Rising 182 meters above the banks of the river Narmada in India, the Statue of Unity is the tallest such structure ever built. Constructed in just 33 months, the iconic depiction of Sardar Patel—India’s first deputy prime minister—was designed to endure wind speeds up to 112 miles per hour and earthquakes measuring up to 6.5 on the Richter Scale. A tuned mass damper system provides additional stabilization.

Towering above a star-shaped geometric base that covers the entire Sadhu Hill, the figure has a slender width-to-height ratio. It required a structural system consisting of two reinforced concrete cores and a reinforced concrete podium and foundation resting on solid rock in the middle of a river. Each core houses a high-speed elevator leading to a viewing gallery at the 135 m level. Above the podium level, the statue is clad with 6,500 bronze panels supported by structural steelwork fixed onto the concrete cores.

Judges praised the compelling subject matter and significant international cooperation needed to complete the project.

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