# Megastructures (TV series)

Megastructures is a documentary television series appearing on the National Geographic Channel in the United States and the United Kingdom, Channel 5 in the United Kingdom, France 5 in France, and 7mate in Australia.
Each episode is an educational look of varying depth into the construction, operation, and staffing of various structures or construction projects, but not ordinary construction products.
Generally containing interviews with designers and project managers, it presents the problems of construction and the methodology or techniques used to overcome obstacles. In some cases (such as the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge and Petronas Towers) this involved the development of new materials or products that are now in general use within the construction industry.
Megastructures focuses on constructions that are extreme; in the sense that they are the biggest, tallest, longest, or deepest in the world. Alternatively, a project may appear if it had an element of novelty or are a world first (such as Dubai's Palm Islands). This type of project is known as a megaproject.
The series follows similar subjects as the History Channel's Modern Marvels and Discovery Channel's Extreme Engineering, covering areas of architecture, transport, construction and manufacturing.

## Episodes
### Season 1 (2004)

| # | Country | Title | Subject | US airdate | Five Co-production airdate |
| 01 | United States | USS Ronald Reagan | Nimitz-class supercarrier for the U.S. Navy — USS Ronald Reagan is a 4.5 billion-dollar Nimitz-class supercarrier. Powered by two nuclear reactors, the 1,100 ft (340 m) long vessel is equipped with all the necessary facilities to house 6,000 personnel and over 80 aircraft. Viewers are given an exclusive look at how the crew of this 'floating naval base' is put through a series of tests in order to obtain their flight deck certification. Take a glimpse at the various facilities on the ship that keep the 6,000-strong crew fed, rested, and entertained. | 2004-09-15 | |
| 02 | Germany | Autobahn | German Autobahnen — What began as a racing track grew into a sophisticated high-speed road system, linking to almost all the major cities in Germany. The Autobahn boasts super thick road beds, 4% or less grades, wide lanes, and utilises sophisticated technology. | 2004-10-06 | |
| 03 | United Kingdom France | Channel Tunnel | Undersea tunnel between Coquelles, France and Folkestone, United Kingdom — The Channel Tunnel or Euro Tunnel is one of the world's longest underground rail tunnels, and links England with France. Consisting of two rail tunnels and a small service tunnel, it totals 153 km in length. This episode looks at the race between the British and the French to complete the tunnelling of the Channel Tunnel and the obstacles faced in its construction. | 2004-09-22 | 2004-09-13 |
| 04 | United States | Sears Tower (now the Willis Tower) | Tallest building in Chicago, Illinois — For 20 years, the Sears Tower held the record for the world's tallest building. Completed in 1973, the 110 stories high building is almost half a kilometre tall. And it still holds the record for having the world's highest antenna. John Zils, structural engineer and designer of this mega-structure, shares some of the tower's secrets. And get a behind-the-scenes look at some of the various systems and controls that are vital to the building, such as security monitoring, elevators, the water and power distribution that supplies its many floors, and even the machines that clean the windows. | 2004-09-29 |
| 05 | Japan | Kansai International Airport | Airport on artificial island in Osaka Bay — Located 5 km off the coast of Osaka, Japan is the Kansai International Airport. The airport is built entirely on a man-made island, 4 km long and 1 km wide. The only link between the island and Osaka is by the world's longest 2-tiered bridge. Although the airport is built to withstand earthquakes and typhoons, the artificial island itself is sinking faster than anticipated. This episode looks at various measures that are taken to keep the airport 'afloat,' and the various facilities and services available to keep the airport running. | 2004-10-13 | |
| 06 | Japan | Akashi Kaikyo Bridge | World's longest suspension bridge — In 1955, two ferries sank along the Akashi Strait in Japan, killing 168 children. The tragedy led to 30 years of research to design a bridge that would link Awaji Island to Kobe. The bridge would need to be able to withstand severe earthquakes and typhoons. In 1988, Japan began construction of the world's longest, highest and most expensive suspension bridge. This episode presents a stage by stage look at the construction of the bridge, and the obstacles faced in its construction, including the Kobe earthquake in 1995. | 2004-10-20 | 2004-09-20 |
| 07 | Brazil Paraguay | The World's Most Powerful Dam (Itaipu Dam) | Dam on the Paraná River — In the Paraná River of South America, lies the Itaipú Dam. Costing 20 billion dollars, the Itaipú Dam is the world's largest and most powerful hydroelectric power plant. It is the culmination of the efforts, accomplishments, and co-operation of two countries, Brazil and Paraguay. This episode examines the efforts undertaken and the sacrifices made to construct the dam, including how the largest diversion channel was constructed to divert water from the world's 7th largest river away from the main construction site. | 2004-10-27 | 2004-09-27 |
| 08 | Malaysia | Petronas Towers | Twin tower skyscraper in Kuala Lumpur — Designed by Cesar Pelli, the Petronas Towers were the tallest buildings as of their completion date. Located in Kuala Lumpur, the 88 story, 450m tall twin towers carry an Islamic geometrical influence, and are a symbol of Malaysian pride. To foster competition, the contract for the construction of the towers was awarded to two different construction companies, each assigned to work on one of the towers. This episode examines the race between the companies to each complete their tower first, as well as various construction challenges, including soil quality issues, the unique cement mixture that was needed as a steel substitute, and tropical weather. | 2004-11-10 | 2004-10-04 |
| 09 | United States | Inside a Super Casino | The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey — Megastructures gets an inside look at the 13-year design and construction of Atlantic City's towering new casino, the Borgata. | 2004-12-01 | |
| 10 | United States | Money Factory | U.S. Treasury | 2004-12-31 |

### Season 2 (2005)

| # | Country | Title | Subject | Original airdate |
| 01 | United States | Golden Gate Bridge | Iconic bridge over San Francisco Bay in San Francisco | 2005-03-02 |
| 02 | United States | Alcatraz | Former prison island in San Francisco Bay, California | 2005-03-16 |
| 03 | United States | Inside The Pentagon | Headquarters of the US Department of Defense in Arlington, Virginia | 2005-04-01 |
| 04 | Singapore | World's Busiest Port | Port of Singapore, Republic of Singapore | 2005-05-13 |
| 05 | South Africa | Tau Tona, City of Gold | World's deepest mining operations in Carletonville, South Africa | 2005-05-21 |
| 06 | United States | Las Vegas | | 2005-06-22 |
| 07 | Canada | Ultimate Oil Sands Mine Black Gold (Oil Mine) | Syncrude and Shell Canada in oil sands located in Alberta, Canada | 2005-07-20 |
| 08 | Canada | Diamond Diggers | Ekati Diamond Mine, Canada's first diamond mine, near Lac De Gras, Northwest Territories, Canada | 2005-07-27 |
| 09 | United States | Sea Launch | Ocean Odyssey and Sea Launch Commander | 2005-08-03 |
| 10 | Netherlands | North Sea Wall | Delta Works | 2005-05-28 on NGC (UK) |
| 11 | United Arab Emirates | The World's Most Extreme Island (Impossible Islands) | Dubai's artificial palm islands, United Arab Emirates | 2005-09-13 |
| 12 | United States | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Car racetrack in Speedway, Indiana | 2005-09-13 |
| 13 | Netherlands | Port of Rotterdam (Super Port) | The largest port in Europe, in Rotterdam, Netherlands | 2005-09-20 |
| 14 | United States | Air Force Transport (Mega Plane) | C-5 Galaxy with the U.S. Air Force | 2005-09-20 |
| 15 | United States | North Branch Correctional Institution (Hi-Tech Prison) | High Security Prison, Allegany County, Maryland | 2005-09-27 |
| 16 | France | Airbus A380 (World's Biggest Airliner) | Biggest jumbo jet in commercial service | 2005-10-04 |
| 17 | United States | USS Virginia | Virginia-class submarine with the U.S. Navy | 2005-10-11 |
| 18 | United States | Ultimate Casino | Venetian Hotel Resort Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada | 2005-10-18 |
| 19 | United States | The Ultimate Roller coaster | Kingda Ka roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure theme part in Jackson, New Jersey | 2005-10-25 |
| 20 | United States | Spy Fortress NORAD | North American Aerospace Defense Command, Colorado | 2005-11-08 |
| 21 | Germany | Berlin Train Terminal (Berlin's Grand Central) | Berlin Hauptbahnhof station in Berlin, Germany | 2005-11-15 |
| 22 | United States | America's Big Dig | Central Artery / Tunnel Project in Boston, Massachusetts | 2005-11-22 |
| 23 | Netherlands | Ultimate Oil Rigs | Construction of new oil rigs | 2005-12-06 |
| 24 | Kazakhstan | Baikonur Cosmodrome | Russian space launch facility in Tyuratam, Kazakhstan | 2005-12-13 |
| 25 | United States | Inside Grand Central | Railroad terminal in New York City. | 2005-12-08 |
| 26 | France | World's Tallest Bridge (Millau Bridge) | viaduct near Millau, France | 2005-12-20 |
| 27 | China | Mega Ship | Orient Overseas Container Line / OOCL Atlanta ship | 2005-12-27 |
| 28 | - | Deep Sea Drillers | | 2005-12-31 |

### Season 3 (2006)

| # | Country | Title | Subject | Original airdate |
| 01 | Germany | Berlin Wall | Wall dividing Germany during the Cold War | 2006-03-14 |
| 02 | Denmark Sweden | Megabridges: Denmark to Sweden | Oresund Bridge between Copenhagen and Malmö, Sweden | 2006-04-18 |
| 03 | Greece | Megabridges: Greece | Rio–Antirrio bridge, Gulf of Corinth, Greece | 2006-05-02 |
| 04 | United States | Hoover Dam | Colorado River border between Nevada and Arizona in USA | 2006-02-11 on Five |
| 05 | United States | Inside "NCIS" | Naval Criminal Investigative Service of the U.S. Navy | 2006-05-30 |
| 06 | United States | Garbage Mountain | Puente Hills Landfill in Whittier, California | 2006-08-01 |
| 07 | Sweden | Ice Hotel | Working hotel made of ice near Jukkasjärvi, Sweden | 2006-08-01 |
| 08 | | Supertanker | Seri Amanah, a Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) carrier ship | 2006-08-31 |
| 10 | Panama | Panama Canal Unlocked | Panama Canal Expansion Project, Central America | 2006-10-19 |
| 12 | Iceland | Rockeaters of Iceland | Kárahnjúkar Hydropower Plant | 2006-12-31 |

### Season 4 (2007–2008)

| # | Country | Title | Subject | Original airdate |
| 01 | United Arab Emirates | World's Tallest Hotel | Burj al-Arab Hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates | 2007-07-09 |
| 02 | Malaysia | SMART Tunnel | SMART Tunnel for road and storm water drainage in Kuala Lumpur to relieve traffic congestion as well as to prevent flooding within the city | 2007-07-14 |
| 03 | Bermuda | RMS Queen Mary 2 | | 2007-07-16 on Five |
| 04 | United States | South Pole Station | A science facility at the South Pole (Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station) | 2007-11-06 |
| 05 | China | Beijing Water Cube | Beijing National Aquatics Center built for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics | 2008-05-13 |
| 06 | United States | Bridge Breakdown | Demolition of the (1927) Carquinez Bridge in the San Francisco Bay Area | 2008-05-15 |
| 07 | United States | 747 Destruction | Evergreen Air Center storage facility for decommissioned aeroplanes in Marana, Arizona | 2008-05-16 |
| 08 | China | Shanghai Super Tower | Shanghai World Financial Centre in Shanghai, China | 2008-05-20 |
| 09 | China | China's Ultimate Port | Yangshan Port in Hangzhou Bay | 2008-05-27 |
| 10 | United States | Sinking an aircraft carrier | Creating the world's largest artificial reef with USS Oriskany in the Gulf of Mexico off Florida | 2008-05-29 |
| 11 | Finland | The World's Biggest Cruise Liner | The building of cruise liner MS Freedom of the Seas | 2008-06-04 |
| 12 | China | Beijing Olympic Stadium | the building of the main stadium for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics | 2008-08-05 |
| 13 | China | World's Biggest Casino | The Venetian Macao, the world's biggest casino in Macau | ? |
| 14 | Iceland | Icelandic Super Dam | The building of the Kárahnjúkar Hydropower Plant, Europe's biggest dam in Iceland | ? |
| 15 | Germany | Future Trains | Maglev train | ? |
| 16 | United Arab Emirates | Building the World | The World (archipelago) of artificial islands in Dubai | ? |
| 17 | United States | Train Wreck | the recycling of obsolete train locomotives in the USA | ? |
| 18 | China | Building Green Beijing | 2010 environmental improvement plan in Beijing, China | ? |
| 19 | France Switzerland | Atom Smasher | The Large Hadron Collider at CERN near Geneva, Switzerland | 2008-07-31 on NGC (UK & IE) |
| 20 | China | Megabridges: China | Lupu Bridge in Shanghai, Runyang Bridge in Jiangsu Province, and Sutong Bridge near Suzhou | 2006-07-11 |
| 21 | United States | Ultimate Sub (Super Sub) | USS Texas (Virginia-class submarine) in the U.S. Navy | ? |
| 22 | Spain United States | Sun Engine | Experimental solar collection farms in Spain and near Las Vegas, Nevada | ? |
| 23 | United Kingdom | Super Pipeline | Gas pipeline from Norway to Great Britain | ? |
| 24 | United States | Hawaii Superferry | catamaran ferry service between Hawaiian Islands from 2007 to 2009 | 2007-08-26 on NGC (UK & IE) |
| 25 | United States | Deep Earth Drillers | The world's largest geothermal power complex | 2008 |
| 26 | Bahrain | World Trade Center Bahrain | World Trade Center (Manama) | 2008 |
| 27 | United Kingdom | The World's Biggest Shredder | The 560 tonne "fragmentiser" based at Newport Docks. | 2008 |
| 28 | United States | The Impossible Build | Academy of Sciences, California | 2008 |

### Season 5 (2009–2010)

| # | Country | Title | Subject | Original airdate | Other Airdate |
| 01 | United States | Grand Canyon Skywalk | Grand Canyon Skywalk | 2009-02-28 (NGC UK) | 2009-04-02 |
| 01 | United States | Extreme Helicopter | S-64 Skycrane | 2009-06-16 | |
| 02 | United States | Skyscraper (Ultimate Skyscraper) | Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park, NYC | 2009-10-01 | |
| 03 | United Kingdom | UK Super Train / Britain's New Railway | High Speed 1 | 2010-01-08 | |
| 04 | United States | Electric Ocean / Wave Energy | | 2010-05-27 | |
| 05 | ? | Secrets of Oscar Tar Bridge | | 2010-10-09 | |
| 06 | China | China's Smart Tower | | 2010-11-26 | |
| 07 | United States | Future Bridge | Follow the record-breaking effort to rebuild the Minneapolis I-35W bridge in only 17 months, with a focus on its unique engineering | 2010 | |

### Season 6 (2011)

| # | Country | Title | Subject | Original airdate |
| 01 | United Arab Emirates | The Leaning Tower of Abu Dhabi | Capital Gate | 2010-05-04 on NGC (AU & NZ) |
| 02 | Turkey | Time Bomb Tunnel | Building the Marmaray Tunnel, a 13.5 km (8.4 mi) long undersea railway tunnel in Istanbul, Turkey. | 2011-01-29 |
| 03 | Singapore | Singapore's Vegas | Building the Marina Bay Sands Resort and Casino in Singapore | 2005-10-05 on NGC (AU & NZ) |
| 04 | China | World's Tallest TV Tower | Building one of the world's tallest TV towers, the Guangzhou Sightseeing and TV Tower (now called the Canton Tower | 2011-02-11 on 7mate |
| 05 | Taiwan | Ecoark | | 2011-03-27 |
| 06 | South Korea | Korean Superlink | Busan-Geoje Fixed Link | 2011-11-17 |

### Unknown season

| # | Country | Title | Subject | Original airdate |
| 09 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Bridge of Mostar | | 2004 |
| 25 | United Kingdom | London Olympic Stadium | | 2012-05-03 |
| 26 | United Arab Emirates | World's Tallest Skyscraper | Burj Khalifa | 2012-09-17 |
| 27 | United States | Phantom jet | F-4 jet | ? |
| 28 | Kazakhstan | Worlds Biggest Tent | Khan Shatyr Entertainment Center | ? |
| 33 | India | Atmosphere (Kolkata) | Atmosphere - A luxury residential superstructure in Kolkata | 2015 |
| 30 | Malaysia | Second Penang Bridge | The building of the second bridge connecting Peninsular Malaysia to Penang Island spanning a total of 24 km, and 16.9 km of that over water | 2014-09-16 |
| 31 | India | India's Solar Power House | Kamuthi Solar Power Project | ? |
| 32 | India | Mundra Port | Mundra Port | ? |

### Unknown season 2

| # | Country | Title | Subject | Original airdate |
| 01 | - | "Machines of War": Tanks | History and evolution of the tank | 2006-03-08 |
| 02 | - | "Machines of War": Cruise Missile | The history and development of the cruise missile | 2006-03-10 |
| 3 | ? | Science of Steel | The world's metal construction material of choice | 2006-03-11 |
| 12 | - | "Machines of War": Guns | The history and evolution of the gun | 2006-03-13 |
| 14 | - | Science of Brick | The world's oldest man-made building material | 2006-03-15 |
| 15 | 3 | Science of Concrete | The world's most used building material | 2006-03-16 |

## Spin-offs
### Megastructures: Built from Disaster

* "Megastructures: Built from Disaster – Bridges" // Wednesday, 26 August 2009 8–9pm on Channel 5
* "Megastructures: Built from Disaster – Ships" // Thursday, 3 September 2009 8–9pm on Channel 5
* "Megastructures: Built from Disaster – Tunnels" // Thursday, 10 September 2009 8–9pm on Channel 5
* "Megastructures: Built from Disaster – Stadiums" // Thursday, 24 September 2009 8–9pm on Channel 5
* "Megastructures: Built from Disaster – Trains" // Thursday, 8 October 2009 8–9pm on Channel 5
* "Megastructures: Built from Disaster – Skyscrapers" // Thursday, 15 October 2009 8–9pm on Channel 5

### Ancient Megastructures

* "Ancient Megastructures: The Great Pyramid"
* "Ancient Megastructures: The Colosseum"
* "Ancient Megastructures: Chartres Cathedral"
* "Ancient Megastructures: Istanbuls Hagia Sophia"
* "Ancient Megastructures: Machu Picchu"
* "Ancient Megastructures: Angkor Wat"
* "Ancient Megastructures: Petra Cathedral"
* "Ancient Megastructures: St Pauls Cathedral"
* "Ancient Megastructures: The Alhambra"

## International broadcasts

In January 2020, Indonesian TV channel, NET interested to broadcasting Megastructures in Indonesia in July 2020.