India has officially inaugurated a 182-metre-high statue designed by Indian sculptor Ram V Sutar and created by Michael Graves Architecture and Design. It will open to the public tommorow.
Today is a day that will be remembered in the history of India.
No Indian will ever forget this day: PM @narendramodi pic.twitter.com/2cAbUyZrq8
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) October 31, 2018
The tower depicts Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel the founding father of the Republic of India and is expected to attract around 15,000 tourists each day.
The Statue of Unity stands at 240 metres ( four times the size of the Statue of Liberty ) and is made from scrap metal collected from around the country. The use of scrap metal is thought to reference Patel’s nickname as India’s “Iron Man”.
A steel space frame was extended from the statues core. Two 250 tonne tuned mass dampers were placed at chest height to control the sway in high winds.
The two reinforced concrete cores containing the lifts which form the centre of the statue can be seen during the early phase of construction.
22,000 meters-squared of indivdual bronze panels were then hung from the frame to create its shape. This ‘skin’ weighs in at over 2,000 tonnes. Over time these panels are set to patina turning the statue the same green hue associated with the Statue of Liberty.
Lifts will transport vistiors to a 153m viewing platform.
Left to Right Statue of Unity 240 m (incl. 58 m base); Spring Temple Buddha 153 m (incl. 25 m pedestal and 20 m throne); Statue of Liberty 93 m (incl. 47 m pedestal); The Motherland Calls 87 m (incl. 2 m pedestal); Christ the Redeemer 38 m (incl. 8 m pedestal); Statue of David 5.17 m (excl. 2.5m plinth)
It required nearly 210,000 cubic metres of cement, 25,000 tonnes of steel and 1,700 tonnes of bronze and took four years to build.
The statue has attracted criticism for its price tag. The total cost is thought to be around £314 million.
This is more than seven times as expensive as the worlds second largest statue – the 128m Spring Temple Buddha in Henan provience China – which cost a mere £42 million.
The statue sits on top of a exhibition hall (in the base) and is topped by a memorial garden. The statue is 2 miles outside the town of Kevadia.
