Building Giants Series Two

In the village of Jukkasjärvi in northern Sweden, a team of specialist engineers and designers build a giant 35-room, fully functional hotel, out of nothing but snow and ice.

Working through the long dark arctic night, with brutal temperatures of minus 30, they plan to complete the entire project in just six weeks.

Thanks to some ingenious sub-zero engineering, and a lot of hard work, the end result is a stunning winter wonderland, where guests from around the world can bed down and enjoy a night under the ice.

In the Alps, engineers and teams of specialists are digging through the heart of Europe’s biggest mountain range, to create the world’s longest rail tunnel.

Using explosives and huge tunnel boring machines they will excavate a total of 21 million cubic metres of rock, working nearly 2 kilometres below the surface. A sophisticated laser guidance system keeps them on track, and they even re-use excavated rock to form the concrete tunnel lining.

It’s a once-in-a-generation project that will revolutionise transport from North to South Europe.

In the heart of New York City, a fearless team of engineers and iron-workers battle terrifying heights, grid-locked city traffic and extreme weather to construct the world’s tallest residential building.

Designed by superstar architects Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill, Central Park Tower has a gravity-defying cantilever that overhangs the neighbouring building, and an elegant tower that rises nearly half a kilometre into the air. But turning this beautiful design into reality is a huge task. A team of engineers have to first build a giant reinforced core, then cover every surface with 4.5 million kilograms of glass. Time is tight - these will be some of the most luxurious apartments in New York, and residents will soon be moving in.

Amongst the green hills and picturesque villages in the South-East of Ireland, a fearless team of engineers and construction workers are building the country’s biggest bridge. 

The Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Bridgewill be made of 30,000 cubic metres of concrete, have two record-breaking spans of more than 230 metres, and stand on a purpose-built artificial island.When complete it will be the biggest bridge of its kind in the world.Building this giant isn’t easy - an international team battle tight deadlines, treacherous currents, and terrifying heights, working up to 60 metres above the mighty Barrow River.

In the birthplace of the skyscraper, a team of engineers and ironworkers battle brutal winds, arctic temperatures and dizzying heights to build the Vista Tower.

This 360-metre high, “super-tall” skyscraperis designed to stand out in one of the most iconic skylines in the world. Stepping upwards in three slender towers, the Vista’s walls curve inwards and outwards, covered in bespoke glass panels, custom-tinted to mirror the famous Michigan Lake.

Millionaire clients are waiting to move into their penthouse apartments, so the construction team must brave one of Chicago’s worst winters on record to finish this stunning skyscraper on time.

In Amsterdam, a international team of engineers and designers plan to build a huge ultra-modern hotel – the tallest in Holland. But space in the historic capital is at a premium, and their tiny plot of land is hemmed in by busy roads on one side, and an underground metro line on the other.

To solve this problem, architects come up with an audacious plan that turns conventional hotel design on its head: a stunning series of stacked glass wedges that seem to hang unsupported in thin air. But building this unconventional design is a huge challenge, The construction team must install 2600 specially insulated windows; fabricate the supporting steel framework with millimetre accuracy; and dig a 180-metre deep borehole for the custom heating system - all without disturbing the underground metro line just one metre away. The end result is a true masterpiece of modern design, a bold new icon for historic Amsterdam.

In South Korea, an international team of ship builders have just 12 months to build the first of a new generation of super-sized container ships – the MSC Gülsün.

It will be able to carry an astonishing 23,000 standard 20-foot by 8-foot shipping containers – more than any other vessel on the planet. At 400-meters long and 61-meters wide, constructing this ship will be a huge challenge. Engineers build the hull in huge sections and weld them together with robotic welding machines; install a 100,000 horsepower engine as big as a three story house; and melt 160 tonnes of bronze to form a giant 10-metre wide propeller. The end result is a true giant of the seas.

At Canada’s biggest and most popular theme park, a team of engineers and ironworkers battle terrifying heights and extreme winter cold to construct a world record breaking ‘dive’ rollercoaster - with a 90-degree vertical drop.

Designed in Switzerland by giants of the coaster industry, Bolliger & Mabillard, it has a stomach churning 75-metre drop, and more loops and twists than any other ‘dive’ rollercoaster. The team are pushing to finish before the park opens its gates for the summer season.  To do that, they have to install most of the one and a half thousand tonnes of steel track and supports through the notoriously brutal Canadian winter, in temperatures as low as 30 degrees below freezing. 

In tropical Malaysia an international team of experts and engineers are attempting to build Asia’s tallest skyscraper - the Merdeka Tower.

It will stand over 660 metres tall – the tallest tower in the world besides Dubai’s Burj Khalifa. But building such an enormous structure on the soft ground of Malaysia’s capital city is a huge challenge. Starting with mammoth foundations formed of 40,000 tonnes of reinforced concrete, a workforce of thousands battle stifling tropical temperatures, terrifying heights and deadly lightning storms as they soar skywards. The end result is a vast shimmering fractal masterpiece that will transform Kuala Lumpur’s famous skyline.

Beneath the rugged islands of Stockholm, engineers and teams of specialists blast through 18-kilometres of solid Scandinavian granite to create one of the world’s longest road tunnels.

Using massive drilling rigs and state-of-the art explosives they excavate six-lanes of underground motorway 40-metres below the royal castles and waterways of the city’s outskirts. To build it, they need to punch through the crumbling remains of an ancient geological fault zone; and erect a 200-metre long bridge over the country’s main rail artery in just three weeks. It’s a once-in-a-generation project that will revolutionise transport across the whole of Sweden.

The city of Los Angeles is notorious for its terrible traffic jams. Now, its residents have finally had enough – voting through tax hikes to fund three brand new subway lines. But this public transport revolution poses huge problems for the team of engineers responsible for actually building it.

The ground beneath LA is at high risk from earthquakes and riddled with pockets of toxic and explosive gas. Despite this, engineers must laynearly 30-kilometres of new track – much of it in specially reinforced tunnels - and build 18-new stations, some up to 40-metres below ground. This is a once-in-a-generation project that will transform travel across the city, and connect the massive metropolis like never before.

In the heart of Los Angeles, a fearless team of engineers and iron workers battle eye-watering heights, blazing heat and flash floods to construct the 2.5 billion-dollar SoFi Stadium.

This super stadium must be big enough to house two high profile sports teams and help host the city’s Olympic Games in 2028. To build the state-of-the-art venue, engineers must first ensure the structure is earthquake-proof, before pouring 200,000 cubic metres of concrete, erecting 60,000 tonnes of steel and installing over 300 special roof panels to form the largest roof of its kind - all in just 40 months. Once complete, it will be the most expensive sports venue in the world.

In north east China, a team of workers have just 15 days to hack 100,000 tonnes of ice out of a nearby river, and turn it into a breath-taking 750,000-square metre city of ice.

The team must battle brutal arctic temperatures, dizzying heights and snowstorms to construct 30 giant ice structures as part of the Harbin Ice Festival. Featuring a spectacular 27-metre statue of Buddha, a mammoth ice bridge with 3-metre high arches, and at the heart of the city, a record breaking 40-metre tall double tower - the tallest ice structure in the world. At night, using special LED lights, engineers illuminate each structure from within to create a spectacular light show.

In Germany, a 2200 strong team of designers, mechanics and engineers are racing to build 19 brand-new, high-speed passenger trains to revolutionise Turkey’s ageing railways.

To construct each state-of-the-art train, the team must craft and shape 450 tonnes of aluminium and steel to form its frame and install a staggering 35,000 individual parts – all in just 12 weeks. When ready, engineers will put each new train through its paces on a specially designed 30 kilometre test track, pushing the train to its limits in a series of critical high-speed tests. Once complete, the Velaro Turkey will become one of the world’s fastest high-speed trains, transforming travel across Turkey for generations to come.

In Los Angeles, the iconic 6^th Street Bridge – built in the 1930s - has formed the backdrop for hundreds of movies scenes, from Grease to Terminator 2. But over the years it has been weakened by ‘concrete cancer’, making it no longer safe in a state prone to earthquakes.

Now city planners and engineers are attempting to build a new 1066-metre long bridge in its place. Not only does it have an ambitious modern design, but it must also withstand a once-in-a-thousand-year quake. Constructing this massive new bridge is a huge challenge: engineers must demolish the old bridge without destroying the freeway that runs directly underneath; next they must pour thousands of tonnes of concrete into custom-built moulds, often working alongside and over an operational railway line. But the end result is a modern masterpiece, a stunning ‘ribbon of light’ that will be a Los Angeles icon for decades to come.

In Northern Norway an international team of ship builders and designers are attempting to build a ship like no other. At 183-metres long, the REV Ocean is the largest fully-fledged polar expedition vessel in the world.

It has an ultra-strong hull, two submarines, and supplies to last several months. It’s also crammed full of cutting-edge research equipment for scientists to conduct vital studies on the treacherous waters around the North and South poles. But building such a unique ship is a monumental challenge. A team of thousands of ship builders at two separate shipyards have to work through the brutal Norwegian winter, and install one-off designs to exacting standards. The end result is a truly unique ship that’s tough enough to tackle the world’s most dangerous seas.