# The 10 Biggest Mega Build Disasters of 2025 ![[images/The-10-Biggest-Mega-Build-Disasters-of-2025.webp]] **Creator:** The B1M · **Published:** 2025-12-31 · **Length:** 14:06 · [Watch on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvHBvm9JIcc) > Caption source: YouTube **automatic English** captions (`en-orig`), downloaded with **yt-dlp**. The video has **no manual caption track**. The default yt-dlp client was bot-checked twice (including a ~25 s retry), the **android_vr** client then returned the metadata, and the default client fetched the auto subtitles on the next pass. The track covers the whole video, including the closing **Brick Borrow** plug. Auto-caption mishearings have been corrected from context and from the companion article, for example "Neom/Neon" → **NEOM**, "Traina" → **Trojena**, "Stokart/Stutgart" → **Stuttgart**, "Karma 67" → **Keir Starmer**, "Acon's new city in Sagal" → **Akon's city in Senegal**, "voron dur technic" → **Vorsprung durch Technik** and "Shard and Freder" → **Schadenfreude**. TubeAlfred was not used (0 credits). **Companion article:** [The 10 Biggest Construction Fails of 2025](https://www.theb1m.com/video/10-biggest-construction-fails-of-2025) on theb1m.com, by **Ian Parkin** (31 December 2025; "Video hosted by Fred Mills"). It is a shorter write-up with the same ten entries in the same order (titled "The Drone Attack on Chernobyl" for no. 5), image captions crediting **Foster + Partners**, **NEOM**, **EDF Energy** and **California HSR**, and a few extra details: the Labour government was "elected in July 2024", the stuck TBM "Florence" was "eventually freed", and the Hinkley fish deterrent was highlighted "due to its modest projected environmental benefits". It leaves out the jokes and clips, the hospital patient numbers and the Akon City aside. Key facts were cross-checked against [The Straits Times](https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/road-collapses-near-bangkoks-chao-phraya-river-no-injuries-reported-so-far) (Bangkok), the [IAEA](https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/pressreleases/update-276-iaea-director-general-statement-on-situation-in-ukraine) and [Chornobyl NPP](https://chnpp.gov.ua/en/infocenter/news/6313-russian-drone-attacked-new-secure-confinement) (Chernobyl), the [US Department of Transportation](https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/trumps-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffy-pulls-plug-4b-california-high-speed) (California) and [DW](https://www.dw.com/en/stuttgart-21-high-speed-rail-opening-delayed-once-more/a-74805775) / [International Railway Journal](https://www.railjournal.com/regions/europe/db-confirms-stuttgart-21-will-now-open-in-2031-and-cost-another-e3bn/) (Stuttgart). One figure in the auto-captions disagrees with the record: they have Trump "claiming back over **45 billion** US" from California High-Speed Rail, but the July 2025 termination was about **USD $4BN**, so Fred most likely said "over $4 billion". YouTube chapters are used as section headings and line up with the captions. Screenshots come from the 720p stream (format 136). Host: **Fred Mills**. Paid promotion: **none**. The B1M's own plugs: **Brick Borrow**, a LEGO subscription service The B1M has invested in (brickborrow.com). The description also plugs Fred's book ***Mega Builds*** (pre-order), **Get Construction Talking** and *The World's Best Construction Podcast*. Additional footage and images (from the companion article): Bloomberg, NEOM, Foster + Partners, HS2, California High Speed Rail, Deutsche Bahn, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, EDF and Snowy 2.0. Pop-culture clips include *The Simpsons*, HBO's *Chernobyl* and Netflix's *The Diplomat*. ## Outline ### 0:00 Intro - **0:00** "Well, what a year that was." 2025 was "huge for construction": things went up, things came down, and "pretty much everything happen[ed] in between". - **0:09** Thousands of skilled, hardworking people in the industry make shaping the world look easy, "but it's not. Sometimes things can go wrong." - **0:19** The B1M would rather talk about what makes the industry great and doesn't want to make a big deal of it, but "it's the end of the year and everyone loves a big roundup video". So here are **the 10 biggest construction disasters of 2025**. ![[images/The-10-Biggest-Mega-Build-Disasters-of-2025-t0003.webp]] ![[images/The-10-Biggest-Mega-Build-Disasters-of-2025-t0037.webp]] ### 0:41 1 - Bangkok's Metro Collapse - **0:46** News clip: "the dramatic moment in **September** when a huge **sinkhole** tore open a street in **Bangkok**." - **0:56** **40 m** below the surface, work was under way on a new extension of the **Bangkok Metro's Purple Line**, at the site of the new **Vajira Hospital Station**. - **1:06** The problem started when work connecting the **tunnel** to the **station hall** ruptured the ceiling and the tunnel collapsed. - **1:12** The first clue was **water welling up** on the road early in the morning. Then, at **7:13 a.m.**, a **50 m deep** sinkhole opened, "large enough to swallow the **Leaning Tower of Pisa**". - **1:31** "What was the name of that station again?" The sinkhole opened right outside **Vajira Hospital**, home to around **30,000 inpatients** and **700,000 outpatients** a year. - **1:44** The hospital was **evacuated** immediately and, fortunately, there were **no casualties**. Tunnel work was **paused** and has not restarted. ![[images/The-10-Biggest-Mega-Build-Disasters-of-2025-t0056.webp]] ![[images/The-10-Biggest-Mega-Build-Disasters-of-2025-t0086.webp]] ![[images/The-10-Biggest-Mega-Build-Disasters-of-2025-t0100.webp]] ### 1:58 2 - Manchester United's New Stadium - **1:58** "Statistically, most of you watching this video are American", but some will recognise **Old Trafford**, home of **Manchester United**, one of the world's greatest football teams, "or at least they were until their **legendary manager retired in 2013**", after which "they've kind of been rubbish". - **2:16** Like any club with an underperforming team, they decided to build a huge new multi-million-dollar stadium. - **2:23** Britain's most famous club turned to Britain's most famous architect, "the coolest guy you've ever seen in a **purple suit**", **Norman Foster**. - **2:31** His design: a vast **100,000-seat stadium** under a huge **umbrella** that can harvest **sunlight and rainwater**. It was bold and iconic, and "it looked like a huge **circus tent**". - **2:47** Mancunians and "Britain's notoriously savage press" noticed quickly. With the team's form, "the headlines kind of wrote themselves". - **2:56** In **October**, just **7 months** after the plans were announced, it was quietly confirmed the stadium would go ahead "but **without the big top**". (A *Simpsons* clip follows: "I'm going to clown college!") ![[images/The-10-Biggest-Mega-Build-Disasters-of-2025-t0125.webp]] ![[images/The-10-Biggest-Mega-Build-Disasters-of-2025-t0152.webp]] ![[images/The-10-Biggest-Mega-Build-Disasters-of-2025-t0185.webp]] ### 3:22 3 - Saudi Arabia's Giga Projects - **3:16** "Manchester is nowhere near the Premier League of scrapping overly ambitious projects. For that, we need to head to **Saudi Arabia**." - **3:22** It has been 3 years since the country announced **The Line**, a **170 km linear city** in the desert. A slew of other **giga projects** followed, many in the new region of **NEOM**. - **3:43** Everyone said it could never be done. Then Saudi Arabia actually **started building**: a huge **trench** in the desert, endless **piling rigs**, "oceans of concrete", and then... - **4:02** News clip: Saudi Arabia "has asked consulting firms to conduct a **strategic review**" of The Line. - **4:10** "2025 has been a rough year for NEOM." According to the **Financial Times**, work has nearly stopped on almost all NEOM projects, and The Line is "wait for it, **trillions of dollars over budget**". - **4:24** One project that apparently keeps full backing is **Trojena**, a **ski resort** and **artificial lake** in the desert mountains, due to host the **2029 Asian Winter Games**. But in **October**, with less than 4 years to go, NEOM was "still **looking for someone to build it**". ![[images/The-10-Biggest-Mega-Build-Disasters-of-2025-t0210.webp]] ![[images/The-10-Biggest-Mega-Build-Disasters-of-2025-t0232.webp]] ![[images/The-10-Biggest-Mega-Build-Disasters-of-2025-t0266.webp]] ### 4:52 4 - Australia's Snowy 2.0 - **4:45** "Once you're in a hole, you really should stop digging." That leads to **Snowy Hydro**, a vast network of **hydroelectric** plants in **south-east Australia**, the biggest engineering project ever undertaken in the country. - **5:03** **Snowy 2.0** is a successor project that connects two of the original **reservoirs** and creates a new **power plant**. - **5:13** **Florence**, its **tunnel boring machine**, got **stuck** just weeks after it started work. Things weren't going well before that either, and the result was a **cost blowout** that saw the budget **double to nearly USD $8BN** in just **6 months**. - **5:30** Florence had run into **unexpectedly soft ground**. Chief executive **Dennis Barnes**: "We just didn't know it was that soft, clearly." - **5:40** That was back in **2024**. Since then Florence was eventually **freed** and work resumed, "at least for a little bit". - **5:50** Work stopped again in **January** over concerns that **refuge chambers** had not been properly maintained. These are the areas workers shelter in if the tunnel starts to collapse. - **6:01** In **October** a **line-by-line audit** of the entire project was ordered. It is expected to take **9 months** and "it's not going to be cheap". ![[images/The-10-Biggest-Mega-Build-Disasters-of-2025-t0300.webp]] ![[images/The-10-Biggest-Mega-Build-Disasters-of-2025-t0318.webp]] ![[images/The-10-Biggest-Mega-Build-Disasters-of-2025-t0358.webp]] ### 6:15 5 - The Chernobyl Drone Attack - **6:11** "That pales in comparison with a devastating development over in **Ukraine**." (Clip from HBO's *Chernobyl*: "3.6. Not great, not terrible.") - **6:23** **Chernobyl** "had been struck in a **drone attack**" at **2:00 a.m.** on **14 February**. The remains of a **Russian drone** were found in the wreckage. (Chornobyl NPP identified it as a **Shahed**; the auto-captions render the type as "Danto".) - **6:33** The attack blasted a **6 m wide hole** in the **hermetically sealed shelter** over the infamous **Reactor 4**. - **6:39** Worse, the blast ignited the shield's **cladding**, and fire spread inside the roof. It took **several weeks** to put out. - **6:48** How worried should we be? There is **no immediate danger**, but that could change if parts or all of the ageing reactor structure inside began to **collapse**. - **6:59** A **patch** for the roof is being designed, but in the long run it looks unlikely the shield can ever be **fully repaired**. ![[images/The-10-Biggest-Mega-Build-Disasters-of-2025-t0385.webp]] ![[images/The-10-Biggest-Mega-Build-Disasters-of-2025-t0395.webp]] ![[images/The-10-Biggest-Mega-Build-Disasters-of-2025-t0418.webp]] ### 7:11 6 - China's New London Embassy - **7:12** Netflix's **Ambassador Kate Wyler** (*The Diplomat*) returned to screens this year in "the very fancy embassy building which we featured on the channel", but "she's not the only hotshot ambassador in town". - **7:20** This "may or may not be" the site of the new **Chinese embassy** in the UK. If all had gone to plan, it would probably be built by now. Instead the saga has had "so many plot twists": "your season 2 roundup of *The Diplomat*, Chinese embassy edition". - **7:41** In **2021** China wanted to build a new embassy in **London**, but officials were worried about a **gigantic unmarked basement** in the plans. China "absolutely promised not to use it for spying", but **planning permission was denied** on security grounds. - **7:55** Then Britain had an **election**, and the new government was "a lot friendlier to China". China resubmitted its plans, and the minister responsible promised to oversee the application personally. - **8:07** Everyone assumed she would approve it, but a month before her decision she **resigned over a scandal**. - **8:10** Then Britain's **spy chiefs** sounded the alarm over **Chinese spies recruiting British MPs over LinkedIn**, and the embassy again looked doomed. - **8:18** In **November** it was leaked that Prime Minister **Keir Starmer** was expected to **approve** the build. - **8:27** At the time of publishing there was no official announcement and no clear deadline, so "by the time this video comes out, the whole thing could have been approved and built, or not, maybe. Who knows?" ![[images/The-10-Biggest-Mega-Build-Disasters-of-2025-t0440.webp]] ![[images/The-10-Biggest-Mega-Build-Disasters-of-2025-t0470.webp]] ![[images/The-10-Biggest-Mega-Build-Disasters-of-2025-t0495.webp]] ### 8:40 7 - Britain's Hinkley Point C - **8:38** "What has the price of fish got to do with Britain's newest **nuclear power station**?" - **8:43** **Hinkley Point C** is a vast new plant that can supply **7% of the UK's electricity**. But Britain "hasn't built anything like it in **30 years**" and "has gotten a little bit rusty". - **8:58** **Labour and material shortages** and disruption from **COVID** and **Brexit** have sent the bill soaring to **£48BN**, making it potentially **the most expensive nuclear power plant in history**. - **9:10** An even bigger issue: **salmon**. In **November** a **government report** found the plans included a **£700M acoustic deterrent** to protect local marine life. - **9:23** The British press "had a bit of a field day", especially when the so-called **fish disco** was estimated to save only **one salmon every 12 years**. ![[images/The-10-Biggest-Mega-Build-Disasters-of-2025-t0528.webp]] ![[images/The-10-Biggest-Mega-Build-Disasters-of-2025-t0548.webp]] ### 9:39 8 - Germany's Stuttgart 21 - **9:35** With its engineering prowess and **Vorsprung durch Technik**, Germany is a country "you'd expect to have really good infrastructure, right? Well, wrong." - **9:45** The state of Germany's railways "crashed onto the scene" during the **Euros in 2024** (clips of fans complaining that "not a single train has been on time"). - **10:00** Efforts are being made to upgrade the network "to something at least functional". The flagship project is **Stuttgart 21**: turn the city's main **terminus** into a **through station** and make it a **regional hub**. - **10:17** It has not been that simple. One big problem is the **gradient** of the tracks in the tunnels. Regulations allow a maximum of **0.25%**, but the tunnels at Stuttgart are laid to **1.51%**, so trains could **roll away from the platform** under their own momentum. - **10:37** More recently, problems have emerged with the new **signalling system**, designed to phase out old-fashioned lights. "Details are light", but a series of risks have emerged and "the whole upgrade is stuck on red". - **10:48** If you were invited to the grand **opening party in 2026**, "it's unfortunately been **cancelled**." ![[images/The-10-Biggest-Mega-Build-Disasters-of-2025-t0595.webp]] ![[images/The-10-Biggest-Mega-Build-Disasters-of-2025-t0615.webp]] ![[images/The-10-Biggest-Mega-Build-Disasters-of-2025-t0632.webp]] ### 10:56 9 - California High-Speed Rail - **10:54** While Germany struggles with engineering, one of America's flagship rail projects is being held up "for a very different reason". - **11:03** **California High-Speed Rail** has suffered **delays and cost blowouts** since it broke ground in **2015**. Buying land in one of the most expensive parts of the country "costs quite a bit of money". - **11:16** **President Trump** has never been a fan. He tried to pull funding in his **first term**, and in **July 2025** he tried again, clawing back federal funding (the auto-captions say "over 45 billion"; the US DOT figure is about **USD $4BN**). That is being **challenged in the courts**, and no resolution is expected soon. - **11:34** It is not the only US project short of cash. The **record-breaking government shutdown** in **October** played havoc with projects across the country. - **11:41** Worst hit was New York's **Hudson Tunnel / Gateway Program**, one of the most critical tunnel schemes in the country. **USD $18BN** in federal funding was **frozen**, and Trump even declared he had **terminated** the project. "Where we go from here is anyone's guess." ![[images/The-10-Biggest-Mega-Build-Disasters-of-2025-t0665.webp]] ![[images/The-10-Biggest-Mega-Build-Disasters-of-2025-t0690.webp]] ![[images/The-10-Biggest-Mega-Build-Disasters-of-2025-t0710.webp]] ### 12:01 10 - Britain's High-Speed 2 (HS2) - **12:02** No list of disastrous rail projects would be complete without "that old favourite", **HS2**. Britain "may have invented the railways **200 years ago**, but it's not gone very well since." - **12:16** The ill-fated line was meant to link **London** with several destinations in the **north of England**. In **2020** construction began in London. - **12:24** "A cynic would say" they started in London because the project was unpopular, so the government would not have to commit to the full network and could **scrap parts** if the route got too controversial. "Of course, that would never happen. Although, that's literally exactly what happened." - **12:42** Today HS2 is **335 km shorter**, **£68BN more expensive**, and no one really knows when it will be finished. - **12:55** What's new? In **October** a **29 km section** linking HS2 to the rest of the **main-line network** was **deprioritised**, so it won't be finished for **another 4 years**. "At this stage, who's even still counting?" - **13:09** "So, there you have it": the 10 biggest construction fails of 2025. "We ran out of time" to talk about **Akon's new city in Senegal**, which was **officially scrapped**. - **13:19** If you've had enough **Schadenfreude** and want to see some truly impressive mega projects in 2026, "we've got your back". Subscribe to The B1M. - **13:30** Closing plug: The B1M's **investment in Brick Borrow**, a **LEGO subscription service** (brickborrow.com), "inspiring the next generation of builders". ![[images/The-10-Biggest-Mega-Build-Disasters-of-2025-t0730.webp]] ![[images/The-10-Biggest-Mega-Build-Disasters-of-2025-t0762.webp]] ![[images/The-10-Biggest-Mega-Build-Disasters-of-2025-t0790.webp]] ## Things mentioned ### The ten disasters 1. **Bangkok Metro Purple Line extension / Vajira Hospital Station** (Bangkok, Thailand): a tunnel-to-station connection ruptured and a **50 m deep** sinkhole opened at **7:13 a.m.** in September. The hospital was evacuated, no one was hurt, and work is paused. Not in the video: it happened on **24 September 2025** on Samsen Road in Dusit district, and the crater was about **30 m × 30 m** ([The Straits Times](https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/road-collapses-near-bangkoks-chao-phraya-river-no-injuries-reported-so-far)). 2. **New Manchester United stadium** (next to Old Trafford): a **100,000-seat** design by **Foster + Partners** with a sunlight- and rainwater-harvesting **umbrella canopy**. In October the club confirmed the stadium would go ahead without the canopy. 3. **NEOM** (Saudi Arabia): **The Line** (a **170 km** linear city) and other **giga projects** are under a **strategic review**, with work nearly stopped (Financial Times). **Trojena**, a ski resort and artificial lake for the **2029 Asian Winter Games**, still had no builder in October 2025. 4. **Snowy 2.0** (Snowy Hydro, NSW, Australia): **pumped hydro** linking two existing reservoirs. The TBM **Florence** got stuck in soft ground, the budget doubled to **nearly USD $8BN** (video figure), work halted in January over **refuge chambers**, and a **9-month audit** was ordered in October. 5. **Chernobyl New Safe Confinement** (Ukraine): a **6 m** hole and a weeks-long roof fire after a **Russian drone** strike on **14 February 2025**. Not in the video: the IAEA confirmed the roughly 6 m hole through both outer and inner cladding ([IAEA](https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/pressreleases/update-276-iaea-director-general-statement-on-situation-in-ukraine)), and the plant identified the drone as a **Shahed** striking at an elevation of **87 m** ([ChNPP](https://chnpp.gov.ua/en/infocenter/news/6313-russian-drone-attacked-new-secure-confinement)). 6. **Chinese embassy in London**: refused in **2021** over an **unmarked basement**, resubmitted after the election, delayed by the minister's resignation and MI5 warnings, and reported in November to be heading for approval. Not in the video: the site is **Royal Mint Court** near the Tower of London, and the government **approved** the plans on **20 January 2026** ([Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-approves-china-plan-its-largest-embassy-europe-despite-espionage-fears-2026-01-20/)). 7. **Hinkley Point C** (Somerset, UK): **7%** of UK electricity, **£48BN** (video figure). The **£700M acoustic fish deterrent** ("fish disco") was estimated to save **one salmon every 12 years**. 8. **Stuttgart 21** (Germany): converting the **terminus** into an underground **through station**. Platform tunnels are laid at **1.51%** against a **0.25%** regulatory maximum, there are risks in the new **digital signalling**, and the **2026 opening** was cancelled. Not in the video: Deutsche Bahn dropped the December 2026 date in **November 2025** over the **Digital Node Stuttgart** (with **Hitachi**) ([DW](https://www.dw.com/en/stuttgart-21-high-speed-rail-opening-delayed-once-more/a-74805775)), and in **June 2026** set a phased plan with the new main station opening in **December 2031** ([IRJ](https://www.railjournal.com/regions/europe/db-confirms-stuttgart-21-will-now-open-in-2031-and-cost-another-e3bn/)). 9. **California High-Speed Rail**: broke ground in **2015**. Federal funds were pulled in **July 2025** (about **USD $4BN** per [US DOT](https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/trumps-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffy-pulls-plug-4b-california-high-speed); the auto-captions say "45 billion"), and the move is being challenged in court. Also the **Hudson Tunnel Project / Gateway Program** (New York–New Jersey): **USD $18BN** frozen during the **October 2025 government shutdown**. 10. **HS2** (UK): construction began in **2020**. It is now **335 km shorter** and **£68BN more expensive** (video figures), and in October 2025 a **29 km** connection to the main line was **deprioritised** by about 4 years. ### Also mentioned - **Akon City** (Senegal): the singer Akon's planned city, "officially scrapped" - **Snowy Hydro** (the original Snowy Mountains Scheme), "the biggest engineering project ever undertaken" in Australia - **Old Trafford**; the **Premier League**; **Euro 2024** (Germany) - The **Leaning Tower of Pisa** (scale comparison for the sinkhole) ### Engineering and construction terms - **Tunnel–station interface** failure and **ground loss** (Bangkok) - **Tunnel boring machine** (TBM) stuck in **soft ground**; **refuge chambers** (Snowy 2.0) - **Hermetically sealed** confinement and **cladding** fire (Chernobyl) - **Acoustic fish deterrent** (Hinkley Point C) - **Track gradient** limits (0.25% vs 1.51%) and runaway risk; **digital signalling** replacing lineside lights (Stuttgart 21) - **Piling rigs** and trench excavation (The Line) - **Strategic review**, **line-by-line audit**, **deprioritisation** and **funding termination** ### Figures - Bangkok: **40 m** deep works, **50 m** sinkhole, **30,000** inpatients and **700,000** outpatients a year at Vajira Hospital - Manchester United: **100,000** seats; plans dropped the canopy **7 months** after launch - The Line: **170 km**, "trillions" over budget - Snowy 2.0: budget doubled to **nearly USD $8BN** in **6 months**; **9-month** audit - Chernobyl: **6 m** hole; fire burned for **several weeks** - Hinkley Point C: **7%** of UK power, **£48BN**, **£700M** fish deterrent, **1 salmon / 12 years** - Stuttgart 21: **0.25%** allowed vs **1.51%** built - Gateway: **USD $18BN** frozen - HS2: **335 km** shorter, **£68BN** more expensive, **29 km** link delayed **4 years** ### People and organisations - **Fred Mills** (host); **Ian Parkin** (companion article author) - **Norman Foster** / **Foster + Partners**; **Manchester United** - **NEOM**; the **Financial Times** - **Snowy Hydro**; **Dennis Barnes** (CEO) - **Keir Starmer** (Prime Minister); Britain's spy chiefs (**MI5**) - **EDF** (Hinkley Point C developer, footage) - **Deutsche Bahn** - **Donald Trump**; **California High-Speed Rail Authority** - **Akon** - Footage: Bloomberg, NEOM, Foster + Partners, HS2, California High Speed Rail, Deutsche Bahn, EBRD, EDF and Snowy 2.0 - Pop culture: *The Simpsons* (Homer, "clown college"), HBO's *Chernobyl* ("3.6. Not great, not terrible."), Netflix's *The Diplomat* (**Kate Wyler**, Hal Wyler) ### Places - **Thailand** (Bangkok); **UK** (Manchester, London, Somerset); **Saudi Arabia** (NEOM, Trojena); **Australia** (Snowy Mountains); **Ukraine** (Chernobyl); **Germany** (Stuttgart); **USA** (California, New York); **Senegal**; **Italy** (Pisa) ### The B1M - **Brick Borrow** (LEGO subscription service, a B1M investment; closing plug) - ***Mega Builds*** (Fred's book, pre-order link in the description) - **Get Construction Talking**; *The World's Best Construction Podcast* - Earlier B1M videos referenced: the Chernobyl drone strike ("Earlier this year, we covered...") and the "very fancy" embassy building from *The Diplomat* ## Biographies ### Fred Mills Co-founder and on-camera host of **The B1M**. He presents this year-end roundup with plenty of jokes ("most of you watching this video are American"; "who's even still counting?"). He frames it as a once-a-year look at what went wrong in an industry the channel usually celebrates. ### Ian Parkin Writer at **The B1M** and author of the companion article *[The 10 Biggest Construction Fails of 2025](https://www.theb1m.com/video/10-biggest-construction-fails-of-2025)* (31 December 2025). It condenses the script into short entries with image captions and leaves out the jokes and clips. ### Norman Foster British architect (Lord Foster of Thames Bank), founder of **Foster + Partners**. Fred calls him "Britain's most famous architect and the coolest guy you've ever seen in a purple suit". His umbrella-canopy design for Manchester United's 100,000-seat stadium was mocked as a circus tent, and the canopy was dropped. ### Dennis Barnes Chief executive of **Snowy Hydro**. He is quoted on the stuck TBM Florence: "We just didn't know it was that soft, clearly." ### Keir Starmer UK Prime Minister, reported in November 2025 to be expected to approve China's London embassy. (Not in the video: the approval came on 20 January 2026.) ### Donald Trump US President. He tried to pull California High-Speed Rail funding in his first term and again in July 2025, and declared he had "terminated" New York's Gateway tunnel project during the October 2025 shutdown. ### Akon Senegalese-American singer and entrepreneur whose planned **Akon City** in Senegal is mentioned at the end as "officially scrapped".