Part 7: Extreme Elevation
The developers of the Burj Dubai (which means Dubai Tower in Arabic) are so keen to win and hold on to the title of World’s Tallest Building that they are keeping the building’s exact height a secret until completion. Current estimates put the finished height at around 940m.
The building’s foundations have even been dug to an extra deep level to enable the addition of further storeys as construction progresses. The tower will feature a luxury hotel, private residential apartments, commercial space and a viewing platform 124 floors up. The tower will be so high that the air on the building’s upper floors will be thinner than the air on the ground.Construction is moving fast - one floor per week is currently being constructed and the Burj Dubai is slated to open for business at some point in 2008. The desert conditions mean that building techniques have had to be customised. For example, builders mix ice with any concrete they use to make the concrete set to strength in the hot desert temperatures.The Burj Dubai is concrete on its lower levels with a shining steel structure on top. It’s been designed without any horizontal surfaces, to prevent desert sand from settling on the building and weighing it down. It also has a twisting, continually changing shape to counter the effects of the strong desert winds.

Part 6: Crossing the Colorado
The massive canyon formed by the Colorado River where it joins Nevada and Arizona already boasts one iconic piece of engineering: the Hoover Dam. The new bridge, just half a kilometre downriver from the dam, will only add to the splendour of the area and give North America its first composite concrete deck arch bridge.The new crossing is badly needed. Currently, a narrow two-lane highway runs along the top of the dam. The approaches are winding and treacherous. Congestion is terrible, the crossing is on one of the area’s major routes, US Highway 93, and handles both through-traffic and Hoover Dam tourists.Security concerns since 9/11 have led to a lorry ban on the crossing which has increased disruption. The ambitious Hoover Dam Bypass scheme – with the new bridge at its centre – should ease these problems when it opens to traffic in 2008.

Part 5: Bangkok Bridge
The city of Bangkok is growing at a phenomenal rate and is currently home to an estimated 10 million people and almost 25 million registered vehicles. As a result, the city’s roads are in a state of crisis, with log-jammed traffic becoming an almost permanent feature and travelling speed down to a crawl during peak times.
When it is finished, it is hoped that the new Bangkok Mega Bridge will bring a massive improvement to the current traffic situation in the city. The unofficially-named “Mega Bridge” is part of a new road network – the 13km Industrial Ring Road.The Mega Bridge stretches across a meander in the Chao Phraya river so actually comprises two bridges of 702m and 582m in length, each crossing a north-south stretch of water. In the middle is a suspended intersection. Each bridge is 51m high to allow tall shipping to pass under: construction had to take place while the river’s shipping lanes remained open.

Part 4: Sinking Wings
The Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia (ARSBC) is on a mission to create and maintain man-made dive sites that will promote both the local economy through dive tourism and the environmental benefits of using artificial dive sites to save damaging important historic or ecologically-sensitive sites.

Part 3: Madrids Big Dig
Madrid is currently suffering a traffic crisis that needs to be solved quickly and efficiently, as the city has expanded rapidly in recent years and dangerous congestion is becoming an almost constant problem. Madrid’s inner ring road, the Calle 30, is the worst offender. The busiest road in Spain, running close to the Manzanares River, it is famous for its traffic jams and pollution.The M30 project aims to solve the problems of gridlock on Madrid’s roads by refurbishing the road and running major sections of it beneath the city, creating new parkland and riverside above. A total of 99km of new road and 56km of tunnel will have been constructed by the time the project is completed. With an estimated budget of ?3.7 billion and completion date (already behind) of mid-2007, this is a major undertaking!

Part 2: Roller Coaster
The Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement park, situated just north of Los Angeles, in the US state of California, is home to the record-breaking ride, which is heralding a new adrenaline-packed experience for thrill-seeking visitors.
Christened “Tatsu”, the Japanese for “flying beast”, this incredible steel structure swivels riders round 90 degrees into a face-down position, just like a flying dragon. Those brave enough to take the challenge are propelled at speeds of up to 62mph as they dangle from the track.
Unlike the construction of most coasters, which are built on flat ground, Six Flags’ new coaster stands on uneven terrain, twisting and turning round hills and trees to add to the thrill. Up to1600 riders per hour pass over four separate areas of the park, traversing a 263ft elevation change, during the 3.5-minute ride.

Part 1: Moving Mountains
The Gotthard Base Tunnel is actually two main parallel tunnels measuring a record-breaking 57km each, served by a maze of access tunnels, shafts and passages. In total there will be 153.5 km of tunnel through the Swiss Alps.
The project has been conceived to solve the problem of heavy European road traffic on this major route through the Alps, while simultaneously developing Europe’s high-speed rail network. The existing tunnel, much higher up, can only handle three-truck freight trains of up to 2,000 tons. The new tunnel will take 4,000 ton heavy freight trains – carrying entire trucks on board - effortlessly through the heart of the mountains. Passenger trains will be able to travel at speeds of up to 250kmph, resulting in a train journey time between Zurich and Milan of just two hours and 40 minutes – a third less than at present.