Engineering Marvels — how they built it
How the Burj Khalifa, Golden Gate Bridge, Channel Tunnel, Panama Canal and Space Station were built — five dossiers for ages 11–13, with a quiz.
Ages 11–13
What's inside
Burj Khalifa — the tallest building
The Burj Khalifa in Dubai is the tallest building humans have ever finished: 828 metres from the pavement to the tip of its spire. It opened in January 2010, after roughly six years of construction. Stand at its base and you cannot see the top without leaning back until your neck complains.
Golden Gate Bridge — orange against the fog
The Golden Gate Bridge hangs across the mouth of San Francisco Bay, where the Pacific pours into the harbour. The gap between its two towers — the main span — is 1280 metres, and when it opened in May 1937 that was the longest suspension span in the world. It held the record for 27 years.
Channel Tunnel — a railway under the sea
The Channel Tunnel runs beneath the sea between Folkestone in England and Coquelles in France. It is 50.5 kilometres long, and 38 of those kilometres lie under the seabed — the longest undersea stretch of tunnel anywhere on the planet. A train crosses it in about 35 minutes.
Panama Canal — a staircase for ships
The Panama Canal slices across the narrowest part of the Americas, joining the Atlantic to the Pacific. It is about 82 kilometres long and saves ships the enormous detour around the southern tip of South America. It opened in August 1914 after decades of failed attempts.
International Space Station — a lab in orbit
The International Space Station is a laboratory roughly the size of a football pitch, circling about 400 kilometres above your head. It was assembled piece by piece in orbit from 1998 onward by five space agencies working together. Someone has been living aboard, without a single break, since November 2000.
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