years' worth of the Colorado's average water flow, and generates four billion hours of hydroelectric power a year.

#8 - Super Carrier: USS Ronald Reagan

Season 2004 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/15/2004

The USS Ronald Reagan is a 4.5 billion dollars Nimitz-class supercarrier. Powered by 2 nuclear reactors, the 1100ft. long vessel is equipped with all the necessary facilities to house 6000 personnel and over 80 aircraft. Viewers are given an exclusive look at how the crew of these ‘floating naval base’ is put through a series of test in order to obtain their flight deck certification. Take a glimpse at the various facilities on the ship that keep the 6000 strong crew fed, rested, and entertained.

#9 - Itaipu Dam

Season 2004 - Episode 7 - Aired 10/27/2004

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 a representation of the efforts and accomplishment of two countries, Brazil and Paraguay. The 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.

#10 - Petronas Towers

Season 2004 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/10/2004

Designed by Cesar Pelli, the Petronas Towers were the tallest buildings in the world on the date of its completion. Located in Kuala Lumpur, the design of the 88 storey, 450m tall twin towers, carries an Islamic geometrical influence. The towers are a symbol of Malaysia’s pride. To instill competition, the contract for the construction of the towers were awarded to two different construction companies, each company was assigned to work on one of the towers. This episode takes a look at how the construction companies competed to complete their tower before the other. Problems faced, from the soil samples, the unique cement mixture used as a steel substitute, to the tropical weather, are covered.

#11 - Machines of War: Tanks

Season 2006 - Episode 9 - Aired 8/17/2006

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#12 - Channel Tunnel

Season 2004 - Episode 3 - Aired 9/22/2004

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 in-between, they total 153 km in length. The documentary looks at the race between the British and the French to complete the tunneling of the Channel Tunnel and the obstacles faced in its construction.

#13 - Akashi Kaikyo Bridge

Season 2004 - Episode 6 - Aired 9/20/2004

In 1955, two ferries sank along the Akashi Strait, Japan, killing 168 children. It led to a 30 year research on designing a bridge that would link the Awaji Island to Kobe; the bridge would also have to be able to withstand severe earthquakes and typhoons, a norm in that area. In 1988, Japan began construction of the world’s longest, highest and most expensive suspension bridge, the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge. The episode presents a stage by stage look at the construction of the suspension bridge, and the obstacles faced in its construction, including the Kobe earthquake in 1995.

#14 - London's Olympic Stadium

Season 2012 - Episode 2 - Aired 5/3/2012

Come summer 2012, the eyes of the world will be focused on a sporting megastructure: London's Olympic Stadium - the centerpiece of the 2012 Games. By day it will be the venue for all track and field events, and by night, a dazzling stage for London's opening and closing ceremonies. But this isn't just a place where world records will be set. It's a milestone in sporting architecture. Designed to be different, Stadium 2012 is the world's first "demountable" Olympic Stadium. Bolted together like a giant Meccano set, the 80,000-seat arena can be taken apart and downsized to a 25,000-seat athletics venue after the games. But creating a stadium that's lighter and tighter is a massive undertaking, fraught with challenges. Will London have an Olympic arena to be proud of? Or will this go down in history as the stadium that failed to impress?

#15 - The World: Dubai

Season 2015 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/3/2015

he World or The World Islands (Arabic: جزر العالم; Juzur al-Ālam) is an artificial archipelago of various small islands constructed in the rough shape of a world map, located in the waters of the Persian Gulf, 4.0 kilometres (2.5 mi) off the coast of Dubai, United Arab Emirates.[1] The World islands are composed mainly of sand dredged from Dubai's shallow coastal waters, and are one of several artificial island developments in Dubai.[1] The World's developer is Nakheel Properties, and the project was originally conceived by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai. Construction of the 300 islands began in 2003, only to halt due to the 2008 financial crisis.[2] Though 60 percent of the islands had been sold off to private contractors back in 2008, development on most of these islands has failed to initiate.[3] As of July 2012, the Lebanon Island was developed and was the only island that had so far been developed commercially, being used for private corporate events and public parties. As of late 2013, only two of the islands had been developed. In January 2014, Kleindienst Group announced the launch of "The Heart of Europe" project;[4] by February 2014, one of Kleindienst Group's brands - JK Properties - announced in their monthly newsletter that the project was "well underway".[5] The first of these series of islands will be Europe, Sweden and Germany with development led by Kleindienst Group.

#16 - Miami Super Stadium

Season 2009 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/13/2009

The Orange Bowl, home to the Miami Dolphins for 21 seasons and host of five Super Bowls is about to be demolished. It’s a monster breakdown job, with a monster deadline: in just four months, a demolition team needs to clear over a quarter million feet of stadium to prepare for a new stadium. Not only is there a tight timetable, everything must be salvaged or recycled. But before the team can break down the stadium, they have to save parts of it. After a memorabilia company combs the bowl for collectibles and auctions off what they salvage, it’s finally time for the demolitionists to get their hands on the bowl. 50,000 left over orange seats, nearly 100,000 square feet of turf, and eight ten-ton stadium light towers are recycled or resold, freeing the team to take down the stadium itself. Using a combination of wrecking balls and mega machines, they cut, pull and pummel this historic structure until it’s nothing more than rubble. The iconic Orange Bowl, is about to be history.

#17 - Mega Breakdown: Yankee Stadium

Season 2011 - Episode 9 - Aired 4/16/2011

After serving as home of the New York Yankees for over 80 year's, the iconic Yankee Stadium is set to be demolished. Join the Mega Breakdown team as they follow just what goes into demolishing this gigantic stadium in the heart of New York City.

#18 - Inside Grand Central

Season 2005 - Episode 25 - Aired 12/18/2005

Grand Central Terminal (GCT; also referred to as Grand Central Station or simply as Grand Central) is a commuter and intercity railroad terminal at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States. The terminal serves commuters traveling on the Metro-North Railroad to Westchester, Putnam, and Dutchess counties in New York, as well as to Fairfield and New Haven counties in Connecticut. The terminal also contains a connection to the New York City Subway at Grand Central–42nd Street. Grand Central Terminal has intricate designs both on its inside and outside, lending to its landmark designations, including as a U.S. National Historic Landmark. The terminal is one of the world's most visited tourist attractions, with 21.9 million visitors in 2013.

#19 - Mega Chopper

Season 2006 - Episode 15 - Aired 1/30/2006

Superchoppers of the 21st century.

#20 - World's Fastest Rollercoaster

Season 2012 - Episode 1 - Aired 4/27/2011

Formula Rossa - The ultimate speed roller coaster is part of the world's largest indoor theme park - Ferrari World on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. This awe-inspiring ride takes you from 0 to 240 km/h in under 5 seconds. You can feel mind-blowing acceleration like in a Formula One car. Follow construction manager Andreas Granig and his team as they struggle against aggressive conditions in the desert environment and build up a power system which is unseen in the world. 20,800 horsepower propels the F1 Ferrari inspired coaster train to a height of 52 m and lets it run through more than 2km of humps, curves and camelbacks. See the dramatic installations 50 meters above ground. In their quest for speed the engineers overcome heat and danger to take the title for the fastest roller coaster in the world.

#21 - World Record Cruise Ship

Season 2010 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/18/2010

Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas, one of the world's largest cruise ships, which features 16 decks and can accommodate 5400 passengers.

#22 - Ancient Megastructures, Angkor Wat

Season 2010 - Episode 2 - Aired 4/6/2010

An ambitious young king who seizes the throne of the Khmer Empire by murder, commissions the largest stone temple in the world built entirely on a swamp - the mighty temple of Angkor Wat.

#23 - World Island Wonder

Season 2007 - Episode 7 - Aired 8/30/2007

Engineers in Dubai must overcome obstacles as they construct a chain of 300 islands shaped to resemble the world.

#24 - The World's Biggest Cruiseliner

Season 2008 - Episode 16 - Aired 6/4/2008

Looks at the technological designs and construction of the huge cruiseliner "Freedom of the Seas".

#25 - Megabridges: Greece

Season 2009 - Episode 11 - Aired 8/27/2009