GMM assists in creating "Water for Europe"
“Water for Europe” — a sculpture carved from 24 tons of Cresciano granite — was created with technology from GMM S.p.A.
SAINT GOTTHARD-MASSIF, SWITZERLAND — At Swiss Expo 2015, which was held in Saint Gotthard-Massif, Switzerland, a massive monolith — named “Water for Europe” and made from 24 tons of carved Cresciano granite — was on display. The sculpture, which represents the mountainous Alpine region that is the source of four major European rivers, was designed and fabricated by Ongaro Granites Co. The company turned to Italian machine manufacturer Gmm S.p.A. to provide the technologies needed to create the monolith.
A three-dimensional computer model was used as a basis for the CAD CAM software to generate the working process on the natural stone. The work was carried out with three types of different tools/processing. A blade was used to carve the material, followed by a machine that gave the material a further rough texture. The final step was performed with a milling tool.
The professional process set up at Ongaro Granites Co.’s facility — combined with the use of high-tech machinery produced and provided by Gmm S.p.A along with the use of the most advanced technologies to process granite — has allowed the creation of a work that at first glance seemed almost impossible: to marry the definition of a topographic map to the structure of the rock.
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