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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Nov 17, 2006 13:20:01 GMT -5
I had to google a few of these because I honestly couldn't remember if I had seen them or not. I voted for: * Acropolis, Greece * Easter Island, Chile * Great Wall of China * Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany (been here three times) * Petra, Jordan (Indiana Jones III, really wished I could have taken the time to see this while was in the Middle East) * Pyramids of Giza, Egypt, and * Stonehenge, Britain Place your vote hereThere are other sites that do it for me as well. But, these would be my favourites from the list. Odd how I didn't see the Bell Centre on the list though. Hmm ... Cheers.
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Post by Skilly on Nov 17, 2006 17:04:13 GMT -5
I would guess that this would be the "Seven Man-Made Wonders of the World" ... when I ponder that, my mind automatically approaches the topic from the point of the engineering involved in the construction of the "wonder". In no particular order... Taipei 101 - Taiwan: World's tallest building at 1667 feet. he design is inspired by traditional Chinese architecture, with a shape resembling a pagoda. The sectioned tower is also inspired by the bamboo plant, which is a model of strength, resilience, and elegance. The tower's design specifications are based on the number "8", a lucky number in traditional Chinese culture; it features 8 upward-flaring sections, and is supported by 8 supercolumns. Millau Viaduct - France World's highest bridge. Located in southern France, the bridge will connect the motorway from Paris to Barcelona at the point where it is interrupted by the River Tarn, which runs through a wide gorge between two plateaus. A reading of the topography suggested two possible approaches: to cross the river, the geological generator of the landscape; or there was the challenge of spanning the 2.5 kilometers from one plateau to the other in the most economical manner.
The structural solution follows from the latter philosophical standpoint. The bridge has the optimum span between cable-stayed columns. It is delicate, transparent, and uses the minimum material, which makes it less costly to construct. Each of its sections spans 350 meters and its columns range in height from 75 meters to 235 meters - higher than the Eiffel Tower - with the masts rising a further 90 meters above the road deck. To accommodate the expansion and contraction of the concrete deck, each column splits into two thinner, more flexible columns below the roadway, forming an A-frame above deck level. This structure creates a dramatic silhouette - and crucially it makes the minimum intervention in the landscape.The Chunnel - England/France The 31-mile Channel Tunnel (Chunnel) fulfilled a centuries-old dream by linking Britain and the rest of Europe. It's more than a tunnel -- it rolls infrastructure and immense machinery into an underwater tunnel system of unprecedented ambition. Three concrete tubes each 5 ft. thick, plunge into the earth at Coquelles, France and burrow through the chalky basement of the English Channel. They reemerge at Folkstone, behind the white cliffs of Dover. Through two of the tubes rush the broadest trains ever built -- double decker behemoths 14 ft. across -- traveling close to 100 mph. Passengers board not on foot, but in automobiles and buses. Maintenance and emergency vehicles ply the third tunnel, between the rail tubes. Meanwhile, machines are always at work, turning the Channel Tunnel into a living, intelligent structure. Huge pistons open and close ducts, relieving the pressure that builds ahead of the train's noses. Some 300miles of cold water piping run alongside the rail tracks to drain off the heat raised by air friction.Maglev - Shanghai World's fastest train. The $1 billion train connects the three-year-old Pudong International Airport with the city's new Pudong financial district. It would be able to cover the distance to the airport in seven minutes, compared to a half hour by taxi. Maglev can attain speeds far faster than any conventional passenger train because it floats in the air, held inches above its rails by powerful magnets. Kansai Airport - Japan Kansai International Airport (KIX) is the world’s first ocean airport, built on a landfill island in Osaka Bay, Japan. Opened in 1994, KIX was a modern engineering marvel, built entirely as an artificial island. Because the site is built upon compacted fill, it suffers from subsidence, sinking 2-4 cm per year. The Kansai terminal is 1.7 km long, and was designed by world famous architect Renzo Piano. KIX is linked to the mainland by a 3.7 km long bridge, and provides air service for nearby cities of Osaka, Kobe, and Kyoto. Four months after opening, the airport was severely tested by the magnitude 6.7 Kobe Earthquake; it survived with only minor damage, and provided continuous operation during the relief efforts.
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Post by Skilly on Nov 17, 2006 17:26:16 GMT -5
Itaipu Dam- Brazil/Paraguay Largest powerplant on Earth. he Itaipú hydroelectric power plant is the largest development of its kind in operation in the world. Built from 1975 to 1991, in a binational development on the Paraná River, Itaipú represents the efforts and accomplishments of two neighboring countries, Brazil and Paraguay. The power plant's 18 generating units add up to a total production capacity of 12,600 MW (megawatts) and a reliable output of 75 million MWh a year. Itaipú's energy production has broken several records over the recent years, after the last generating unit was commissioned in 1991. The generation of 77.212.396 MWh a year in 1995 will again be surpassed in 1996, and the new record will be around the 80 million MWh a year mark.Honourary mention to Churchill Falls Generating Station which at the time of construction was the largest underground power plant in the world. Not sure if it still is. I toured it many times and it is impressive. Amazing the engineering that went into blasting and construction back then. Netherlands North Sea Protection - North Sea Over one third of The Netherlands is below sea level, therefore protecting against the elements is a predictably mammoth task.
These defences combine 19 miles of dam, completed in 1932, with an immense dike which is just over 90 metres thick. Amidst all this construction is the Eastern Schelde Barrier, two miles of gates hung between huge concrete piers, able to lower forming a wall when storm-waters approach. A testament to both the ingenuity and engineering might of the Dutch.And just because I couldn't think of a number 7 off the top of my head ... Stremnaya Road - Bolivia Stremnaya Road - translated means Road of Death. All I have to say is ... are you kidding me!!!
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Post by Habs_fan_in_LA on Nov 18, 2006 17:49:56 GMT -5
CN Tower in Toronto where the Stanley Cup resides but hasn't been won for 40 years. Houses in St. John's Newfoundland with running water for fishermen and honeybucket service for outhouses. Alberta, home of the largest petroleum reserves in the world. Saskatchewan, home to the largest uranium mines in the world. Quebec, home to the largest hydroelectricity resources in the world. Winnipeg, home to err, unhhhhh worlds largest mosquitoes. Nova Scotia, worlds largest home to Newfoundlanders whose cars broke down on the way to Toronto.
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Post by Skilly on Nov 18, 2006 18:36:31 GMT -5
Houses in St. John's Newfoundland with running water for fishermen and honeybucket service for outhouses. One of my most "memorable" childhood memories was using a honeybucket at my grandfather's house. The ring would be on my arse for days. Known reserves. Stolen resources. Have you ever been to Labrador? They punish their criminals by tieing them naked to a tree and the flies pick the person up off their feet by the ...*ahh* ... you get the picture. More in Fort McMurray, Edmonton and Calgary than in Toronto .... so they made it past Toronto.
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Post by duster on Nov 20, 2006 16:35:21 GMT -5
- Acropolis, Greece - lets hope the Elgin Marbles and other items are returned when the restoration is completed - Panama Canal - You realize what a truly staggering undertaking it was when you go through it. Then you consider the equally staggering cost in lives... - Great Wall of China - Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany - The Madness of King Ludwig indeed... - Petra, Jordan - Equally amazing is how the Nabateans supplied the place with water... - Pyramids of Giza, Egypt - I did give some thought to Ramses II temple at Abu Simbel, the Hypostele Hall in Karnak, Elephantine, Dendereh etc...Lets just say Dynastic Egypt knew how to build using copper tools. - Stonehenge, Britain - as a schoolboy living in Britain, I was utterly captivated by the place. I still haven't seen any Druids so the Romans must have got them all I would like to give an honourable mention to ISS. Perhaps the most complex engineering achievement to date.
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Post by Skilly on Nov 20, 2006 17:02:26 GMT -5
- I would like to give an honourable mention to ISS. Perhaps the most complex engineering achievement to date. Well thats just cheating ... the International Space Station isn't exactly apart of this world now is it ... ;D
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Post by habmeister on Nov 23, 2006 2:10:50 GMT -5
grand canyon wasn't on there, did they have to be built by man? i also thought stonehenge would have been on the list. as it turned out my picks were the top 7 most voted on. i've seen none of them so far. the top top votegetters that is. the eiffel tower is nice, but not a world wonder, more like top 7 most famous structures of the world.
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