Nyoman Nuarta.

Constructing a statue that is expected to eclipse the Statue of Liberty is definitely no easy feat.

In its final form, the GWK statue will be 75 meters tall with a wingspan of 64 meters. The statue will stand on a lofty pedestal that will bring the total height of the monument to 126 meters, some 30 meters taller than the Statue of Liberty in the US. The outer skin of the statue is 22,000 square meters and its volume is eleven times that of the Statue of Liberty.

'€œIt will stand at 276 meters above sea-level, which is lower than the 280 meters recommended by the Ministry of Transportation,'€ project manager Djuki Ridwan said, adding that the recommended height was necessary for flight safety since the statue will be lay only ten kilometers from the busy Ngurah Rai international airport.

Djuki and his team calculated that the statue, which was constructed with copper and brass skin, a stainless steel framework, steel skeleton, and steel and concrete core column, will weigh 3,000 tons upon its completion.

'€œIf we want to build a structure with that height and weight then we must consider everything. At the top of our consideration is the safety of the structure,'€

Nuarta had invited experts of relevant fields from across the globe to review the statue'€™s design and materials. The result was a final design and building plan incorporating materials that would ensure the statue would withstand a 7.5-Richter scale earthquake.

Workers apply special coating on the copper and brass skin of the statue.
'€œWe have also sent the statue model for a wind tunnel test in Melbourne to study the impact of high-speed winds on the structure. Following the wind test we have made several adjustments to the design. We will send the model for another wind tunnel test in a laboratory in Toronto,'€ Nuarta said.

Using a lift, the plan was for visitors to be able to enter the spacious chamber in the chest of the Garuda, from where they can enjoy the majestic view of southern Bali. This was a good plan except for one issue: temperatures may reach 60 degrees Celsius inside the statue.

'€œWe have encountered similar problems in the past when we built the 60 meter-tall Jalesveva Jayamahe monument for the Indonesian Navy back in mid 1990s. We finally solved the problem by using special thermal insulation material in the interior of the statue.  The same method will be used in GWK,'€ Nuarta said, adding that the insulation will reduce the heat by more than 50 percent.

Nuarta and his team will hold a groundbreaking ceremony at the statue site on Aug. 23.