Unusual Mega Structures around the World

A top-secret underground bunker in Norway that was used to store torpedoes and mines for NATO’s North Atlantic Fleet has been converted into a data centre. The cavernous Green Mountain Data Centre sits adjacent to a fjord, allowing it to draw on the fjord’s 8° C temperature water for natural cooling. The location also provides the necessary high security that data centres require.  COWI were the consulting engineers on the project.

A company based in Oakville, Ontario has designed and manufactured the largest aluminum freestanding retractable dome in the world. OpenAire’s retractable dome over the Aqua Sferra indoor water park in Donetsk, Ukraine is 85 metres in diameter, covering 5,667 square metres and stands 26 metres high. It consists of four retractable, triangular shaped roof panels each measuring 24.4 metres at the base and 24.4 metres along the arch. The roof opens in less than 10 minutes, driven by 16 motors and riding on 432 wheels over 487 metres of track.

The redevelopment of King’s Cross Station in London, England won Bentley Systems 2012 Be Inspired Award in the “Innovation Building” category. Designed by John McAslan + Partners Architects and lead consultant Arup, the historic railway station’s new Western Concourse roof is a diagrid shell structure, supported on 16 steel tree-form columns above a network of subway and service tunnels. Completed last year, the roof covers 7,500 square metres, rises 20 metres and spans 150 metres. The project team used MicroStation 3D representations at all the project stages to verify the accuracy of the design.