Soaring bridges, rising towers, stunning stadiums, and simply gargantuan buildings highlight the past year.
1. Bay Bridge Eastern Span, San Francisco-Oakland
It took 13 years and US$6.42 billion, but the east span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge opened on Labour Day weekend as the world's longest self-anchored suspension bridge, thanks to its 2047-foot main span. A single 2.6-foot-diameter main cable loops around the roadway, held aloft on a 525-foot tower that supports 90 percent of the bridge's weight. The bridge had to rely on its own strength, according to designers from T.Y. Lin International and Moffatt and Nichol, because the nearby rock and murky soil amplifies seismic movement.
2. Marmaray Tunnel, Turkey
In October the Turkish government opened a US$4.5 billion, 47-mile underwater railway tunnel that was nine years in the making. Named after the Sea of Marmara that the tunnel runs through ("ray" means "rail" in Turkish), the tunnel connects Europe and Asia while giving Istanbul a new rail line into and out of the city. Officials expect about 1.5 million users per day to take the 4-minute tunnel ride.
3. One World Trade Centre, New York
Sure, substantial completion of the building took place in 2012. But the exclamation point of the build occurred in May, when the spire was added to the 104-story-tall structure on the World Trade Centre site. That spire gave One World Trade Centre a height of 1776 feet. In November the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat ruled that the spire is an official part of the building (and not simply an antenna), allowing One World Trade to surpass Chicago's Willis Tower to claim the title of tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. Now the third-tallest completed building (it will fall to fourth when a Shanghai skyscraper finishes up in 2014), One World Trade Centre just needs to rent out its 3.5 million square feet of space.
4. Maracana Stadium, Brazil
Officially, the 63-year-old Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro has been undergoing a renovation in preparation for World Cup 2014. But in truth, the crew pretty much did away with all things old and built new from the ground up. After three years and US$500 million spent, Maracana opened to mixed reviews in mid-2013. Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron turned what once hosted 200,000 fans in the 1950 World Cup Final into a more manageable yet still giant 80,000-seat venue. A new Teflon roof covers 90 percent of all seats, giving shade during June and July, when the world will watch how the single-bowl stadium performs during the World Cup.
5. New Century Global Centre, China
Never mind height: The world's largest freestanding building (officially it is the largest building in terms of floor space) is wide, long and, well, just plain big. At more than 18 million square feet, China's new centre in Chengdu opened this summer and houses multiple shopping malls, hotels, offices, theatres, theme-park-like attractions, and even a water park within its walls, which measure 1600 by 1300 feet.
6. Bertha Tunnel-Boring Machine, Seattle
Not many of the world's biggest builds take place on two separate continents. But this 57.5-foot-diameter tunnel-boring machine was constructed in Japan and then hauled across the Pacific Ocean to the Port of Seattle, where it was reconstructed in July in its launch pit. North America's largest-ever tunnel boring machine is now digging a highway tunnel under downtown Seattle. The 7000-ton Bertha is 326 feet long, giving it plenty of power to churn dirt well into 2014.
7. Albacete-Alicante High-Speed Rail Line, Spain
This new 102-mile high-speed rail link brings Spain to a total of almost 2000 miles of high-speed line. Trains zip along the line at up to 186 miles per hour.
8. Al Maktoum International Airport, United Arab Emirates
Al Maktoum International Airport near Dubai was approved for its first commercial flight in October, one important step in its journey to become the world's busiest airport, expected to funnel 160 million passengers annually. And it's just one piece of the government-created aviation city called Dubai World Central, a US$32 billion project that might not be completed until 2027.
9. JW Marriott Marquis Dubai Hotel, United Arab Emirates
At 1165 feet tall, this 72-story twin tower complex easily captures the title of world's tallest hotel. Easily. The first of two towers was completed in February 2013, with the second tower expected for an early 2014 finish. Already with more than 86,000 square feet of total event space, the first tower alone features nine restaurants and five bars and lounges.
10. Liuchonghe Bridge, China
The new Liuchonghe Bridge, with a 1437-foot span, is now the second-highest cable-stayed bridge in the world, rising over 1100 feet above the Liuchonghe River. With one of the river canyon's walls a virtual cliff, expect some breathtaking views while passing the two towers sitting atop the canyon, one at 623 feet tall and the other 517 feet.
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