Tian Tan Buddha

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As the world's tallest outdoor bronze Buddha statue, this statue has attracted believers and tourists from around the world. The bronze Buddha is also a study in skilled engineering. in an effort to reduce costs, it was designed to be built on a podium and columns designed to support a reinforced concrete statue with a different centre of gravity.

Taking inspiration from New York's Statue of Liberty a structural steel frame supports the bronze skin. The 202 cast bronze pieces, steel truss and secondary support weigh under 300 tones, less than half the weight of a reinforced concrete structure of the same size.

The pieces are welded together and expansion and contraction of the metal was skillfully taken care of by the use of a moveable secondary steel frame which in turn was supported by a space frame. It has attracted world wide attention and been a top tourist destination.

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