The project was uniquely demanding. The crescent was built in multiple layers using sand, a water permeable sheet, small rocks and two further layers of armour rocks weighing up to six tonnes.
Underwater excavators, guided by divers, then laid the inside 'toe' of the crescent. An astonishing 92,234,000 cubic metres of sand was then transferred to build up the landmass.
Advanced Global Positioning technology ensured that the land was reclaimed to within one centimetre of the proposed design. Ikonos, the world's first privately owned satellite, orbits the earth 14 times a day, supplying high resolution photography of the project.
Connecting the crescent to the mainland required a subsea tunnel. During its construction an area of the sea was drained using a coffer dam and the seabed excavated to build the tunnel itself. The sea was then allowed back inside the dam area.
