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
�resund 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.
Author Biography:
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.