The Incredible Engineering Behind Japan's Floating Airport | Super Structures | Spark 

The title is quite dishonest: It is a man-made island, not at all a floating structure.

The fact that it survived such a massive earthquake , Kudos to to the great engineers involved

Without knowing all these factors in 2001, I have once become a consumer of this Japanese ambitious engineering Marvell by landing for a connection flight. The over night delay staying compelled me to take the train rides back and forth in to the city and the airport. Also I relentlessly hung around the lobbies and duty free shops for several hours in the chilling cold and took off from there eventually for ever. I was all alone and this experience was killing me every moment to another moment . After these decades learned something about it only now for the first time watching this material my every second of frustrating stay time at that man made island The Kansai International Airport have become invaluable in my accounting. Well done to the engineers, the Japanese and airport maintenance workers. Keep up the good work always.

Thank you for uploading this video i really enjoy it through and through. Although i had flew out of this airport once in the past, it’s amazing to see this piece of engineering work accomplishment but, it’s a shame, it will not be here for long as nature had a way of reclaiming its space. What a beautiful gem…

I had the pleasure of flying into this airport within the first month of opening. I had to stay in the hotel several times overnight to catch connecting flights the next day a few time. The landing and takeoffs were shown on the video screens in the seatbacks so the views were spectacular! The convenance of staying on the airport grounds was fantastic. A great place to enter Japan and a wonderful engineering accomplishment for all involved. Art

I have landed 4 times on & started 4 times from Kansai International Airport for visiting beautiful Japan❤

I've been here in this airport and this is truly a beautiful architectural and Engineering structure.

Japan’s 🇯🇵 engineering is impeccable

I’m Canadian but live in Kobe, Japan. I work internationally. I use KIX very frequently and it’s one of the easiest and well organized airports in the world. The fact that it’s sinking is an issue, but the amount of money that flows through it daily ensures that there are always keeping a close watch on it and many engineers are on the case full-time. A few years back, there was a huge typhoon that hit the pacific side of Kansai and a huge ship had lost control and crashed into the bridge that goes to KIX, seriously damaging the bridge. An ENORMOUS crew worked 24 hours a day fixing the bridge. KIX was losing about 100 000 000 ¥ (about 1M US$) every hour due to it’s closure. It took them a little less than 3 days to completely fix the bridge. Funny enough, Kobe airport is also on a man-made island. So many times, I fly out from in a man-made island to land on another man-made island.

The only problem is that this amazing airport is slowly sinking!

It rests upon more than a million support columns, which delve 20 metres into the sea and 20 metres into a muddy layer before being driven an additional 40 metres into the rock below. The fact that the muddy layer continues to settle at an irregular rate also had to be taken into account. A rather complex solution was required in order to address this problem. A series of special sensors are used to detect when the mud has settled to a point that exceeds the foreseen maximum tolerance of 10 mm. Each column is equipped with a calibration system, which employs the use of extremely powerful hydraulic jacks: whenever a column's position is offset, the system adjusts it and locks it in its new position. This phenomenon had a significant effect, in fact, during the initial stage: the island settled by 50 centimetres from 1992 to 1996.

I can't imagine myself piling up those large stones in cold water down there I would hurt my back. I would die of hypothermia. This is a marvelous architectural and engineering structure.

There is nothing like Japanese engineering!! Great jobs.

My first time watching this and marveled at its existence. Thanks for sharing and all the credits to everyone concerned

this is the airport I used on my previous trip to Japan. very easy to use. Heck I have a harder time finding where to go at local HNL than at KIX. my trip ended and I returned home just weeks before a powerful typhoon's storm surge flooded the original man made island. The storm surge also caused a oil tanker to crash and cause major damage to the auto/train bridge. Kansai is fully functional today. I plan on using it again for my next trip to japan.

Thank you for showing my Airport!! 😉 I do use Itami before Kansai Airport built! I am near in Nagoya but I love to travel using Kansai Airport. I love Kansai❣️

45:00 The typhoon that happened in 2018 didn't sink but it did flood the Kansai airport and caused one of the ships to hit and damage the connecting bridge, causing people to get stuck in the airport for 5 days.

Amazing Airport big Enginering bulding Constraction... sparks thankyou.

I have been at this airport in-person back in 2008, Japan is always 20-30 years ahead of the world...

I just checked my GPS and yep there's another island! I wonder how they built that one.

34:46. An enthusiastic employee who loves his job. Ya can see it all over his face 🤗

I love Japan 🇯🇵 people very smart and friendly to talk too love them xx

I traveled through Kansai AIrport about 5 times and it is my favorite airport to stop by!!! Beautiful Airport indeed :D

24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

Awesome Japanese engineering. I was from this airport last year, and still have good condition.

The amazing genius Japanese people. I have so much respect for them, the best end amazing technology comes from Japan.

Mankind is indeed gifted. The creator of the human brains 🧠 is indeed worthy of worship.

Japan knows,magic.Excellent workers of Japan.

They flattened three mountains to provide the fill for this project. Surely they could have done that to create enough flat land for an airport on more solid dry land.

I have to take my hats off to the designer of the terminal building that was absolute genius a floating airport building and the damage around the city after the earth quake and the zero damage to the terminal building that was nothing short of amazing. the legacy will be for the airport is the superb engineering and designing marvel that this airport is and how successful it is that it needs another runway speaks for itself. May i suggest something if they say it will only sink 19 ft you go to twice that or three times that so as eventually the subsidence will not be as noticeable. the floating terminal was genius for sure and absolutely no damage to the airport i still cannot get my head around that. Great job you should feel proud walking through the building it is a great engineering feet well done to all love the colours by the way very Japanese. I love it.

44:58 "Scientists debate how much farther the island will sink, but some believe if it keeps sinking, a typhoon's wave will someday swamp the airport." It did happen in September 2018, Kansai airport has been flooded during Super Typhoon Jebi. Meanwhile, a cargo ship hit the bridge of the connecting road, this made Kansai airport shut down for a few days.

Great job to everyone who's was involved in that masterpiece of art

This is really an incredibly man-made island with an awesome wondrous airport !!! Splendid !!!

"To save money, they rejected the predictions of deeper sinking"

I remember when I first landed at Osaka/Kansai airport..... I didnt know it was built on an island so when we first began the landing it just looked like we were going to land in the sea until suddenly the runway jist appears

Anything can be seen from space if you zoom in enough

Used to live in Kobe and Osaka. Very interesting airport.

A colossal amount of money, manpower, equipment went into this project, creating a blueprint for future attempts (looking at you, Hong Kong Airport 😊). This is beyond amazing and mesmerizing.

i landed here. it was a lovely experience

Japanese, a nation of accuracy, perseverance and hard work..............

Saw this doc like in late 90s when a little kid.

When Kansai was built in 1987, it used to look more like Nagoya's floating airport Chubu Centrair because Kansai had only one runway when it was built and Chubu has one runway. Then Kansai had expanded and now has two runways like we know today of Kansai airport.

Wow, great documentary and engineering story! On the edge of my seat!!!

The people who built this marvellous structure should be honoured throughout history.

I'm glad that I've experienced arriving and departing from this airport back in December 2019 :)

Very informative video. Two thumbs up..

42:54 and this is where the Sony PlayStation 2 got it’s boot system sounds from 🤓

Did not knew about this marvel of engineering. AMAZING

Don’t show this to Rep Hank Johnson, he’ll think it’ll “tip over” like he thought the island of Guam would if it had too many sailors on it!

Very impressive! Advance technology makes the difference..🇨🇦🇯🇵

@ 49.00 the narrator says “ The airport is between a rock and a hard place” He should of said “ between a rock and a SOFT place” . Lol

The engineering is top tier...

At one foot per year. And seventeen feet left. (As of the time this was filmed) then it should have been under water by now? Would love to see the updated documentary. Has there been stop gaps done? Did the rate of compaction slow? If the walls were deep into the sea floor, would an earthquake help with compaction? Also, if compaction is not the issue? Where is the fill going?

It's really a great masterpiece on scientific innovation. I had visited it .

Old documentary...watched this on TLC back in 99 I think. Back when TLC had good stuff...

I'll repeat watching it once again and again. Because it is a very beautiful stoey.

OMG 25yrs before i watched and heard this kansai airport (sept 2019) A true remarkable airport island made on the 21st century! How far and advanced japan can do since world war 2! A true japanase engr that will last the end of time! Bravo Bravo Kansai Airport 25 years of existent 💪😍 🇯🇵

And that enemy is GODZILLA!!

You did a fantastic job chronicling this incredible feat of engineering and construction.

Makes me proud to hear that British Steel is the skeleton of the building. Two great engineering nations involved in a truly groundbreaking project of its time

wow tumps up this is very inspiring.much love to the engineers and the hard working team.much love to the japaneses people.great mark in the world!!!!

When the Kansai project was first proposed, an actual floating airport was considered, but rejected for this landfill approach. Given the enormous amount of fill and stabilization required, and the greater than expected sinking, I wonder how the economics of a floating airport would have compared to this project.

saw this vid when i was a kid. when my father playing bon jovi on our aiwa made in japan..

They should build a containment wall around the entire perimeter, starting at the sea floor building downward as deep as they can go. This would keep the sea floor from pushing outward as it pushes downward, therefore limiting the sinking of the entire island structure.

WOW! What a great video.

That was Smart building it away from the people .

Amazing! A new subscriber here from 🇵🇭

Japan is a home of natural calamity... May God bless all of them.

I remember watching this as a kid! I was obsessed with Kansai haha

This is one of the best ideas I've seen for future sustainability.

@16:45. There's something wrong about this guy smiling as he talks about someone getting a leg amputated.

When human beings work together, it is truly amazing. Getting us to work 😇together is rare art and skill. The highest.

How about the Tokoname Airport, it is also in the Middle of the sea in Aichi Prefecture

It’s not “floating” ... they literally just built an island... this has been done in quite a few places, SF, NY, Dubai, etc..etc... Just not with an Airport. Wasn’t necessary, but if it was.. it could’ve easily been done. Land and Sea engineering is one of the things we as humans have down really well. The impressive, important, impactful engineering going on today is in Space and Energy.

Marvelous indeed.

Marlin: "I will hire a lawyer and sue" Government: "You're a marlin"

0:05 "It can be seen from space" Hell If a satellite zooms tat close It can even see my house, checked it on google maps.

Wow nice beautiful airport airline Japan 🇯🇵😍👌😀😊👍🇯🇵

Mid-2019, I was at Kansai International Airport with my sister waiting for our flight. An earthquake hit and we barely felt it. No one panicked.

admiration and respect

A great manifestation of capabilities of the human brains could possibly do...a marvelous job..a wonderful landmark...hope someday ill have a chance to land on it and witness with my very own eyes.tnks sparks.here.fr d pearl of the orient..philippines.

Immense barge like float structure or positive floating anchored with a wave reducing perimeter might be a thought.

Really it’s amazing. Love from Bangladesh

I can remember seeing the construction of this Airport - starting with the piles that were placed, in an effort to avert its apparent willingness to subside beneath the waves. The challenge now, will be to stop it from sinking & to raise it, to cope with rising sea levels.

NONE COULD STOP DEGREE OF INTELLIGENCE PROGRESSING PLEASING GODHEAD TIMING'S WATCHING STILL IN TOTAL CONTROL AS RECORDED BY GENESIS . . . . MAN NOW AMONG US . . . . GREAT 👍

Great documentary 💜

Man vs Mother Nature Mother Nature Will Always Win 🏆 Powered by God

Lesson from this video: Don't mess with Japanese farmers

They need Flex seal! It seals everything !

Me building airports in Openttd after the city expands too fast

Beautiful Kansai Airport is awesome 👍

I'm planning my first ever visit to Japan. Entering via Tokyo is a given but I plan to leave via the Osaka airport. Just seeing this wonder of engineering and construction on the way out would be a treat. Imagine that riding the train off the coast of Japan.

Hello everyone it's my pleasure to meeting you guys

Thank you to all the people who had builded the airport, continue to maintain it, and provide this video. It is beyond word that could express to fully appreciate and respect the incredible will and determination of all these people. altc

Japan, China, and Korea have beautiful airports. When you fly into Chicago, it is like going fifty years in the past.

The Japanese are to Asia what the Germans are to Europe : able to achieve what seems unconceivable

That’s awesome; I used a Torus to design the greenhouse of the Fisker Karma as it was the only shape that preserved Henrik’s styling while allowing the windows to roll down.

I Love this Video on Kansai International Airport is Awesome!!!!

i'll never forget missing the exit for my hotel by the airport and having to drive across that whole entire bridge, pay the $7 toll and having to drive all the way back

It took 20 years to upload