These are the top 5 largest buildings in the world by volume. In simple terms, these are the top five buildings in the world with the largest space enclosed between their walls and roofs.
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Boeing Everett Factory in Washington, USA | 13 million m3
Back in the mid-1960s, aerospace giant Boeing Company was preparing to build the Boeing 747, the first jumbo jet which was about two-and-a-half times bigger than the largest existing airliners. However, before the 747 could get off the ground, the company needed a facility huge enough to assemble the massive plane.
After some considerations, the company settled on a site, a former military airport in Everett, Washington, United States of America. In June 1966 construction works began at a breakneck speed and in a little more than a year, Boeing Everett Factory, the world’s largest factory and building was completed at a cost of a billon or its thereabouts.
The original building was expanded back in 1978 to accommodate production of the Boeing 767, and again in 1992 to accommodate the Boeing 777. Boeing Everett Factory thus remains the largest building in the world by volume, thanks to its 13.3 million cubic meters interior. The building is over 1 kilometer long and ½ kilometer wide while its ceiling is 27.4 meters above the factory floor. This height is enough for the factory to fit a standard eight-storey office building.
Noteworthy, the Boeing Everett Factory is just a part of a massive industrial complex that includes three huge paint hangars, sprawling flight lines, a plane delivery centre that is as big as an airport terminal, office blocks, and a new 777X wing assembly plant. The entire complex spans both sides of State Route 526 also known as the Boeing Freeway, and it covers an area of approximately 415 hectares.
2. Gigafactory Texas in Austin, Texas, USA | 9.57 million m3
Also known as Giga Texas, Giga Austin, or Gigafactory 5, Gigafactory Texas, an automotive manufacturing facility in Austin, Texas built by Tesla, Inc. is the second largest building in the world by volume.
The construction of the second largest building in the world by volume began back in July 2020 on an 850-hectare site bordering Harold Green Road (later renamed Tesla Road) and Texas State Highway 130. The construction works were completed in 2022 at a cost of slightly over 1 billion USD.
The Gigafactory Texas is used for the production of Model Y cars for the Eastern United States and it is the main factory for the Cybertruck, the company’s next-generation vehicle. Additionally, the factory serves as the site of Tesla’s corporate headquarters.
3. Jean-Luc Lagardère Plant in Toulouse-Blagnac, France | 5.6 million m3
At number three of the top five largest buildings in the world by volume is the 5.6 million m3 Jean-Luc Lagardère Plant in France.
The building was built between the spring of 2001 and the spring of 2004 to be used as an assembling hall for the Airbus A380, the world’s largest airliner. Some of the companies involved in the project include WSP France and Cardète & Huet.
Jean-Luc Lagardère Plant, in addition to other support facilities including assembly halls, ground test stations, as well as offices, restaurants, convention centre and related services sits on a 200-hectare site dedicated to Airbus and its subcontractors for activities related to aircraft development.
4. Tropical Islands theme park in Halbe, Brandenburg, Germany | 5.2 million m3
In 1997 SIAT GmbH was contracted by Cargolifter AG to build a hanger South of Berlin on what was originally the Brand-Briesen Airfield site. The hanger was meant to be the assembling point of CargoLifter CL-160, a carbon fibre helium-filled 260-metre-long airship with the capacity to carry 160t up to 10’000 km at a speed of 80-120 km/h.
After approximately three years and €78 million in construction cost, the hangar dubbed “Aerium” was ready and open for use. Aerium was 360 metres long, 210 metres wide and 107 metres high, with a total volume of 5.5million m³ making it one of the largest buildings in the world by volume. Additionally, Aerium hangar also known as CargoLifter AG hangar was the world’s largest single hall without supporting pillars.
Today, the hanger does not serve its originally intended purpose. In 2004, Aerium hanger was repurposed into a theme park dubbed Tropical Islands by the new owner, a Malaysian corporation known as Tanjong. However, it remains one of the largest, actually to be precise, it is the fourth-largest building in the world by volume but it is no longer referred to as Aerium hangar and CargoLifter AG hangar but Tropical Islands theme park.
5. Meyer Werft Dockhalle 2 in Papenburg, Germany | 4.72 million m3
Lastly in our pick of the world’s largest buildings by volume is Meyer Werft Dockhalle 2, a dry dock for the construction of cruise ships located in Papenburg, Niedersachsen, Germany. The dock was developed and is owned by Meyer Werft, one of the major German shipyards and today’s builder of luxury passenger ships.
Meyer Werft Dockhalle 2 was unveiled first unveiled in 1997 with a length of 384 meters, a width of 125 meters, and a height of 75 meters. In 2007, its height was extended to 504 meters and its length to 362 meters. It is currently the 5th largest building in the world by volume with a volume of 4.72 million m3.
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