World’s Tallest Statue Rises Above Gujarat, India

A 600-foot towering sculpture of India’s first Deputy Prime Minister Sardar Vallabhai Patel comes to life on the Narmada River. The sculpture was designed and master planned by Michael Graves Architecture & Design (MGA&D). The statue itself was designed by Indian sculptor Ram V. Sutar and reaches nearly 50 stories high. It sits on a three-tiered base which boosts it to its record-setting status.

This imposing bronze work, with its sculptured base, sits on its own riverine island, which is connected to the mainland by both pedestrian and vehicle bridges. The Statue of Unity is anchored with two structural concrete cores, which support the steel framework of the project. Attached to the framework are over 2,000 tons of exterior bronze paneling. It is designed by MGA&D to be an occupiable structure and act as the centerpiece for a resort that is coming to life around the statue. A viewing platform in the chest of the statue is approximately at 500 feet in altitude, offering magnificent and breathtaking views of the surrounding area. One of the biggest challenges in the statue, being shaped in a non-symmetrical pose was properly orienting the statue to the base and accommodating zig-zagging elevators inside the statue’s slowing robes.

Sardar Vallabhai Patel was a central figure in the Indian independence struggle as well as the unification of India’s 567 British states into one country. A rammed earth wall, constructed from dirt taken from every state in India, is used at the statue’s base as a background for the national flag.  This impressive statue and monument took eight years to design and four years to build at a cost of over $460 million dollars.

From the ADG Jobsite

Finishing an install of our art deco cast bronze pendant. Thanks Angie Socias!

by Gerald Olesker, CEO, ADG Lighting