Engineering visions that transform the landscape. Bridges that disappear under the sea, dams as imposing as fortresses, isolated stations that look like bases on another planet: some real infrastructures appear so extraordinary they seem to come from a screenplay.
Join us on a journey through some infrastructure examples that most strongly combine technical audacity with visual imagination: the tallest dam in the world, the Øresund Bridge, Concordia Station, the Chenab Railway Bridge and the Millau Viaduct.
1. Rogun Dam (Tajikistan)
A “Dune”-like fortress on the Vakhsh.
The Rogun Dam, still under construction, will be the tallest dam in the world. It is being built by the Webuild Group in partnership with OSJC “Rogun Hydropower Project” (a state-owned company coordinating the project).
At over 335 meters high, this hydroelectric dam will become a massive wall holding back millions of cubic meters of water and generating hydroelectric power to fuel the country. The scale and geometry of this hydroelectric project recall epic movie sets: a titanic work that reshapes the landscape, evoking the fortresses of imaginary worlds.
2. Øresund Bridge (Denmark–Sweden)
The bridge that becomes a tunnel.
Stretching almost 16 kilometers, the Øresund Bridge, which links Copenhagen and Malmö, is one of a kind. The bridge between Denmark and Sweden starts as a sea viaduct, breaks on an artificial island, and continues as an underwater tunnel.
The continuity of the journey—alternating between sky and sea depths—creates an almost cinematic experience. With its undersea tunnel, this infrastructure not only unites two countries, but also stages the encounter between human ingenuity and geography.
3. Concordia Station (Antarctic Base Station)
An outpost on another planet.
At over 3,000 meters above sea level, in the heart of the most inhospitable continent on Earth, lies Concordia Station, an Italo-French scientific base that withstands extreme conditions: temperatures below –80°C, six months of continuous darkness, and total isolation.
Its elevated, compact structures make it look like an extraterrestrial outpost. Concordia Station is both a scientific laboratory and living proof of how architecture can adapt to an environment reminiscent of Martian colonies.
4. Chenab Railway Bridge (India)
A train suspended in the void.
In Jammu and Kashmir rises the Chenab Railway Bridge, the world’s highest railway bridge: a steel arch soaring 359 meters above the Chenab River.
It is a feat of extreme engineering, designed to withstand fierce winds and strong seismic forces, and destined to become part of the network linking isolated Himalayan regions. Its silhouette, suspended among dizzying mountains, could belong to a futuristic action sequence: railways and science fiction merged into a single gesture.
5. Millau Viaduct (France)
Among the clouds, like in “Oblivion”.
Designed by architect Norman Foster, the Millau Viaduct is the tallest cable-stayed bridge in Europe: a work that crosses the Tarn Valley with minimalist elegance.
The pylons of this French bridge rise more than 340 meters, often emerging from the clouds like suspended towers. The roadway flows at a height that seems almost impossible, evoking futuristic visions of suspended cities. The Millau Viaduct is a perfect encounter between functionality and poetry—an infrastructure that becomes both landscape and vision.
