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Engineers are generally not given credit for many marvelous works in the world - but I personally feel they are the people who make the dreams many designers and scientists have, into reality. Everyone has a contribution in making the world a better place.Some of the best engineering projects I have seen are:1. The Henningsvær StadionOn a picturesque island from the north of Norway there lies a spectacular football stadium. In the small Norwegian fishing village of Henningsvær which is situated on the southern coast of the island of Austvågøy, Lofoten, Nordland, the local football stadium overlooks a splendid natural landscape formed by tall mountains and the nearby shores of the North Atlantic Ocean.Henningsvær Stadion is rather peculiar in that it has no seats and it is used for amateur football. It is a marvel of civil engineering.(Image Source: The Dockyards)2. The Venice Tide Barrier Project (2003)After 40 years of debating how to protect Venice from floods and to keep it from sinking further, the ‘Venice Tide Barrier Project’ was initiated in 2003. This innovative engineering feat, which comprises 78 rotating gates, is designed to keep the sea waters from entering the Venetian Lagoon if high tides and storms are in the forecast. The gates, each 6,500 square feet, are large metal boxes filled with water that rest at the bottom of the sea. When a tide of more than 3 ½ feet is forecast, the water is emptied from the gates using pre-compressed air. The gates will rise to the top of the water, blocking the sea from the lagoon, therefore stopping the tide flow. The project was planned to finish in 2012 but skepticism revolved around it from the start - hope it will complete soon.(Image Source: Physics Org)3. Millau ViaductAn example of extreme civil engineering, le Viaduc de Millau in France is a cable-stayed road-bridge (with one summit at a height of 343 meters or 1,125 feet) across the valley of River tarn. Designed by structural engineer Michel Virlogeux and architect Norman Foster, it is the tallest vehicular bridge in the world till date. The 4-lane steel roadway weights 36,000 tons and is 2,460 meters or 8,100 feet long and 32 meters or 100 feet wide. It is also 4.2 meters or 14 feet deep making it the longest cable-stayed deck of the world. It is supported by seven concrete pylons. Each pylon has 16 framework sections and each section weights 2,230 tons. These sections were assembled on site from 60-ton pieces that were 17 meters or 56 feet long and 4 meters or 13 feet wide. The pylons were then assembled and then, the decks were slid out across the piers using satellite-guided hydraulic rams. The decks were moved 600 mm in every 4 minutes.The pictures of Millau are simply spectacular.(Image Source: Tourisme Aveyron)4. Kailasa TempleAn engineering marvel reminiscent of the expertise of the master builders of ancient India, the Kailasa Temple is part of the rock-hewn monastic-temple cave complex called Ellora Caves in Maharashtra, India. Believed to be built sometime in the 8th century, the gigantic Kailasa Temple was carved out of a single rock - yes one single rock! It is an excellent example of ‘Reverse Engineering’ and was chiseled from top down. It is believed that three huge trenches were bored into a cliff face and as much as 2,00,000 tonnes of rock was removed to reveal the temple. 164 feet deep and 109 feet wide, the temple has the largest cantilevered rock ceiling in the world.It is marvelous to wonder how good architects and engineers of the Ancient Era were!(Image Source: Live History India)5. The Palm Islands, DubaiPerhaps one of the more massive innovative engineering feats, the ‘Palm Islands’ are located off the coast of the United Arab Emirates in the Persian Gulf, near Dubai. Known as the largest man-made set of islands, the project which is being constructed by ‘Nakheel Properties’, a land developer in the United Arab Emirates, began in 2001 with the first of three islands, Palm Jumeirah. Through the use of sand dredging ships, the islands are formed by filling the sea-bed with sand and rocks. This process, known as rainbowing, includes spraying sand on top of the rising surface of the island. Each island will be resembling the shape of a palm tree with a crescent-shaped rock encircling the top of each island.Two of the islands: the Palm Jumeirah and the Palm Jebel Ali, have been completed while the third and largest of the islands, Palm Deira, is still under construction. The Palm Island project, which was commissioned by Sheikh Mohammed, will add 320 miles of beaches to the shrinking Dubai shoreline. The islands will be comprised of hundreds of luxury hotels, theme parks, high-end homes, health spas, shopping malls and sports facilities.(Image Source: GC Privé | Private Office Youtube Channel)6. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC)This part from IVEye Engineering website sums it up pretty well:Have you ever wondered how the World Wide Web came about or how cancer treatments were developed? The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) played a tremendous role in these modern day breakthroughs. This modern engineering marvel lies underground in a 574-foot long circular tunnel with a 17-mile circumference. Think of the LHC as a science experiment. Using superconducting magnets, the LHC directs two beams of atomic particles (hadrons) that travel at high speeds and then collide into each other. New particles are created out of the collision, from which scientists can track behavior. Developed by CERN, a European scientific research firm, the LHC was introduced in 2008. It was built to answer many basic questions of science and the universe and to further develop technologies, such as medical imaging, electronics, radiation processing, new manufacturing processes and more.(Image Source: Britannica)7. “Bird’s Nest”, ChinaNicknamed the “Bird’s Nest” for its intricate shape and lattice-like design, this astonishing structure named the Beijing National Stadium looks more like a public work of art than - yes, an Olympic stadium. Designed by the Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, the “Bird’s Nest” was built for the 2008 Olympic Games and Paralympics and seats 80,000 people. The elaborate design incorporates Chinese symbols and mythology. Comprising about 26 miles of unwrapped steel, the stadium is made up of two independent frames that are set 50 feet apart—an inner concrete red bowl for seating and an outer steel frame weighing 42,000 tons. The original design called for a ‘retractable roof’. That was later removed from the plans so the structure could more easily meet seismic requirements and also for budgetary reasons.This recent engineering wonder is one of the most energy efficient and environment-friendly stadiums in the world. During the winter, underground geothermal pipes heat the indoor part of the stadium. Underground cisterns collect and store rainwater (harvest) for irrigation and for use in restrooms.(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)8. The Falkirk WheelThis engineering project in central Scotland took the internet community by storm when videos of it lifting trains from one route to another went viral in the internet.The plan to regenerate central Scotland’s canals and reconnect Glasgow with Edinburgh was led up-front by the British Waterways with support and funding from seven local authorities, the Scottish Enterprise Network, the ERDF, and the Millenium Commission. Planners decided early on to create a dramatic 21st-century landmark structure to reconnect the canals, instead of simply recreating the historic ‘lock flight’.The wheel elevates boats by 24 metres (79 ft), but the Union Canal is still 11 metres (36 ft) higher than the aqueduct which meets the wheel. Boats must also pass through a pair of locks between the top of the wheel and the Union Canal. The Falkirk Wheel is the only rotating boat lift of its kind in the world, and one of two working boat lifts in the United Kingdom, the other being the ‘Anderton Boat Lift’.(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)Hope it helps :)