The world is building state-of-the-art infrastructure at a high speed and a booming construction industry across the globe brings some biggest construction projects into the spotlight. Each year, the world’s largest construction projects are being pitched, built, and completed. So, what are the biggest construction projects of 2025 from around the globe?
Let’s go through the 4 biggest construction projects that are starting, ongoing, or nearing completion. Megaprojects, architectural wonders, mind-blowing builds; whatever you want to call them, these construction projects continue to set the bar for the next headline-grabbing build. All these projects represent engineering accomplishments and architectural feats that continue to push the envelope.
Table of Contents
4 Biggest Construction Projects in the World Right Now
1. Canadian School, Cholula
Organic architecture is often celebrated for combining (or even disappearing completely) into the landscape, leaving as little trace of the surroundings as possible. There’s perhaps no better example among this year’s new openings than architecture firm Sordo Madaleno’s Canadian School in Cholula, Mexico one of the world’s biggest construction projects.
The serene campus looks to the region’s topography for inspiration namely a nearby pre-Hispanic pyramid and the Popocatépetl volcano, which serves as a dramatic backdrop. The school is arranged around seven circular structures that take the form of overlapping hills, their terraced surfaces providing green spaces for students to explore.
Mexican architect Fernando Sordo Madaleno, grandson of the firm’s late founder Juan Sordo Madaleno, said in a statement that as well as blending with the environment, “the building itself becomes part of the playground.”
2. Grand Ring, Osaka
From April to October, Japan’s second city Osaka plans to welcome an estimated 28 million visitors to Expo 2025, which will see around 40 countries build custom pavilions on site. The centerpiece, however, is the venue itself: The Grand Ring, one of the world’s biggest construction projects a continuous circular wooden structure, more than 1.2 miles in circumference, that will take visitors around the vast site.
Expo venues can serve as an expression of their host’s design ethos. When Osaka first hosted the Expo, in 1970, it erected a huge space-frame roof by the most celebrated avant-garde Japanese architects of the time. So, in an age where timber buildings offer an alternative to carbon-intensive concrete, it seems fitting that the Grand Ring’s creator Sou Fujimoto is presenting a distinctly Japanese take on the global trend.
Using local cedar and cypress wood (as well as Scottish pine), the architect’s vision combines modern construction methods with the wooden joints traditionally used in Japanese temples and shrines. At almost 646,000 square feet, it will be among the world’s largest wooden buildings. Although intended to be temporary, there is ongoing debate about whether — or how — the structure might be preserved.
3. New Sydney Fish Market, Sydney
More than eight years after the New South Wales government announced the relocation of Sydney’s historic fish market one of the world’s biggest construction projects which dates to the 1870s but has been on its current site since 1966 — the gleaming new four-floor building is opening on an adjacent 3.6-hectare site.
Designed by 3XN Architects and Australian firm BVN (which promises visitors a “multi-sensory fish market experience”), the reimagined facility balances tourist infrastructure with the functional realities of a working wholesale market. Logistics and operations are hidden away in the basement, while the upper floors contain a market hall for visitors and an auction hall where restaurateurs and retailers bid on fresh catches as they arrive via pontoons.
The project will also help rejuvenate an industrial part of the harbor with shops, restaurants, a promenade, and an urban park, while the distinctive undulating roof is topped with 350 triangular solar panels.
Suggested article to read: Top 11 Construction Megaprojects Around the World
4. South Station Redevelopment, Boston
A major expansion of Boston’s South Station, the busiest ground transport hub in New England, is wrapping up this year. Upon completion, the redevelopment project, one of the world’s biggest construction projects will have increased the terminal’s bus and rail capacity by 50% and 70%, respectively.
Architecturally speaking, the challenge facing American firm Pelli Clarke & Partners was not only to reimagine the hub’s concourse and erect a soaring 51-story skyscraper above it, but to respect the original Classical Revival station building. Listed under the US National Register of Historic Places, it has stood there since 1899.
The resulting contrast between gleaming glass and weathered stone was always going to be stark. But the tower’s soft, sculptural form seeks to complement its historic counterpart. The expanded, arched concourse meanwhile offers visitors a more grandiose arrival into the city.
Conclusion
Understanding the one of the worlds biggest construction projects in the world provides valuable insights into the future of urban development, engineering, and economic growth. These projects not only showcase human ingenuity but also drive innovation in technology and construction practices. By utilizing advanced tools like Building Radar, professionals in the construction industry can stay ahead of the curve, maximize opportunities, and enhance their project management strategies.
FAQs
What are the 4 Biggest Construction Projects in the World Right Now?
- Answer: 1. Canadian School, Cholula – 2. Grand Ring, Osaka – 3. New Sydney Fish Market, Sydney – 4. South Station Redevelopment, Boston
What was Fernando Sordo Maddalena’s statement about Canadian School, Cholula?
- Answer: Mexican architect Fernando Sordo Madaleno, grandson of the firm’s late founder Juan Sordo Madaleno, said in a statement that as well as blending with the environment, “the building itself becomes part of the playground.”
What is the centerpiece of Expo 2025, Japan’s second city Osaka?
- Answer: From April to October, Japan’s second city Osaka plans to welcome an estimated 28 million visitors to Expo 2025, which will see around 40 countries build custom pavilions on site. The centerpiece, is the venue itself: The Grand Ring, one of the worlds biggest construction projects a continuous circular wooden structure, more than 1.2 miles in circumference, that will take visitors around the vast site.
What is the South Station Redevelopment project?
- Answer: The South Station Redevelopment is a major expansion of Boston’s South Station, enhancing its capacity and functionality as New England’s busiest ground transportation hub.
Suggested article for reading:
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How Data-Driven Insights Saved $1 Billion in Global Construction Projects (2024)
Resources:
CNNStyle | ArchDaily | Construction Digital | Rebim | mycomply
For all the pictures: Archdaily