8 mesmerizing construction time-lapse videos

Every day at Construction Dive, we write about the stories of successful and not-so-successful construction projects, emerging trends, contractor controversies and buildings that change city skylines. Now, we're taking a step back to offer a unique perspective on some of the biggest stories we've covered, courtesy of time-lapse videos.

Minnesota Vikings U.S. Bank Stadium

We’ve covered the Minnesota Vikings' new U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis since construction broke ground in 2013. Over the past few years, the project has seen its share of problems — from bird advocate challenges to disagreements over costs to a worker's death on site.

Despite these problems during the construction process, general contractor Mortenson Construction has surpassed its minority hiring goals for the project, and it announced last week that construction is ahead of schedule. The stadium is set to open this summer.

Burj Khalifa

The last year has seen a surge in construction of record-breaking towers, and nine are scheduled for completion this year alone. In fact, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat has declared 2016 the era of the "megatall" skyscraper — those 984 feet or higher. The first ever megatall tower, and currently the world’s tallest building, is the 2,717-foot-tall Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

Shanghai Tower

The Shanghai Tower in China — designed by architecture giant Gensler — has come the closest to nearing the height of the Burj Khalifa, at 2,073 feet tall. However, developers in Saudi Arabia are threatening to take over the first-place position, as they said they have secured funding to complete the $1.23 billion, 3,280-foot-tall Jeddah Tower, scheduled for completion in 2020.

St. Croix River bridge

It’s no skyscraper or stadium, but the bridge connecting Minnesota and Wisconsin over the St. Croix River has been a thorn in the side of transportation officials, and has even become a tourist attraction. Last year, paddlewheel boat operators were giving curious onlookers an up-close look at bridge construction for $10 a person.

Lately, however, the news from the bridge has not been very encouraging, as officials said completion will be delayed on the $636 million project by at least one year due to equipment problems, labor and material shortages, bad weather and the monumental task of building a 3,200-foot bridge across a federally protected river.

NYC Hudson Yards development

The Hudson Yards development in New York City is one of the hottest projects in the country. Since its groundbreaking in 2012, we've followed its financing and construction activity by companies such as Tishman Speyer and Tutor Perini in the midst of a New York City building boom. The development drew attention just last week when a new $2.45 billion subway station nearby had to deal with a leaking problem.

Creating one of the buzziest elements of Hudson Yards, the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) revealed its design for "The Spiral", one of Tishman Speyer’s buildings. According to BIG, the 65-story skyscraper will feature landscaped terraces winding their way around the exterior of the building, providing an outdoor space on almost every floor.

One World Trade Center

Americans got back a little bit of what was lost on Sept. 11, 2001, with the 2014 opening of One World Trade Center. It is currently the tallest building in the U.S., at the patriotic height of 1,776 feet. However, a few controversies surrounding the building have emerged, including the question of whether it is as green as developers said because of some fuel cells in the basement that were never replaced after Hurricane Sandy. Developer Tishman was also implicated in an overbilling scheme involving the skyscraper, and the steel provider for the project was charged with fraud surrounding the project’s use of minority contractors.

Oculus at World Trade Center Transportation Hub

The process has taken 15 years, but the first phase of the new World Trade Center Transportation Hub has opened to replace the former PATH station, which was destroyed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The focal point of the station, which will connect various city subway lines as well as New Jersey commuters to the trade center complex, is the Oculus. The centerpiece, designed to emulate a bird in flight, was designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and was built by Skanska USA. The unique structure contains 11,500 tons of steel and has a retractable skylight that will open in good weather and on Sept. 11 every year in tribute to the 3,000 people who lost their lives during the attacks.

Tiny houses

And finally, it’s not always about being the biggest. The tiny house movement continues to grow, and choices for these pint-sized homes range from a basic DIY abode to feature-packed models rivaling the most extravagant luxury homes. Zoning for these homes, or lack thereof, is one of the biggest constraints on greater demand from homeowners looking to downsize or first-time buyers who can’t afford a standard-sized home. Tiny house communities are springing up, but most municipalities still need to take action to deal with a growing consumer desire to live life a little smaller than usual.

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