The adventure park's 15-meter giant statue was given a durable polyurea coating

Adventure park Hiidenlinna, Finland
Artist Kimmo Takarautio specialiced in creating giant statues

Case

This 15 meter tall giant statue, guards visitors at the entrance to the adventure park. The giant is not only a skillfully crafted art instalment but also an exciting experience. The top of the head has a look out spot with a great view of the surroundings. The tail of the giant is also a slide, where children and brave adults can slide down. The staircase inside the giant is built on a concrete pad foundation. "I protected the stairs with a sheet and used a big sprayer to spray polyurethane foam on the sheet," Takarautio explains. The fast-swelling polyurethane foam is a very durable, long-lasting and environmentally friendly material that can be recycled or burned for energy production. The outdoor attraction is expected to gain many visitors over the upcoming years in harsh, ever-changing northern European weather conditions, which set the requirements for the coating solution. “It was important that all the materials, coatings and paints used in the work will last wear year after year well," Takarautio emphasizes.

Solution

The surface is protected by the strong and flexible TEKNOPUR 300 polyurea coating, which withstands heavy wear and extreme mechanical stress. The clothes, beard and skin of the giant were finalised using TEKNODUR 0110 polyurethane top coats, suitable for polyurea coating and resistant to UV radiation, mechanical stress and weather. The durability of the colours was ensured by using the full-matt TEKNODUR 0210 camouflage varnish.

“When I heard that Teknos makes polyurea coating, I was immediately interested. I was familiar with polyurea as a coating from before, but I absolutely wanted to order the product from a Finnish manufacturer,” Takarautio says.

When the artist contacted them, Teknos’ technical specialists were pleased. “This project has been a nice change of pace for us, because polyurea coating is mainly used for industrial sites, such as steel structures, bitumen membrane roofing, concrete pools and floors, and many other sites that require extreme durability,” says Jan Åkerlund, Teknos’ expert on polyurea.

Customer Quote

"The conditions were quite windy when we were coating the giant, but there was barely any overspray. Because it was such a large surface and polyurea is so heavy, there was no waste of coating and it hit the target rather well. TEKNOPUR 300 is a great product, I have already ordered it to my next construction site," says Kimmo Takarautio.