How did bridges evolve from tiny bamboo
walkways spanning streams to super-long

suspension bridges connecting islands? How did
buildings surge from ground-hugging
townhouses to cloud-busting skyscrapers? In a
landmark, four-part CGI-driven series, Big, Bigger,
Biggest reveals the inventions that enabled
structures to grow in size and scale. The subject
of this week’s film is the Burj Dubai – the tallest
man-made structure in the world.
Big, Bigger, Biggest charts the engineering
evolution of a range of iconic structures that have
become part of modern living: skyscrapers,
bridges, aircraft carriers and airports. Each
programme begins by showcasing the largest
example of its kind and poses the question: ‘How
did it grow so big?’ Rolling back the clock and
winding down the scale, the shows reveal the
inventions that allowed these structures to
gradually grow to such massive proportions.
This week’s instalment examines the tallest manmade
structure on Earth – the Burj Dubai
skyscraper in the Persian Gulf. Towering nearly half
a mile into the sky, the Burj Dubai was designed by
architect Adrian Smith and is due for completion in
2009. The total budget for the project is thought to
be more than four billion US dollars.
Big, Bigger, Biggest reveals how seven
ingenious technological breakthroughs enabled
engineers to build this record-breaking superstructure
– from its double-decker, high-speed
elevators and fire-proof evacuation rooms to its
unique wind-cheating design.
Using a combination of spectacular CGI
animation and on-location filming, this
documentary shows in stunning detail the
innovations that allowed skyscrapers to develop
from the likes of the ten-storey Home Insurance
Building in Chicago, built in the late 19th century,
to the super-structures of today.