Extreme Engineering: Building Hong Kong's Airport

Description: In the mid-1990s, the government of Hong Kong found itself in the midst of a developing economic crisis: Kai Tak the city’s tiny and outdated airport was quickly being overrun by international air traffic and cargo shipments the economic lifeblood of the island territory. Nestled in the middle of downtown and with no room to grow, Kai Tak was becoming a liability. So the Hong Kong government undertook the largest civil engineering project in history: building a new international airport 16 miles out to sea! Follow architects and engineers as they reveal through archival footage, building schematics and first-hand testimony how they were able to complete this amazing project. Planners selected a site off the coast of a rocky island, and construction crews built a gigantic platform by leveling two small islands and reclaiming the rest from the ocean floor. Workers built a huge terminal on top of the new island still the largest enclosed space in the world. To reach the new airport, a completely new transportation infrastructure was built, including a series of world-class highways, bridges, tunnels and railways. And everything was completed in record time, as engineers raced against a formidable deadline Britain’s return of Hong Kong to the Chinese. Finished on schedule and under budget, the project is a testament to the spirit of Hong Kong and a prime example of extreme engineering.