Buildings
Fortresses, cathedrals, palaces, and civic monuments built at civilization scale.
20 articlesLatest in Buildings
Japan's Gargantuan Flood Defences
From Tokyo's underground cathedral of floodwater to the Great Wall of Japan's tsunami defences, discover how Japan out-engineers disaster with some of the most staggering civil engineering projects on Earth.
Dubai is Building the Largest Airport on the Planet.
Dubai is constructing Al Maktoum International Airport, a colossal $35 billion aviation hub designed to handle 260 million passengers annually. Discover the five runways, 400 gates, AI-powered systems, and the new "aerotropolis" rising from the desert.
China Is Building the World's Largest Dam
China is constructing the Medog dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo river in Tibet, set to become the world's largest hydropower station at 60 gigawatts. Explore the engineering challenges, geopolitical tensions, and environmental concerns surrounding this trillion-yuan megaproject.
America's Infrastructure is Being Neglected and Hurricanes Show Us How
Hurricane Helene revealed catastrophic failures in American infrastructure, from crumbling dams and washed-out interstates to overwhelmed emergency response systems, exposing how decades of neglect left communities unprepared for climate-supercharged disasters.
Where Will the Next Nuclear Meltdown Happen?
Corruption, tsunamis, and war all threaten the world's 400+ reactors. We trace the three scenarios most likely to cause the next nuclear meltdown
Kelvedon Hatch: The UK's "Secret" Nuclear Bunker
Inside Kelvedon Hatch, the Cold War bunker built to keep the British government alive 38 meters underground through nuclear war.
Project Pulse
The engineering briefing that explains why nothing gets built on time — or on budget.
More in Buildings
High-Speed Rail is a Global Disaster...
From soaring costs and political gridlock to corporate lobbying and NIMBYism, high-speed rail projects worldwide are struggling. Explore why this promising technology faces such dismal results—and whether there's still hope.
Islamabad: The City Pakistan Built for its Social Elite
Explore the ambitious creation of Islamabad, Pakistan's planned capital city. From its 1959 conception through modern-day inequality, discover how this metropolis became both an architectural achievement and a cautionary tale of urban division.
The Big Problem with a Bering Strait Crossing
Explore the ambitious yet troubled history of proposals to connect America and Russia via the Bering Strait, from 19th century dreams to modern engineering and political obstacles.
The Stad Ship Tunnel: The First Full-Size Ship Tunnel in the World
Norway is building the Stad Ship Tunnel, a 1.7-kilometer tunnel beneath a peninsula that will allow cargo ships, ferries, and cruise vessels to bypass the treacherous Stadhavet Sea. Learn about this groundbreaking maritime engineering project.
Masikryong: Inside North Korea's Enigmatic Luxury Ski Resort
How Kim Jong-Un built a luxury ski resort in 10 months as the centerpiece of a tourism dream that COVID turned into a ghost town
The Australia-Asia Power Link: Record-Breaking Feats of Engineering
Sun Cable's ambitious Australia-Asia Power Link aims to build the world's largest solar plant, biggest battery, and longest submarine power cable to send clean energy from Australia's Northern Territory to Singapore.