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Commercial Construction ProjectsOur Lady of Angels Cathedral Our
Lady of Angels Cathedral in Los Angeles, California is the third largest cathedral
in the world. In fact, the main sanctuary is 333 feet long - built one foot longer
(intentionally) than St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York.
The visionary for
this building, Cardinal Roger Mahoney, dreamed of a cathedral that would rival
any of the wonders in Europe, that would stand for centuries and give comfort
to all who entered its doors. He believed the only way to achieve his dream was
to find people who could truly work together as a team on this immense project,
and so Mahoney carefully chose design architect Jose Rafael Moneo, executive architect
Leo A. Daly, structural engineer Nabih Youssef. The general contractor for this
project was Morley Construction Company. A project as detailed and large
as Our Lady of Angels presented some unique challenges to the commercial construction
company and architect. For example, the original design of Our Lady of the Angels
cathedral was based on a complex coordination system that didn't readily lend
itself to building forms and positioning reinforced steel. Because of that, the
design had to be converted to true dimensions. The new design incorporated information
for the embedded elements, making the job much easier for everyone involved. Because
the cathedral was to be located in California, it was imperative that the structure
be resistant to earthquakes. In fact, Our Lady of the Angels replaced the smaller
former Cathedral of Saint Vibiana, which was severely damaged in the 1994 Northridge
Earthquake. To achieve this, Youssef designed 149 elastomeric base isolators that
would support the 125 million pound building. These isolators were designed allow
the cathedral to move 27 inches in either direction, and moderate earthquake forces
by 75%. If this system was not in place, the cement walls would likely crack during
a quake. The cathedral is built to withstand an earthquake of 8.4, greater than
Los Angeles has seen in  Most
commercial construction companies will tell you that the majority of jobs are
about columns and decks. The cathedral was all about the walls. Its walls are
as high in some places as 130 feet, made of lightly sandblasted concrete, and
vary in thickness from one to five feet. The construction company used highly
fluid concrete, poured into watertight forms in order to achieve uniform color
consistency. The corners were so sharp and perfectly consolidated that visitors
to the site thought they were precast.
Perfect was the buzzword on this
project. With up to 15 ten-man crews working simultaneously, the walls were numbered
and every detail had to be signed off on by the structural engineer and architect
before they could even be poured. And most perfect - and challenging - of all
was the 70-foot high concrete cross behind the alter. It weighs in at almost 2
million pounds and is supported only by the arms, which is actually a wall tied
into the 17 foot deep main concrete girders. The cathedral boasts 25,000
pound bronze doors, a steeply pitched entrance hall, and seating capacity for
3,000. Also on the site are an educational center, a 156 foot tall bell tower,
a 2 ½ acre outdoor plaza, and the burial place for actor Gregory Peck.
Cardinal Mahoney resides on the grounds of the cathedral he dreamed of, planned
for, and oversaw for the three years it took to complete at a total cost of $200
million |
