Next were the hands

A steel "tree" was constructed to support all of the 9 pieces that made up the head. It was designed to support 100,000 lbs. Because of our rainy location we included a 30' X 30' umbrella so we could work in the rain.

A ferrocement shell varying from 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 inches thick was made from a stainless steel armature covered with layers of  stainless steel wire mesh. A shotcrete mix was sprayed onto the steel mesh and finished. We merged three different 3D Buddha models to create the look that was desired.  Rhino 3D was the software used for all of our design work and construction. 

The structural engineer designed the structural core. Solid concrete floors every 10' and plenty of columns, beams, shear walls, core walls and stairway.

First floor. MMFX rebar was used throughout for extreme durability. The concrete mix included corrosion resistant additives. The monastery wants the statue to last for 1000 years.

5' X 10' sheets of 316 stainless steel 1/4" or 3/8" thick were layed onto the plasma cutter. The cutter would stamp a code onto each fin and then cut it out of the sheet to be assembled like a puzzle and welded into the armature.

3D software allowed us to make profiles anywhere along the statue outline. These outline profiles were sent to a CNC plasma cutter to be cut into the "fins" to be welded to create the armature

Meanwhile others were working on the precast elements that would be built at ground level and hoisted into position later.

2nd floor. Podium level.

Walls and floors begin to take shape

Buddha Statue

All concrete other than the structural components were mixed by hand to give us better control .

Lotus petals around the perimeter were the final touch

The local county building department gave us the final approval in July of 2024. I retired the following day. This project was my swan song. Although there were big days when we had to call for more help, almost all of the structure was built by a crew of 7 remarkable men. My son is taking over the business and I'm on my lanai enjoying the view. 

We finally were ready to start lifting the head. It had to be done on three different occasions as the parts had to be made incrementally

I’ve made a career as a concrete contractor working almost exclusively with ferrocement for the past 40 years. Our primary business has been water tanks but we have worked on many other custom projects as well. See pacificgunite.com. I was contacted by a local monastery in 2015 and was asked if I would build them a 110’ tall statue of the Buddha. Sure I would. They had no design, just a concept. After 2 years of design, engineering and permitting we began construction. The statue is complete now after 7 years of construction..