10 Spectacular Buildings Which Are The Largest Of Their Type In The World

This list includes a variety of buildings which are the largest of their type. The term "building" used by this list refers to single structures that are suitable for continuous human occupancy, with some exceptions.

 

The Largest Administrative Building - Palace of the Parliament

Floor area: 365,000 m² (3.93 million sq ft) / Volume: 2.55 million m³ (90 million cu ft)

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The Palace of the Parliament is the seat of the Parliament of Romania. Located on Dealul Arsenalului in central Bucharest, it is the largest administrative building in the world (for civilian use). With a height of 84 m, an area of 365,000 m2 and having a volume of 2,550,000 m3, it is also the fourth biggest building in the world, after the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Temple of the Feathered Serpent in Teotihuacan, Mexico, and the Pentagon. In terms of weight, the Palace of the Parliament is the heaviest building in the world, weighing in at around 4,098,500,000 kg.

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The Largest Department Store - Shinsegae Centum City

Floor area: 509,810 m² (5,487,500 sq ft)

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Located in Busan, a port city and the second largest city of Korea, Shinsegae Centum City is a super large-scale shopping space that also offers leisure and cultural facilities including a spa, a skating rink and a multiplex theater. Centum City is listed as the world’s largest department store in the guinness word records.

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The Largest Industrial Building - Boeing Everett Factory

Floor area: 398,000 m² (4.3 million sq ft) / Volume: 13.3 million m³ (472 million cubic ft)

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The Boeing Everett Factory, in Everett, Washington, is an airplane assembly building owned by Boeing. Located on the northeast corner of Paine Field, it is the largest building in the world by volume at 13,385,378 m3 (472,370,319 cu ft) and covers 399,480 m2 (98.7 acres). This is the factory where the wide-body Boeing 747, 767, 777, and 787 are assembled.

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The Largest Bus Depot - Millennium Park Bus Depot

Floor area: 305,265 m² (3.6 million sq ft)

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The Millennium Park Bus Depot is a major bus station located in Delhi, India. It is currently the largest bus depot in the world. Constructed primarily by the city's Public Works Department, the depot was inaugurated on 17 September 2010. The depot occupies an area of 243,000 m2 (60 acres), and has the capacity to park up to 1,000 buses at a time under shed, constituting 14% of the total parking capacity of all DTC depots combined (7,000 buses).

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Though initially used exclusively for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the depot has been used as a regular bus station operated by the Delhi Transport Corporation post the Games. While the benefits of the depot were well-recognized, the depot was also the center of much controversy and criticism especially regarding its "temporary" nature and the violation of environmental norms.

 

The Largest Courthouse - Istanbul Çağlayan Justice Palace

Floor area: 300,000 m² (3.0 million sq ft)

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The Istanbul Çağlayan Justice Palace is a courthouse in the Şişli district of Istanbul, Turkey. Inaugurated in July 2011, it is the largest courthouse in the World, with an area of over 300,000 square metres. It was built by the VARYAP construction subsidiary of the Varlıbaş Group.

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The Largest Bus Terminal - Tel Aviv Central Bus Station

Floor area: 230,000 m2 (2.5 million sq ft)

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Tel Aviv Central Bus Station, known as the New Central Bus Station, is the main bus station of Tel Aviv, Israel. Located in the south of the city, it was opened on August 18, 1993. It is the largest bus station in the world from its opening date. The station covers 230,000 m2 and a total area of 44,000 m2.

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The Largest Museum - Louvre Museum (Louvre Palace)

Floor area: 210,000 m² (2,260,421 sq ft)

The Louvre or the Louvre Museum (French: Musée du Louvre) is the world's largest museum and a historic monument in Paris, France. A central landmark of the city, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement (district or ward). Approximately 38,000 objects from prehistory to the 21st century are exhibited over an area of 72,735 square metres (782,910 square feet). The Louvre is the world's second most visited museum, receiving 7.4 million visitors in 2016.

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The Largest Current Royal Residence - Istana Nurul Iman

Floor area: 200,000 m² (2,152,782 sq ft)

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The Istana Nurul Iman (English: The Light of Faith Palace) is the official residence of the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, and the seat of the Brunei government. The palace is located on a leafy, riverside sprawl of hills on the banks of the Brunei River, a few kilometers south of Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei's capital city. The palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality.

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The Largest Shipbuilding Hall - Meyer Werft Dockhalle 2

Floor area: 63,000 m² (678,000 sq ft) / Volume: 4.72 million m³ (167 million cu ft)

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The Meyer Werft GmbH is one of the major German shipyards, headquartered in Papenburg at the river Ems. Founded in 1795 and starting with small wooden vessels, today Meyer Werft is one of world's leading builders of luxury passenger ships. Altogether about 700 ships of different types have been built at the yard. Its "Dockhalle 2" is the largest shipbuilding hall and the building with the fifth largest usable space in the world.

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The Largest Hemispherical Building - Ericsson Globe

Volume: 600,000 m³ (21 million cu ft)

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Ericsson Globe (originally known as Stockholm Globe Arena, commonly referred to in Swedish simply as Globen (The Globe)) is an indoor arena located in Stockholm Globe City, Johanneshov district of Stockholm, Sweden. The Ericsson Globe is the largest hemispherical building on Earth and took two and a half years to build. Shaped like a large white ball, it has a diameter of 110 metres (361 feet) and an inner height of 85 metres (279 feet). The volume of the building is 605,000 cubic metres (21,188,800 cubic feet). It has a seating capacity of 16,000 spectators for shows and concerts, and 13,850 for ice hockey.

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Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

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The Best, Worst And Most Embarrassing Footballers’ Cars [infographic]

We all know that Footballers love their cars, but who owns the fastest, who owns the most expensive and who owns a car you’d have never believed a footballer would have? Well, all these questions and more have now been answered!

For example, did you know that Wayne Rooney once owned a Ford Ka? And that ex Spurs player Benoit Assou-Ekotto used to drive a car about town simply because “it made sense”.

When you see it, he kind of had a point! We’ll also ask the question, who out of Mario Balotelli, ElHadji Diouf and Stephen Ireland takes home the crown for the worst modified car?

So what are you waiting for, read on and discover the best, worst and most embarrassing Footballers’ Cars!

Footballers And Their Cars by CLUBLINE FOOTBALL

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8 Of The Largest Weapons Ever Built

These weapons might not do the most damage, but they are the largest ever made in history. These are the biggest of the big weapons. All of them pack a punch.

 

 

Schwerer Gustav - The Largest Gun Ever Built

 

The largest gun ever built was the "Schwerer Gustav" (English: Heavy Gustaf) built in Essen, Germany in 1941 by the firm of Friedrich Krupp A.G. Upholding a tradition of naming heavy cannon after family members, the Schwerer Gustav was named after the invalid head of the Krupp family - Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach. The strategic weapon of its day, the Schwerer Gustav was built at the direct order of Adolf Hitler for the express purpose of crushing Maginot Line forts protecting the French frontier. To accomplish this, Krupp designed a giant railway gun weighing 1344 tons with a bore diameter of 800 mm (31.5") and served by a 500 man crew commanded by a major-general.

Two types of projectiles were fired using a 3000lb. charge of smokeless powder: a 10,584 lb. high explosive (HE) shell and a 16,540 lb. concrete-piercing projectile. Craters from the HE shells measured 30-ft. wide and 30-ft. deep while the concrete piercing projectile proved capable of penetrating 264-ft. of reinforced concrete before exploding! Maximum range was 23 miles with HE shells and 29 miles with concrete piercing projectiles. Muzzle velocity was approximately 2700 f.p.s

 

FCM Char 2C - The Largest Operational Tank Ever Made

 

The FCM Char 2C was a French super-heavy tank developed by the Forges & Chantiers de la Méditerranée shipyard during World War I. The French's answer to the British Mark V Landship, the Char 2C was a massive and extremely heavy tank designed to break through enemy fortifications and cross directly over trenches. However, due to development issues and the much cheaper FT-17 tank already being in French service, the Char 2C was not completed until after the war in 1921 and only 10 units were created. The Char 2C was armed with a 75mm main gun and 4 secondary Hotchkiss 8mm machine gun ports.

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Heavy, slow, and vulnerable to advancements in anti-tank weapons, the Char 2C quickly became obsolete during the 1930s, and the few units created saw use only as propaganda tools for the French during World War II before being destroyed or captured by Germany during the Battle of France. Weighing 69 tons fully loaded, the Char 2C is notable as the first super-heavy tank created, and the only one to ever see operational use in any capacity. [link]

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Panzer VIII Maus - The Heaviest Fully Enclosed Armored Fighting Vehicle Ever Built

 

Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus ("Mouse") was a German World War II super-heavy tank completed in late 1944. It is the heaviest fully enclosed armoured fighting vehicle ever built. Five were ordered, but only two hulls and one turret were completed before the testing grounds were captured by the advancing Soviet forces.

 

Panzer VIII Maus at the Kubinka Tank Museum [image source]

 

These two prototypes – one with, and the other without a turret – underwent trials in late 1944. The complete vehicle was 10.2 metres (33 ft 6 in) long, 3.71 metres (12 ft 2 in) wide and 3.63 metres (11.9 ft) high. Weighing 188 metric tons, the Maus's main armament was the Krupp-designed 128 mm KwK 44 L/55 gun, based on the 12.8 cm Pak 44 anti-tank field artillery piece also used in the casemate-type Jagdtiger tank destroyer, with a coaxial 75 mm KwK 44 L/36.5 gun. The 128 mm gun was powerful enough to destroy all Allied armoured fighting vehicles then in service, some at ranges exceeding 3,500 metres (2.2 mi) [link]

 

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Tsar Cannon - The World's Largest Bombard By Caliber

 

Cast in bronze in Moscow, Russia, in 1586, this artillery piece was manufactured by prominent cannon and bell caster Andrey Chokhov. With a barrel diameter of 35.04 inches (890 mm), it is classed as the largest cannon by caliber by Guinness World Records. The 17.5-foot-long (5.34 meter) weapon weighs 86,668 lbs. (39,331 kg) and is now a major tourist attraction in the Russian capital. [link]

 

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Mallet's Mortar – The Biggest Siege Mortar

 

Designed by Irish engineer Robert Mallet in 1854 for the Crimean War, this gigantic siege mortar weighed 42 long tons (43,000 kg) and was 11 feet (3.4 meters) long. While it was theoretically capable of launching a shell 2,759 yards (2,523 meters) with a flight time of 23 seconds, each test ended with damage to the mortar itself. One model is currently loaned out to the Royal Artillery in London, U.K., while the other (pictured) is kept on display at Fort Nelson, Hampshire, in Portchester, U.K. [link]

 

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Father of All Bombs - The Most Powerful Conventional (non-nuclear) Weapon In The World

 

Aviation Thermobaric Bomb of Increased Power (ATBIP), nicknamed "Father of All Bombs" (FOAB) is a Russian-designed, bomber-delivered thermobaric weapon. In describing the destructive power of "FOAB", deputy chief of the Russian general staff Alexander Rukshin was quoted as saying, "all that is alive merely evaporates."

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The bomb is reportedly similar to the US military's GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast which is often unofficially called "Mother of All Bombs" derived from its official military acronym "MOAB". This weapon would therefore be the most powerful conventional (non-nuclear) weapon in the world. However, the veracity of Russia's claims concerning the weapon's size and power have been questioned by US defense analysts.

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The thermobaric device yields the equivalent of 44 tons of TNT using about seven tons of a new type of high explosive. Because of this, the bomb's blast and pressure wave have a similar effect to a small tactical nuclear weapon, although on a smaller scale. The bomb works by detonating in mid-air. Most damage is inflicted by a supersonic shockwave and extremely high temperatures. Thermobaric weapons differ from conventional explosive weapons in that they generate a longer, more sustained blast wave with greater temperatures. In doing so, they produce more damage over a larger area than a conventional weapon of similar mass. [link]

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Tsar Bomb - The Most Powerful Thermonuclear Weapon Ever Detonated

 

Tsar Bomba was the Western nickname for the Soviet RDS-220 hydrogen bomb, the most powerful nuclear weapon ever detonated. Its test on 30 October 1961 remains the most powerful man-made explosion in history. It was also referred to as Kuzkina mat, possibly referring to Nikita Khrushchev's promise to show the United States a Kuzkina mat (an idiom roughly translating to "We'll show you!") at a 1960 session of United Nations General Assembly.

 

Model of the "Tsar Bomba" in the Sarov atomic bomb museum. [image source]

 

The bomb had a yield of 57 megaton TNT (210 PJ). In theory, it had a maximum yield of 100 megatons if it were to have included a U-238 tamper, but because only one bomb was built, this was never demonstrated. The single bomb was detonated at the Sukhoy Nos cape of Severny Island, part of Novaya Zemlya.

 

The Tsar Bomba mushroom cloud seen from a distance of 161 km (100 mi). The crown of the cloud is 56 km (35 mi) high at the time of the picture. [image source]

 

The remaining bomb casings are located at the Russian Atomic Weapon Museum in Sarov and the Museum of Nuclear Weapons, All-Russian Research Institute of Technical Physics, at Snezhinsk. [link]

 

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Yamato - The Heaviest Battleships Ever Created

 

The heaviest battleships ever created, these Imperial Japanese Navy World War II vessels were first commissioned on Dec. 16, 1941, and had a displacement of 64,000 long tons (65,027,002 kg).

 

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Named after the Japanese province, the Yamato class was created specifically to outgun the American naval fleet. Fitted with nine 18.1 inch (46 cm) 45 Caliber Type 94 guns as the main armament, the ships (two were launched) played an important role in the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944. Both were sunk in the closing months of the war. [link]

 

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