Sculpture takes flight

Resoration and relocation of Massimo Scolari's architechtural sculpture Aliante on top of the School of Architecture in S. Marta, Venice, was carried out by Italian company Unitecnica. The company rented a Barin AP 60/30 articulated boom from rental specialist Gruppo Venpa3 to help a team of four woodmen clad the steel structure with wood panels.

The Aliante (which means Glider) sculpture was inspired by a painting by Massimo Scolari and the sculpture was created for the 1991 Biennale Di Venezia exhibition. Aliante consists of two big wings made from wood sheets which symbolise the passing of time.

Aliante is supported at an angle on the School of Architecture's roof; the steel frame has been designed to ensure the sculpture can withstand all weather conditions.

The original boards needed cleaning and some needed replacing before Aliante could be re-sited. It took four woodmen, 18 days to assemble the sculpture with the help of the Barin boom. The AP 60/30 can get operators to a working height of 60m and the five element telescopic boom and three element telescopic jib allows the machine to negotiate the most multifaceted job sites.

Outriggers can be employed in three positions and can be employed on just one side of the machine which allows the boom into restricted ground spaces.