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St. Clare Catholic Church

The new St. Clare Catholic Church in O’Fallon, Ill., was created to provide a feeling of “timelessness” through a connection to Assisi, Italy and St. Clare’s history, all while providing a contemporary building and achieving design performance standards. This facility is the first in a multi-phase master plan, so its form, proportions, materials, patterns, textures and design elements will set the tone for all future parish facilities.

The church creates a strong visual impact using a combination of rock-faced and smooth CMU veneers, precast concrete arches and lintels, aluminum windows, and heavy-laminated, terra-cotta-colored asphalt shingles. The building also features a large entry portal, designed to accommodate large liturgical processions, and 13-foot-tall, unique mahogany doors.

Masonry and precast concrete details carry into the church interior, which is filled with natural light from clerestory windows that highlight the space”s exposed glulam structure and decking. The polished concrete floor of the church complements the stained wood pews and stone tile details in the sanctuary. The high central ceiling above the Sanctuary is painted blue as a reflection of historical Catholic churches in Europe, with dimmable custom pendant lighting that was designed to up-light the structure and blue ceiling while giving the sense of individually lit candles.

The design team was able to create a column-free structural system that allows for favorable sightlines from any pew, superior acoustical design for music and the spoken word, as well as a “tomb”-shaped Baptistery that can accommodate full-immersion baptisms. This religious facility provides classical reverent space, while showcasing an innovative application of the Tilt-Up method. At the north end of the building, the use of 10-foot wide panels, which were stitched together and field cut to create a 16-foot wide opening, replaced the originally called for 20-foot wide panels.

The overall look was still achieved, but with less equipment constraints. By substituting steel braced frames with concrete Tilt-Up walls, the contractor was able to save money and eliminate the need for 70-foot scaffolding during construction. Despite structural and architectural challenges, this project delivered for the needs of the client as well as the community.

 
Main banner image for St. Clare Catholic Church

Project Location

O'Fallon, IL 62269
United States

TILT-UP ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

The Tilt-Up Achievement Awards were established to honor projects that use site-cast tilt-up concrete to introduce new building types, advance industry technology and provide unique solutions to building programs. Winning entries illustrate the variety, beauty, and flexibility of tilt-up construction.

ACHIEVEMENT

2010

The world’s greatest tilt-up structures are featured by the TCA as Tilt-Up Achievement Award Winners. Learn more >

Project Images

TILT-UP TODAY MAGAZINE / PROJECTS IN THE NEWS

Project Team (TCA Members)

General Contractor:
The Korte Company
Concrete Contractor:
 
Architect:
The Korte Company
Engineer:
LJB Inc.
Leviat

Project Specifics

Project Category:
Worship
Building Types:
Finishes:
Features:
Insulation:
Environmental:
Number of Floors:
0
Number of Panels:
81 panels
Tilt-Up Wall Area:
26,302 sq ft (2,443 sq m)
Total Floor Area:
28,678 sq ft (2,664 sq m)
Project Footprint:
28,678 sq ft (2,664 sq m)
Tallest Panel:
65 ft 0 in (19.81 m)
Widest Panel:
42 ft 8 in (13.00 m)
Largest Panel:
900 sq ft (83.6 sq m)
Heaviest Panel:
150,000 lbs (68,039 kg)
Longest Spandrel:
19 ft 11 in (6.08 m)
Recycled Content:
58 tons (US)