5 Craziest Green Constructions of the Year

Humans are nothing if not extravagant. We like having the shiniest car, the spiffiest suit, and the sparkliest wife. But who knew our crazy carried out all the way to making the most stupefyingly overwhelming landmarks? If you thought your neighbours home renovations were a ‘bit much’ take a look at the top 5 craziest construction projects on the radar this year:

Number 5: Three Gorges Dam

Located in Sandouping, China, the Three Gorges Dam is 600 feet tall and 400 miles long. Starting in 1993, China’s Three Gorges Dam is an elaborate project spanned over sixteen years and it’s primary aim is to halt the Yangtze River floods, which have claimed more than a million lives in the past century.

With a price tag of $24.65 billion, the dam is expected to have 26 generators which will create energy equivalent to that of 18 nuclear power plants. Also for half the year, vast cargo ships (weighing approx 10,000 tons) will be able to sail inland to the city of Chongqing, creating a huge business center in China’s Sichuan province.

Number 4: The World

Although construction is currently on halt, The World, an arrangement of manmade islands two and a half mile away from the coast of Dubai is a truly exciting project. Designed to look like a miniature world map, these islands were to be put on sale with a price tag ranging from 7-35 billion dollars. Although the construction stopped in 2008 due to the financial crisis, this project is an astounding venture from the Nakheel Developments, and really is a whole new level of crazy.

Number 3: Burj Dubai

Located in, well…Dubai, Burj Dubai is the world’s tallest structure, standing at a proud 2,650 feet. Completed on 1st October 2009, the building (also known as Burj Khalifa) has quickly become a dominating feature on the Dubai landscape. With 160 floors allocated to office space and commercial use, residential apartments, hotels, and a huge shopping mall, it is fast becoming a symbol for all Dubai projects, wealth and beauty. Its unique three-sided structure serves to negate powerful winds at its near half-mile height.

Number 2: Queen Mary 2

Weighing in at an astounding 151,400 gross tons, its a miracle this thing can float. With a price tag of $800 million to construct, Queen Mary 2 generates 157,000 horsepower, and is the largest passenger ship ever built. Often described as a floating city, the boat is equipped with a casino, a nightclub, a spa, a wine bar, 15 restaurants and bars, a library, and a planetarium. A modern day titanic, this liner can carry more than 2,620 passengers. Making its maiden voyage on Jan 12, 2004 it took almost a year and a half to build.

Number 1: International Space Station (ISS)

A humongous floating base above Earth, the International Space Station is the combined effort of sixteen different nations and is considered the biggest cooperative science project in history. Taking almost a decade to be functional, the ISS is 4 times larger than Russia’s Mir station. When complete, the station will weigh more than one million pounds, run off almost an acre of solar panels, and be 356-feet across and 290-feet long. Development, assembly and daily running costs are estimated to be more than $130 billion. Man’s second giant leap for mankind.

Christina Fusano is a blogger by profession and has a flare for writing about interior design and home decor. She has been recently working for C3Construction.com – a renowned General Contractor Arizona and Phoenix Commercial Construction.

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