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The idea that bigger is always better drives much of our progress, whether it's the Saudi Royal family constructing their towering Kingdom Tower or China aiming to build a dam so colossal that it could potentially alter the Earth's rotation. Yet, while dreaming big is one thing, committing to megastructures so massive that they seem to defy reason is another. We've previously shared 10 architectural projects considered too impractical to ever come to life. Here are 10 even more outlandish undertakings that, despite their improbability, still have hope of becoming a reality.
10. China's Supercity That Could Be Larger Than Many Nations
Spanning 790 square kilometers (305 mi) and with a metropolitan population exceeding 20 million, New York stands as one of the largest cities on the planet. But Jing-Jin-Ji in China is set to redefine what 'large' means. A project designed to merge Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei (hence the name Jing-Jin-Ji) into one massive megacity, this venture aims to accommodate around 130 million people, surpassing the size of nearly half of the world's countries.
Everything about the Jing-Jin-Ji project is immense. Covering an estimated 212,000 square kilometers (82,000 mi), it will be roughly the size of Kansas. To put it another way, this supercity will span a larger area and host more people than both Austria and Greece combined. Its construction will also demand extraordinary amounts of coordination. President Xi Jinping has declared that each part of the megacity will have a distinct function: Beijing will be its cultural and tech hub, Tianjin will focus on manufacturing, and Hebei will take on smaller industries. A high-speed rail network is already under development to connect these areas in less than an hour.
Though it may seem like a plotline from a science fiction story, Jing-Jin-Ji is already well underway. Work began in 2013, and by 2020, the high-speed rail links should already be operational. How far this colossal project will extend from that point remains uncertain.
9. The Hyperloop Connecting San Francisco and Los Angeles
Before gaining fame for his endeavors in space exploration, billionaire Elon Musk made headlines with his idea for a ‘hyperloop.’ This concept involved a network of pressurized tubes to carry passengers between San Francisco and Los Angeles at astonishing speeds. Initially dismissed as a pipe dream, the hyperloop idea is now becoming a reality. In May 2015, a California transportation company was given the green light to begin construction on the world’s first hyperloop test track.
Though still in its infancy, the ambition is clear: a track between Los Angeles and San Francisco should be completed in the near future. The company has already secured agreements with landowners along Interstate 5 to begin construction, and successful test runs could pave the way for the full system. If built, the hyperloop would drastically change how we travel. Traveling at nearly the speed of sound, it could take you from LA to San Francisco in just 35 minutes. For European readers, that's like getting from Prague to Strasbourg faster than your typical lunch break. Construction on the test track is scheduled to start in 2016. If the project is approved, the LA-SF hyperloop could be operational by as early as 2025.
8. Nicaragua’s Canal to Slice the Continent in Half
The Panama Canal, spanning 77 kilometers (48 mi), is one of the most remarkable engineering achievements in history. However, it might soon face competition for its title. In 2014, work began on a canal that would be three times longer than Panama’s and more than twice as deep. This $50 billion project will create a waterway that cuts through Nicaragua, dividing the country in two.
Conceived by Chinese telecom magnate Wang Jing, the Nicaragua Canal will involve the excavation of over 4.5 billion cubic meters (160 billion ft) of earth. As The Guardian pointed out, that’s enough to ‘bury the entire island of Manhattan up to the 21st floor of the Empire State Building.’ The project will also radically alter the region’s ecosystem. Plans reveal the canal will cut through four distinct nature parks and carve through Lake Nicaragua, the largest freshwater lake in Central America. Since the lake's current depth of 14 meters (45 ft) is only half of what’s needed, the lakebed will have to be blasted until a 100-kilometer (65 mi) channel is formed.
As mind-boggling as this is, the project has an even more bizarre twist. No one actually wants it. The Chinese government is concerned it could strain relations with the US, the people of Nicaragua fear it will destroy their country, and shipping companies doubt it will meet their requirements. Despite this, construction moves forward. The most optimistic estimates predict the first ship could sail through the canal by 2019.
7. Tunisia’s Massive Solar Farm
The amount of solar energy that the Sun pours into the Sahara Desert is staggering. Even capturing just 0.3 percent of it would be sufficient to power Europe for an entire year. Nur Power, an energy company, has proposed harnessing this energy. In a 2014 proposal, they outlined plans to build a 100-square-kilometer (40 mi) solar farm in Tunisia, with a goal to complete it by 2018.
The plan is to scatter thousands of computer-controlled solar panels over an area three times the size of Macau. These panels would heat a central tower, creating steam that would turn a turbine and generate electricity. The energy would then be transmitted through a 450-kilometer (280 mi) underwater cable to a substation in Italy, which would distribute it further into Europe. According to The Independent, the farm could potentially provide power to 2.5 million homes in the UK alone.
While this idea may seem fantastical, work is already underway. The British government has shown interest, and Nur Power is actively working to gain support from more nations. However, given the security situation in Tunisia, it may be some time before construction actually begins.
6. The Netherlands’ Man-Made Mountain
With its progressive laws, high life expectancy, and excellent beer, the Netherlands may seem to have it all. But Dutch journalist Thijs Zonneveld disagreed. In 2011, he declared that the one thing his low-lying country lacked was a mountain, and he made it his mission to ensure that one would be built.
The Netherlands has a long history of ambitious engineering feats. In 1932, Cornelis Lely transformed the province of Flevoland near Amsterdam by draining part of the Zuiderzee, effectively expanding the country by several thousand square kilometers. Given this and other mind-boggling land reclamation projects previously carried out by the Dutch, building a mountain seemed like a relatively simple task.
Although Zonneveld’s idea was initially proposed more as a joke, it quickly captured the public's imagination—so much so that the journalist decided to turn it into a reality.
As of mid-2015, construction has not yet started, but Zonneveld is fully committed to the project. His official website for the mountain states that his team has consulted with thousands of companies, secured funding, and obtained planning permission. They even came close to building a prototype earlier in the year. Zonneveld remains confident that the mountain will be constructed within this decade.
5. Saudi Arabia’s Giant Hotels in Mecca
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has been working to transform the ancient city of Mecca into the Las Vegas of the Middle East. A key feature of this transformation is the forthcoming Abraj Kudai. This luxurious, five-star hotel will tower over the holy city, but its scale is so immense that it resembles a vertical city-state, where every resident is virtually guaranteed to be a millionaire.
Soaring 45 stories high, this hotel is a true symbol of unimaginable wealth. At the top, one of the world’s largest Islamic domes will reside, surrounded by four helipads for the ultra-elite to touch down. Five floors are specifically dedicated to the Al-Saud royal family, while the rest of the towering structure will boast around 10,000 rooms and over 70 high-end restaurants. On the ground level, a massive shopping mall will compete with a conference space and an extravagant ballroom. Designed to mimic a 'traditional desert fortress,' this monumental hotel will cost a staggering £2.3 billion.
When the Abraj Kudai opens its doors in 2017, it will claim the title of the world’s largest hotel. However, this grandeur is dwarfed by other massive projects in Mecca. The Jabal Omar development in the western part of the city will accommodate 100,000 pilgrims, and the Grand Mosque will undergo a monumental expansion to hold seven million worshippers at a time. Ironically, this will push the mosque’s capacity so far back that many visitors won’t even be able to see the Kaaba, the focus of their pilgrimage.
4. China’s Vertical Mega City
Now, let’s look beyond that colossal hotel. Imagine standing at the base of a building so colossal, so self-sustaining, and so alive with activity that it qualifies as a city in its own right. Preparations are underway to construct such a futuristic structure in Shenzhen, China, a rapidly developing city located along the Pearl River Delta.
Dubbed Cloud Citizen, this colossal project will feature three interconnected towers, the tallest of which will be just a few hundred feet shorter than Dubai’s iconic Burj Khalifa. With a total area of 2 square kilometers (1 mi), it will be almost as large as Monaco. What sets it apart is its interior design: rather than just serving as a massive office complex, Cloud Citizen will be a fully operational city within a city, offering everything needed for urban life.
The superstructure will not only house homes and offices, but also feature farms, green spaces, food production hubs, and a system for harvesting rainwater. Powered by a blend of wind, solar, and algae energy, it will be self-sustaining, operating independently from the rest of Shenzhen. Notably, the design emphasizes the integration of green areas, with sky parks at high altitudes encouraging commuters to walk to work instead of relying on traditional transport.
Though construction plans remain undecided, Cloud Citizen is gaining serious attention from local authorities. The project recently triumphed in a city-sponsored design competition, and officials are now actively exploring ways to bring this ambitious concept to life.
3. China’s New Silk Road
The Silk Road, once the most vital trade route on Earth, stretched from Venice in Europe through Central Asia to the farthest reaches of China. It facilitated the movement of vast fortunes, refugees, religions, and Eastern cultural influence. In a few years, this historic route might be revived. The Chinese government is determined to reinvigorate the Silk Road and thrust it into the 21st century.
Referred to as the “One Belt, One Road” initiative, the plan seeks to merge a new land-based trade route with an ambitious maritime corridor, incorporating roads, railways, and pipelines. Once complete, this network will solidify China’s unassailable influence, extending from its central city, Xi’an, all the way to Moscow and Rotterdam. Spanning over 10,000 kilometers (6,000 miles), it will be longer than the distance from New York to Buenos Aires.
The project goes far beyond just linking China, India, and Russia, creating the most significant economic corridor on Earth. The second phase of the plan includes developing coastal projects and ports to connect China with the rest of Asia and even East Africa. In doing so, Chinese influence would stretch across half the globe. Often compared to a more ambitious version of the Marshall Plan, the scope and impact of this venture would be revolutionary. The most astonishing part? This colossal project could already be in motion by 2020.
2. Azerbaijan’s Artificial Archipelago
While China and India are constructing new megacities, and the Netherlands is busy building mountains, Azerbaijan has embarked on the ambitious task of creating entirely new countries.
Off the coast of Baku, in the Caspian Sea, vast amounts of rock are being poured into the waters to form a new archipelago. Named the Khazar Islands, this new landmass will essentially become its own country. Comprising 55 individual islands, it will feature its own airport, yacht club, Formula One track, and apartment blocks housing a population of around 800,000 people. Even more impressive, the largest island will host Azerbaijan Tower, which may become the tallest building on Earth. In 2013, the project was estimated to cost $100 billion, a sum that exceeds the country's entire GDP.
The idea for the Khazar Islands came to billionaire businessman Ibrahim Ibrahimov during a 2010 flight back from Dubai. Lacking a notebook, he sketched the designs on tissue paper and instructed the architects to build exactly what he had drawn. Incredibly, they agreed to his plan. As of now, the islands are well underway, with at least one mountain already leveled to provide rocks for their foundations.
1. India’s Gigantic Smart Cities
Imagine a city where everything is connected to the Internet, and a central command center digitally links every citizen. This may sound like something straight out of Silicon Valley, but it could soon become a reality in India, not California. Dholera, one of the country’s vast new infrastructure projects, could be completed within a decade.
Part of the monumental Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, a $90 billion initiative to connect the two most critical cities in India, Dholera is set to be the centerpiece of the entire project. Built on reclaimed land, the city will be large, powerful, and incredibly high-tech. The goal is to eliminate traffic jams, pollution, overcrowded terminals, dirt, and litter, all while providing every household with Internet access. This would be an extraordinary achievement in a country where, in 2013, only 3 percent of homes had Internet access.
One of Dholera's most striking features is its sheer scale. Designed to accommodate India's rapidly growing population, the city will be twice the size of Mumbai, or roughly three times the size of Malta. Even more remarkable, Dholera is only the beginning. Should the project proceed (and despite significant challenges, the government is pressing forward), plans are in place to construct 23 more smart cities of similar magnitude across the region.
