Throng

megastructures
building the world (3/3)
20.00–21.00

Concluding tonight on Five the series that lifts the lid on some of the most incredible structures and machines ever created. Tonight’s instalment looks at the construction of a group of islands in Dubai in the shape of the world map. Large enough to be seen from space, these artificial land masses represent an extraordinary engineering challenge, as construction teams race to meet an incredibly tight deadline.

The kingdom of Dubai is fast transforming itself into the luxury tourist capital of the world, with construction projects as diverse as the world’s tallest hotel, and artificial islands in the shape of palm trees. Now this tiny desert state is the location of the most audacious reclaimed land project to date. From the depths of the Arabian Gulf, 300 new islands are appearing above the waves to form the outline of the world map, which will eventually be home to hundreds of luxury hotels, villas and facilities. This programme tells the story behind this remarkable feat of engineering.

In 2001, the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, had a visionary idea to put his kingdom on the world map by recreating that same map in a man-made archipelago. The artificial land masses forming The World would lie two miles off the coast of Dubai. This colossal project – measuring over five miles in length and four miles in width – would need a breakwater 16 miles long to protect it from the waves. In addition to these huge engineering demands, the Sheikh imposed an unbelievable deadline of 2008 to complete The World.

Megastructures reveals how marine engineers developed a groundbreaking design for the breakwater, and how they have overcome the obstacles of building it so far from mainland Dubai. Sheikh Mohammed’s exacting standards constantly push the teams outside their comfort zone. The breakwater will not only be the longest in the world, but it will also be constructed entirely of natural materials. With steel and concrete banned, the designers have to make the structure from rock and sand. Moreover, the breakwater is only allowed to rise a meter above the waves so that it does not ruin the view.

The World demands a staggering 30 million tonnes of rock and 320 million cubic meters of sand. Tonight’s documentary explores how engineers tackle the daunting task of blasting such enormous quantities out of the quarries, and how dredgers scour the Gulf for sand. Ironically, despite being surrounded by desert, the local sand is unsuitable for island building, and only sand from the ocean will hold up against the pummelling of the waves. The supply of materials must operate without glitches or the Sheikh’s deadline will be forfeited.

As the islands take shape, the construction teams turn to the problem of water stagnation. The World cannot become a top destination with fetid channels of water and dead fish coursing between the land masses, so environmental scientists must use all of their ingenuity to avert an environmental catastrophe. They manage to eliminate the stagnant water by creating an opening in the breakwater, allowing fresh currents to flush the system.

With the islands nearly complete, the project has only just reached the half-way mark. But an even bigger challenge awaits the engineers – they must turn the World into a habitable environment for 250,000 people. They will need villas and hotels, fresh water, sewage treatment, electricity, transport, and marinas with a capacity for thousands of yachts. They must also find buyers willing to invest in a project that requires a serious leap of faith. There are billions of dollars at stake but, if the project succeeds, huge dividends will be the reward – along with a luxury tourist destination the likes of which the world has never seen.