The Building Worker

The Building Worker, also known as the Unknown Construction Worker, is a bronze statue and memorial dedicated to construction workers who have died in Great Britain while on building sites. It is a bronze statue resting on a granite pedestal and located at Tower Bridge Piazza in Tower Hill, London. It is loosely based on Michelangelo's David statue and depicts a man wearing a worker's uniform holding a spirit level. It was sculpted by Alan Wilson and cost £100,000. The statue was unveiled in 2006 following a four-year fundraising effort by the Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians (UCATT) with support from politicians, including London Mayor Ken Livingstone. Each year on International Workers' Memorial Day workers gather to lay wreaths and release balloons in remembrance of those who died during the previous year on construction sites. It is one of many public artworks throughout the city depicting workers.