Overview

An in-depth look at the world's mightiest structures. Stunning foldout pages, panels, diagrams, photographs and ""Mega Facts"" boxes make this book a stimulating read for all ages. Megastructures describes how and why these structures were designed and built. It explains the physics behind the designs, which allows buildings, dams or bridges to rise to incredible heights, withstand enormous pressures, and resist collapse from environmental forces. The book is organized into four sections. Towering Giants: skyscrapers, towers, monuments, offshore platforms Burj Khalifa Skyscraper (gatefold) -- casts shadows on passing clouds Troll A Gas Platform -- its legs weigh an astonishing 72,300 tons each Pearl River Tower -- the first ""green"" skyscraper Gigantic Lengths: wide and long, over and under Types of bridges -- beam, arch, cantilever, suspension, cable-stayed Öresund Link (gatefold) -- joins Denmark and Sweden Gatthard Base Tunnel -- at 35 miles, the world's longest Massive Monsters and Darkest Depths: stadiums, islands, dams London's Olympic Stadium (gatefold) -- cut-away diagrams Hoover Dam -- changing a river course Palm Islands, Dubai -- palm-tree shaped artificial islands longest Darkest Depths: mines, power stations, ice cores Channel Tunnel (gatefold) -- a network of interlinking tunnels and passages Thunder Horse Oil Field -- the deepest oil field ever found Bingham Canyon Mine -- the world's deepest opencast mine longest In each chapter, Megastructures also looks at Failures and Accidents, including such frightening events as windows falling out, roofs collapsing, floods and explosions. Future chapters in each section describe the monsters of tomorrow, like the pickle-shaped Gherkin tower, the Lake Vostok tunnel deep under Antarctic ice and the Bering Bridge linking the USA and Russia. A glossary of words highlighted in the text, a resources section and an index round out this riveting book.

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9781770851115

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Reviews

Graham explores the building of megastructures, from skyscrapers to stadiums, bridges to dams, opera houses, tunnels and oil-drilling platforms. This is one of those big, busy books that jams a lot of information onto the page via boxed insets, quick, jumpy paragraphs with attention-grabbing snippets, and a tumble of artwork and illustrations, with an occasional gatefold that feels as big as a quilt. Nothing is conveyed with much context or depth. The material all comes in a rush, so it pays to slow down and drink it in; readers must assemble all the components to get the big picture. Graham is informed and in his brusqueness has chosen all the right tidbits. There are fun facts--how long it takes to paint the Eiffel Tower or wash all the windows in Dubai's Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building; how all the concrete in the Hoover Dam could pave a highway from San Francisco to New York City--and an array of monster problems that can beset massive structures. There are peeks at future megastructures as well as photos of contemporary ones, such as offshore drilling platforms, the Blinking-Eye Bridge over the River Tyne in England and the Large Hadron Collider, that are utterly futuristic. Nor has Graham forsaken the past, with visits paid to the Ponte Vecchio, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Delaware Aqueduct. A rangy and exuberant, if skimming, introduction to giant, man-made structures.-- (09/01/2011) Stunning foldouts, panels, diagrams, photographs and fact boxes make this book a stimulating read for all ages.--North Bay Nugget (08/31/2013)

Author Information

Ian Graham is a science and technology expert. He has written more than 200 books on subjects ranging from space exploration, aircraft and military technology to astronomy, transport and forensic science.

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