Number 6: Statue of UnityThis memorial statue is the largest statue in the world, reaching a total height of 240 meters above Gujarat, India. The statue depicts Vallabhbhai Patel, an important Indian historical figure. To give you an idea, this statue is 110 times taller than the average human. But how does it stack up to other megaprojects? It’s 6 times as tall as the 38m tall statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, more than two and a half times as tall as the Statue of Liberty at 93 meters, and still much taller than the second tallest statue in the world, the Spring Temple Buddha in China. And for reference, here is the Statue of Unity in comparison to the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Eiffel Tower, and the Empire State Building. Each foot of the Statue of Unity is about 70 feet long. Considering that the average shoe size for men is about 10.5 in the US, his shoe size would be 80 in the US which equals 352 in the EU. This statue is so tall that you can easily see it from 7km away. Inside are a museum, exhibition area, memorial gardens, and an observation gallery. Of the five zones inside the statue, three are accessible to the public, the other two are maintenance areas. Every day, about 15,000 tourists visit the statue. Although the color of the statue is reddish copper right now, the Statue of Unity will slowly turn green over the next 100 years due to copper oxidation. This is the same thing that happened to the Statue of Liberty which used to have a copper color as well. The massive statue is meant to represent Vallabhbhai Patel, the first home minister of independent India. He managed to unite all 562 princely states in pre-independent India which won him the honor of the statue and a memorial from his people. Even so, Patel received criticism during his time as Prime Minister due to an alleged bias against Muslims. However, the Statue of Unity began construction in October of 2013 in the middle of protests from the surrounding villages. 22 villages in the area complained that the construction of the statute would lead to environmental destruction and the displacement of several villages. Still, the construction continued. Three small models were created to perfect the design, which was revised each time until it was finally approved. The ‘approved’ model was then scanned using 3D technology and sent to large factories in China. These factories would be responsible for casting the massive copper plates that would create the exterior of the statue.
Number 5: Pont Jacques Chaban Delmas In 2013, a new vertical-lift bridge opened in Bordeaux, France. Built to increase traffic across the Garonne River, it’s a feat of engineering and boasts a unique design as well. The Pon Jacque Chaban Delmas began construction in 2009 and includes 4 pylons with a 117m lifting span between them. In total, the bridge spans 575m, making it the longest vertical-lift bridge in Europe. The pylons house counterweights to help the span lift to their height required by river traffic. They also contain lights that change based on the water level - they glow blue for high tide, and green for low tide. When building this bridge, officials knew they had to keep the river traffic flowing even as they connected the Bacalan and Bastide areas, which are undergoing revitalization efforts. The bridge had to lay close to the water, and the proposed design would blend in with the surrounding quays. It takes only 12 minutes to raise the bridge span. Car traffic can be delayed for up to 90 minutes at a time for river traffic. Still, the bridge which is named for the former French Prime Minister and Mayor of Bordeaux will handle 43,000 vehicles per day. The total cost of this odd construction project was 160 million euros, or roughly $195 million USD. Number
The largest picture frame in the world stands 150m above Zabeel Park in Dubai. This glass, aluminum, and steel structure stands as a gateway between the past and the future and stands to emphasize where Dubai has been - and where it’s going next. Although there are similar frame statues like the much smaller Morecambe Promenade in the UK, Dubai's $62 million Frame is special in many ways. It is home to a museum, observation deck, and an exhibit that predicts where the United Arab Emirates will be 50 years from now. It was built to emphasize the luxury of Dubai. One side of the frame’s observation deck looks out on the older parts of the city, while the other gives tourists a view of skyscrapers and the futuristic developments over the past 50 years, including the Burj Khalifa. It’s a popular destination in Dubai - in 2019 alone, over 17 million people visited the Frame. Construction on the Frame began in 2013. The central glass observation deck was assembled on the ground and then raised and settled between the towers. On the outside, laminate glass panels create a golden ring design, which mimics the World Expo 2022 logo - an intentional advertisement, since Dubai is hosting this event. The Museum inside the Frame looks back at the history of the United Arab Emirates. Visitors are transported through time and finally come to a virtual reality exhibit called ‘The Future of Dubai’. Here, they observe a futuristic city based on wind power, complete with flying cars, drone deliveries, numerous new megaprojects, and other technological advancements. The idea for the Dubai Frame was born in 2009 when ThyssenKrupp held a contest to design a retrospective elevator for Dubai. The goal was to design a unique elevator tower that would allow tourists to ride up and observe an aerial view of the city. Of the more than 4600 architects who took part in the competition, Fernando Donis came out on top and won with his design of the Dubai Frame. Donis’s structure is based on the Golden Ratio, or 1:1.618. This ratio is an architectural and artistic standard for structural support and beauty. It’s reflected in buildings such as the Great Pyramid at Giza and the Parthenon. The Frame is a golden rectangle - an example of perfect design. ThyssenKrupp’s competition had a number of other interesting entries, including Luo Siwei’s “Magic Mirror”, a twisted circular structure that would frame the Burj Khalifa in a perfect circle when looking from the right angle, as well as Honbo Lu’s “The Flying Colors of Dubai”, an elevator surrounded by colorful flakes. ’s design was used for the Frame, but he claims that he was not compensated correctly. While he received the prize money from winning the competition, he says that Dubai never paid him the full amount for the realization of his project. Unfortunately for him, his lawsuit isn’t going anywhere, because Dubai functionally grants itself immunity to the dispute. Donis believes that his intellectual property rights were violated, and the Frame is the “biggest stolen building of all time”.
Number 3: Katara Towers in Lusail City Lusail City is a planned city in Qatar, meant to bring the best urban experiences to elite residents. When finished, Lusail City will include entertainment districts, shopping, marinas, resorts, and residential areas. The city will accommodate 250,000 residents at first, increasing to up to 450,00 residents with future developments. As of 2021, Lusail will be mostly complete, but parts are still in the works. With Qatar hosting the 2022 World Cup, they are putting a lot of effort into showcasing their mega-projects and technological advances. However, it is also known that numerous human rights are violated and many workers are massively exploited in order to create these mega-projects. Unfortunately, this is still overlooked by numerous soccer fans and teams around the world. One of these megaprojects currently being built is the Lusail Iconic Stadium, which is supposed to be finished by the end of 2021. The Iconic Stadium will host only 10 soccer games before being reconfigured to a much smaller stadium. But one of the oddest projects in Lusail is the Katara Towers. These towers will feature a hotel, luxury apartments, and more. The design of these towers makes them strange, but there is a purpose. First of all, The Katara Tower’s curving structure brings to mind a crescent moon, a symbol of hospitality in Qatar. The shape is also an iconographic representation of the dual swords on Qatar’s national seal. The towers will be a beacon of hospitality and national pride once finished. The project was first proposed in 2014 and should be completed by the beginning of the World Cup in 2022. The total cost of constructing these unique towers is about QR 2.2 billion, or $604 million USD.
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Number 2: Beijing Daxing International Airport Located on the border of Beijing and Langfang in the Hebei Province, Beijing Daxing is the capital’s second international airport. Nicknamed ‘the Starfish’ for its unusual six-spoked design, this airport houses the world’s largest single-building airport terminal with a size of roughly 97 soccer fields. At its peak, the new International Airport would be able to handle up to 200 million passengers a year. If it reached this capacity, it could become the world’s busiest airport. To help with this volume, the check-in process is handled by facial recognition. Passengers may not have to wait in long lines or speak with receptionists to board their flights since the airport also plans to deploy robot-enabled customer service to help passengers as they move through the terminal. In 2012, Beijing's original airport (Beijing Capital International Airport) was reaching its full passenger capacity. The original design was pushed to its limits, but the demand kept growing and growing. Passenger rates were rising at about 5% per year consistently, and the old Beijing Capital airport needed some relief. In December of 2014, construction began at Beijing Daxing International Airport. The initial proposition included 9 runways and 600,000 new jobs for the residents of Beijing. It took 5 years for construction to complete. In that time, 11 villages were removed to make room. While the design of the airport looks very unique and interesting, it also has a purpose. The architect Zaha Hadid designed the airport for aesthetics and convenience. The central area’s courtyard is an essential place for passengers and their families to meet. But the spoked design also allows travelers to reach their planes faster. It takes only about 8 minutes to walk from the security checkpoint to any gate. In addition, the design makes it faster for passengers to get into the airport - and out of it. The spokes make parking and retrieving planes faster as well, so it hopes to minimize the time spent in the airport. Instead of the 9 projected runways, the airport currently only has 5 - 4 of which are civilian runways and one for military usage. Still, it can handle about 300 takeoffs and landings per hour due to the highly optimized design of the airport. Getting to the airport by train isn’t a problem, either. The Daxing Airport Express is a high-speed rail system that travels under Beijing Daxing. The underground rail system is supported by over 1,000 anti-shock cushions to reduce the vibration of the train, keeping passengers above unaware. If that wasn’t enough, the airport also boasts an artificial lake that is sourced from rainwater. Six pools collect rainwater, storing it in an interior channel. After filtering and purification, the water is reused for the airport’s aesthetic water features, including the lake. The airport served 16 million passengers in 2020, and that number is growing. It cost the government about 80 billion Yuan, or $11.4 billion USD. But what about the old airport? Beijing Capital International airport is still in operation. Many high-capacity airlines are making the switch to Beijing Daxing, including most of China’s SkyTeam airport alliance. Sharing the passenger load has given the old airport some much-needed relief.
Number 1: Tianducheng in China Imitation is usually the sincerest form of flattery, but this may not be the case for several of China’s less original construction projects. There are many ‘copycat’ towns and structures throughout China, including replicas of Venice, London, the White House, and more. People who live in these unique towns see it as a combination of the best things the world has to offer, and they can experience it all without leaving China. Tianducheng, or Sky City, is another of these copycat cities. Tianducheng is modeled after Paris, right down to the 108-meter tall replica of the Eiffel Tower. China also copied some details of Paris like the lamp posts on the street and the layout of the greenery surrounding the central tower. When it opened in 2007, it was meant to house 10,000 residents. However, as of 2013, only about 2,000 people lived there. Due to its isolated location just outside of Hangzhou, it was basically a ghost town. Nonetheless, residency has slowly increased in recent years, and more and more people are moving to the copycat city. New developments have been added to accommodate the higher demand for residency. A metro station is expected to open in Tianducheng in 2021, which should increase occupancy and help ease the isolation issue. In the future, China is shying away from these imitation projects. New bans introduced in 2020 limit these foreign building designs. They want to move away from imitating famous places and instead emphasize their own unique Chinese Architecture. Which of these megaprojects was the weirdest, in your opinion? Let us know in the comments down below! If you want to see more about similar projects, you can watch our video about the “World's Weirdest Looking Skyscrapers”.
