Episode 2 - Skyscraper
This super-skyscraper reaches nearly half a mile high into the clouds. Twice as tall as the Empire State Building, it is the tallest man-made structure standing on the Earth.
The 160-story tower boasts 53 elevators - some capable of travelling over 20mph, a super-reflective glass skin that could cover 17 football fields, and a luxurious hotel designed by Giorgio Armani. Building this $1 billion superstructure consumed over half a million tons of concrete, twenty acres of glass and enough steel to stretch a quarter of the way around the globe.
But the Burj Dubai wasn’t built in a day.
It stands on the shoulders of seven historic engineering achievements. We chart the stories of seven key inventions, embodied by seven landmark buildings that allow the Burj Dubai to be so tall.
The busiest airport in the world - London Heathrow
Episode 2 - Skyscraper
The world’s tallest skyscraper – the Burj Dubai
Episode 3 - Bridge
The world's longest suspension bridge - Akashi Kaikyo
Episode 4 - Aircraft Carrier
The world's biggest aircraft carrier - the USS Nimitz