Mechincal engineering has led to formations of great structures that have made the world a better living place. Bridges, highways, roads, infrastructural projects, etc. have all been a gift from super efficient mechanical engineers from around the world.

Sculpting is a creative side of mechanical engineers that has been lesser known to the world. When you see beautiful architectures on the airports or the hotel lobbies, a few people know that a mechanical engineer would have mastered his art to deliver such a visual delight. So next time you see a masterpiece fountain or a sculpture at the University campus, in the hospital garden or even museums, you might think involvement of masterful mechanical engineering in the same.

Birch Engineering has been approached by Rick Kirby to construct a stainless steel frame for his latest work

The face has taken Rick four months to create in his own work shop before being transprted to Birch for the manufacture of the structual framework to begin.

The overall size of the face is 4.5M in Height and 3M in width.

The face will be with Birch for the next 4 weeks while the framework is installed and the rear of the face finished before being transported to Wigan for installation.

More of Rick Kirby’s work can be found on his website www.rickkirby.com

It has now been agreed the location of the new sculpture, which will be erected on the new Dehaviland Campus. It was due to be erected ready for the start of term 29th of September. This now looks more likely to be October/November.

The success of Anthony Gormley’s ‘Angel of the North’, since it’s 20 meter high, 53 meter wide wingspan was first raised aloft the Gates head skyline in 1995, has seen an increasing popularity for commissioning high-profile, large scale public sculpture for any number of urban and landscape projects across the country. Much media attention and controversy was recently focused on the 9 meter high bronze sculpture of a couple locked in an intimate pose, installed at the newly-opened St Pancreas International Station.

 Birch Engineering have been at the heart of specialist steel, plastics and glass sculpture manufacture to the professional artist / maker community for over 20 years. Established sculptors such Diane MacLean, Rick Kirby, John Farnham, Ivor Abrahams  to name a few  regularly call upon us to realize their pieces to the absolute highest standards of quality and durability technically achievable, which will also find their high-profile place in many outdoor public commissions.

 Some of our finest examples of immaculate stainless steel finish to be found across the UK, range as far apart as Diane’s 12 metre high double-helix Mirror Polished Stainless Steel work, entitled ‘DNA (New Discovery)’ at East Dock Dundee to ‘Propeller’, an 8 metre high Coloured Stainless Steel column, shining high into the sky at Heathrow Airport. And a Huge Piece entitled “Mountain” commissioned for the Museum of Natural History which now resided at the University of Hertfordshire Stretching out over 20 M long and over 7m Tall.

All in Mirror polished Stainless Steel.