Project Overview
Located in Florida’s capital city, the Tallahassee Florida Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the third temple of its kind in the state. The one-story, 29,000 ft2 temple rises to 125 ft with a central spire that conveys the impression of a taller structure. To meet the project’s strict construction standards and provide a structure that could function as a beacon for church members, Barnett Fronczak Barlowe & Shuler Architects partnered with GATE Precast and McKee Engineering on a design that incorporated 324 architecture precast concrete panels.
Only with Precast Concrete
Early in the project, the design team quickly determined that precast concrete was the best solution for meeting the temple’s quality and resilience goals. GATE Precast’s engineering team provided assistance early on and maintained a continuous feedback loop with the design team. This coordination was key in getting the ornate temple into production.
“The team worked together from the onset of this project, sharing models, collaborating over video calls, and meeting in person as needed to achieve complex shapes that required in-house CNC parts to complete,” said Nathan Brooks, vice president of operations with GATE Precast.
The temple’s stone-like exterior features four-sided columns, large cornices, intricate lettering, and floral details. The facade is consistent in color and texture, and exceptionally sharp lines were achieved with a glass-blast finish. Using precast concrete in lieu of other materials such as stone contributed to a faster construction schedule.
“Precast concrete allows for the team on site and in the plant to work concurrently, truncating the schedule and allowing the general contractor to obtain a dried-in building much quicker,” Brooks said. “The ability to have a product that installs quicker—along with high levels of durability—can only be achieved with precast concrete.”
While close collaboration among all project partners allowed the precast concrete panels and supporting structure to match up with virtually no remedial work, the team did encounter some challenges related to the unique shapes, large profiles, and intricate details of the precast concrete, which included tall, slender column covers and 13-ft-tall, 22-ft-wide wall panels. Several precast concrete panels took four days to cast and assemble, and attention to detail was of particular importance on panels with intricate lettering intended to provide a long-lasting display of the temple’s branding.
The Tallahassee Florida Temple is an architectural masterpiece that exemplifies how precast concrete can be used to emulate nearly any architectural style. With a durable, resilient facade that inspires feelings of longevity and pride, the structure will serve the community for decades to come.
Mason Nichols is a Grand Rapids, Mich.-based writer and editor who has covered the precast concrete industry since 2013. |