The Seven Wonders of Modern Architectural World We have all heard of the seven wonders. There have been the ancient ones that included the likes of the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the Great Pyramid of Giza. Then we have had some of the more contemporary lists that had buildings like The Leaning Tower of Pisa, Taj Mahal and The Great Wall of China. Among the many lists, there is one that is dedicated to the architectural geniuses of the modern world. The American Society of Civil Engineers has compiled a list of seven wonders of the modern world keeping in mind architectural achievements.
The first on the list is the underwater tunnel connecting UK with France, the 50.45 kilometer long Channel Tunnel! Opened in 1994, it took six years and £4.650 billion to complete. The tunnel has been bored through a chalk marl stratum which is very strong and quite impenetrable. It constitutes of two rail tunnels that are 7.6 meters in diameter as well as a service tunnel with a 4.8 meter diameter.
Second up is the infamous CN Tower of Toronto, Canada. The sole reason why it deserves to be on that list is because it has been the tallest free standing structure and world’s tallest tower for more than three decades until Burj Khalifa took over in 2010. The CN Tower is 553.33 meters tall and has 147 floors. It took three years to make it between 1973 and 1976.
Moving on we have the Empire State Building which has been and still is the pride of Big Apple aka New York City. Built in record time of less than two years, it is regarded as America’s favorite architecture that has been in pace for 83 years since 1931! It has 103 floors and has sat on the throne of the world’s tallest building for the first four decades of its life.
Built very soon after the Empire State Building, the Golden Gate Bridge is also one of the architectural wonders of the modern world. The 2.7 kilometer long orange bridge graces San Francisco to connect the city with Morin County. It is also, one of the most popular tourist spots in the whole world.
We then have the Itaipu Dam; a Godzilla of hydroelectric dams, it produces more amount of electricity than any other dam and manages to fulfill 90 percent and 19 percent of electricity needs of Paraguay and Brazil respectively. It has been made up of $19.6 billion and 50 million tons of rocks on Foz do Iguacu.
Second last on the list are the Zuiderzee Works along with the Delta Works (they are part of the same project which is regarded as one of the architectural wonders). This was Netherlands’ largest hydraulic engineering projects in the century and is now the main protection of the country against floods. It also provides additional man made land for agriculture.
Last but not least in any way is the Panama Canal that has celebrated its 100th birthday on January 7 this year. It manages a feat that very less canals can i.e. linking two oceans. It passes through the whole of Panama connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean; this provides a path to over 14,702 vessels annually.
The first on the list is the underwater tunnel connecting UK with France, the 50.45 kilometer long Channel Tunnel! Opened in 1994, it took six years and £4.650 billion to complete. The tunnel has been bored through a chalk marl stratum which is very strong and quite impenetrable. It constitutes of two rail tunnels that are 7.6 meters in diameter as well as a service tunnel with a 4.8 meter diameter.
Second up is the infamous CN Tower of Toronto, Canada. The sole reason why it deserves to be on that list is because it has been the tallest free standing structure and world’s tallest tower for more than three decades until Burj Khalifa took over in 2010. The CN Tower is 553.33 meters tall and has 147 floors. It took three years to make it between 1973 and 1976.
Moving on we have the Empire State Building which has been and still is the pride of Big Apple aka New York City. Built in record time of less than two years, it is regarded as America’s favorite architecture that has been in pace for 83 years since 1931! It has 103 floors and has sat on the throne of the world’s tallest building for the first four decades of its life.
Built very soon after the Empire State Building, the Golden Gate Bridge is also one of the architectural wonders of the modern world. The 2.7 kilometer long orange bridge graces San Francisco to connect the city with Morin County. It is also, one of the most popular tourist spots in the whole world.
We then have the Itaipu Dam; a Godzilla of hydroelectric dams, it produces more amount of electricity than any other dam and manages to fulfill 90 percent and 19 percent of electricity needs of Paraguay and Brazil respectively. It has been made up of $19.6 billion and 50 million tons of rocks on Foz do Iguacu.
Second last on the list are the Zuiderzee Works along with the Delta Works (they are part of the same project which is regarded as one of the architectural wonders). This was Netherlands’ largest hydraulic engineering projects in the century and is now the main protection of the country against floods. It also provides additional man made land for agriculture.
Last but not least in any way is the Panama Canal that has celebrated its 100th birthday on January 7 this year. It manages a feat that very less canals can i.e. linking two oceans. It passes through the whole of Panama connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean; this provides a path to over 14,702 vessels annually.