Awesome Buildings

The idea that anyone could build a tower that’s 10 billion feet tall is preposterous. xkcd’s What If? explores some of the many challenges of building a skyscraper that reached a million miles past the moon. The odds of such a mega-mega-mega skyscraper standing are virtually nil between the cost, physical forces, and collisions with random space junk.

Primitive Technology’s latest construction project is impressive. He started with an empty patch of dirt, some sticks, reeds, and leaves and used those to build an A-frame structure. After completing the shelter, he gathered clay from the river and some old shards, then hand-formed dozens of roof tiles. Of course, he built his own kiln for firing the tiles.

We’ve driven by the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, a number of times but never had the time to see it up close. Animator Jared Owen goes way beyond a basic tour with an in-depth look at the monument’s incredible structural engineering, how it was built, and the inner workings of its unique tram system.

The Sydney Opera House is one of the most recognizable buildings on the planet, but most of us have only ever seen its outside. 3D illustrator Jared Owen shows off a precise digital model of Jørn Utzon’s architectural masterpiece, then takes us underneath its sail-shaped exterior to look at its structural engineering, concert hall, and other performance spaces.

MyronDesign creates concrete decor inspired by architecture. Among their pieces are these desk organizer cubes, which look like tiny houses. Each has cutouts for storing pens, pencils, office supplies, or, as one buyer suggested, Astroturf. Sold in a set of four. Save 5% with the code THEAWESOMER.

With enough time and creativity, you can create incredible structures in Minecraft. German builder Timtenth shows off his largest project to date with time-lapse footage of the process. It took him 1000 hours to assemble this awe-inspiring digital Babylon. Stick around to the end for a fly-through of the finished environment.

Nerdforge previously built a computer that looked like a medieval house. Now they’ve gone in the opposite direction by creating this awesome work of art – a gaming PC that looks like a neon-lit cyberpunk city. After finishing the exterior, they flew from Norway to Canada to let Linus Tech Tips trick out the insides of the rig.

Inspired by a fan submission to LEGO Ideas, this 2,065-piece kit lets you assemble a 19.7″ tall model lighthouse. It has great details like a lighthouse-keeper’s cottage, a rowboat, and a hidden treasure chest. But the literal highlight of the set is the rotating, lighted beacon at its top, complete with a LEGO fresnel lens.

In 1971, the 1,250 foot-tall Empire State Building was the tallest building on Earth. Today, the Burj Khalifa, is more than twice that height, at 2,717 feet. MetaBallStudios offers up a visual comparison of the tallest skyscrapers along with some planned and conceptual future projects which could tower over the Burj.

We’re not brave enough to spend even a minute walking along the beams of an unfinished high-rise building, but there are thousands of construction workers who do it every day. Goatmanthefourth shared this first-person footage of what it’s like for ironworkers during the construction of the Deloitte Tower in Vancouver, BC.

At a height of 2717 feet, Dubai’s Burj Khalifa is the tallest building on Earth, towering over its nearest competition. TED-Ed takes a look at the engineering innovations that made it possible. Though its rapid, 5-year construction didn’t come without a cost for those who toiled to build it for low wages in poor working conditions.

Model builder Crouzier Benjamin is back with another amazing work of wooden architecture. This time, he and two friends painstakingly arranged 22,000 Kapla planks to create a massive coliseum and an accompanying tower. Then in seconds, it all came tumbling down – on purpose.

For hundreds of years, architects and construction teams have tried to one-up each other with the tallest buildings on the planet. FilmCore’s comparison video uses 3D models of famous structures to show just how far we’ve come, from the skinny tower atop Philadelphia’s City Hall to the sky-high Burj Khalifa and beyond.

Model railroad builder Luke Towan shows off one of the coolest miniatures we’ve seen – a 32″ tall HO-scale model of an art deco apartment building. The 450+ piece laser-cut acrylic Majestic Towers kit is made by Custom Model Railroads. Luke’s painting, added 3D-printed details, and interior lighting really bring it to life.

This impressive model of Tony Stark’s office tower from The Avengers series was built by FoBIRD using skinny wooden sticks and glue as its primary building materials. Watch as he painstakingly builds up the facades section-by-section, using architectural elevations he initially drafted onto paper.

A 1/4-mile time of 15.495 seconds isn’t exactly earth-shaking. But this is no ordinary car – it’s a small building. Watch as Kevin Nicks‘ converted 1999 VW Passat with an Audi RS4 drivetrain manages to beat a Vauxhall Astra H in a drag race. Apparently the shed has done the same in as little as 14.6 seconds, and tops out at 112.68 mph.