The monument and its surroundings will be as spectacular as they are expensive. The crucial requirement is that the statue still be functional a thousand years from now, and this requirement is influencing nearly all aspects of architectural design and material selection. Bronze has been the traditional choice for Buddha statues for thousands of years because it is relatively easy to cast and is considered, in Tibetan Buddhist tradition, a semi-precious metal akin to gold and silver. But traditional alloys of bronze are difficult to weld and not corrosion resistant enough to last a millennium. That's where nickel enters into the design.
Nickel helps provide strength and toughness and improves corrosion resistance.
The alloy is also suitable for welding, allowing builders to construct individual plates of outer skin that can be welded together on the ground before being hoisted up the scaffolding. To allow for thermal expansion and contraction, each bronze plate will likely be fixed to the structure using a flexible swivel joint. The skin will be about 15 millimetres thick and require 2,500 tonnes of bronze, or the equivalent of 125 tonnes of nickel. Casting is expected to take place in India. For the primary structure, at the core of the statue, the designers are considering mild steel or concrete reinforced with stainless steel.