A 24,000-square-foot oratory on the campus of Ave Maria University in Florida received an Excellence in Achievement Award, one of only two awarded this year, from the Tilt-Up Concrete Association.
The project was part of the development of Ave Maria, Fla., a planned community situated around the newly built university. The designers wanted to construct a building that would not only serve as a focal point for both town and campus, but also bring an Italian architectural style to the community.
The oratory took two years to design, and the panels incorporate cast recesses and integral returns. The finished building seats 1,110 people and features a cavernous nave whose arched ceiling soars more than 100 feet above the floor. The outer facade was finished with imported Italian stone.
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