Top 10 Most Costly Construction Projects Ever

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Dubai / Shutterstock / Viktor Kozlov Throughout human history, leaders have never stopped trying to figure out how to make a lasting impression on the world. However, leaving one's mark usually comes at a price. It is impossible to determine the precise number of lives lost during construction of the Great Wall of China or the number of workers required to create the Great Pyramids of Giza. When it comes to resources, it might be difficult for the average person to understand what goes into creating construction masterpieces such as skyscrapers, tunnels, malls, or dams. Now is the right moment to examine a handful of the priciest building projects in contemporary history, a couple of which are still ongoing, and one that has withstood the test of time for more than a thousand years.

1. Malaysia's Forest City

Location: Malaysia's Johor All in all: $4 billion* Year Completed: 2035 On the four artificial islands near Johor, a twenty-year project was proposed in 2006 to build an environmentally conscious and ecologically sensitive city. Chinese real estate developer Country Garden (60% stake) and Johor People's Infrastructure Group (40% stake) split the costs and jointly ventured to undertake the mammoth project, which, when finished, would have covered more land than 2,500 football fields. The objective was to sell about 700,000 dwelling units in the city by the end of 2019, even though the project was still in the planning stages. The real figure was much closer to fifteen thousand units and fell well short of the aim.

Pinterest / Forest City, Malaysia @indiaholiday007 Malaysia started reclaiming land in the future Forest City area in 2014, however they did not complete the legally needed Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment first. As per the 2005 ruling by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea between Singapore and Malaysia, Malaysia was required to notify Singapore about the impending reclamation. The planned size of Forest City was reduced to one-quarter of its original size due to their failure to do so and the fact that a portion of the land on which it was to be built was in an environmentally sensitive location. It is presently anticipated that Forest City won't be completed until the middle of the following ten years, following several delays.