THE MAKING OF A MASTERPIECE
SCULPTURES
![](https://files.scientology.org/imagecache/cropfit@w=70/data/www.scientology.org/files/making-masterpiece/making-master-piece-bronze_en_IE.jpg?k=8ImHtdK-Mi 1x, https://files.scientology.org/imagecache/cropfit@w=140/data/www.scientology.org/files/making-masterpiece/making-master-piece-bronze_en_IE.jpg?k=IfiWY54TlZ 2x)
The 62 sculptures in the Flag Building’s Grand Atrium depict the fundamental beliefs and practices of Scientology.
Creating the sculptures was a story in itself. Over the course of a year, artisans spent 25,000 man-hours to produce the pieces. Each was cast using the centuries-old lost-wax technique, a 15-step process that starts from a full size clay model and then moves through rubber, wax and porcelain moulds, culminating in a molten bronze pour, heated to 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit.
2 Tonnes
of bronze wereused to create the
62 sculptures in the
Flag Building Atrium
![](https://files.scientology.org/imagecache/cropfit@w=640/data/www.scientology.org/files/making-masterpiece/making-master-piece-statue-building_en_IE.jpg?k=CXXOMbe5Po 1x, https://files.scientology.org/imagecache/cropfit@w=1280/data/www.scientology.org/files/making-masterpiece/making-master-piece-statue-building_en_IE.jpg?k=gdpqF1jiJS 2x)
TRAVERTINE
![](https://files.scientology.org/imagecache/cropfit@w=640/data/www.scientology.org/files/making-masterpiece/making-master-piece-details1_en_IE.jpg?k=YH2WBHAG78 1x, https://files.scientology.org/imagecache/cropfit@w=1280/data/www.scientology.org/files/making-masterpiece/making-master-piece-details1_en_IE.jpg?k=1CHwhF2RHQ 2x)
720 Tonnes
of travertine(1,440,000 pounds)
70,000
square feet oftravertine flooring
35,000
individual tileshand-installed
MOSAIC
![](https://files.scientology.org/imagecache/cropfit@w=280/data/www.scientology.org/files/making-masterpiece/making-master-piece-rock-pattern_en_IE.jpg?k=qMh6QbVDBV 1x, https://files.scientology.org/imagecache/cropfit@w=560/data/www.scientology.org/files/making-masterpiece/making-master-piece-rock-pattern_en_IE.jpg?k=qp8WKCrh_A 2x)
![](https://files.scientology.org/imagecache/cropfit@w=640/data/www.scientology.org/files/making-masterpiece/making-master-piece-fso-logo_en_IE.jpg?k=gGk7paFAC0 1x, https://files.scientology.org/imagecache/cropfit@w=1280/data/www.scientology.org/files/making-masterpiece/making-master-piece-fso-logo_en_IE.jpg?k=T82kmH60tp 2x)
RAISING THE CROSS
![](https://files.scientology.org/imagecache/cropfit@w=640/data/www.scientology.org/files/making-masterpiece/making-master-piece-cross_en_IE.jpg?k=J1tN9FLcuM 1x, https://files.scientology.org/imagecache/cropfit@w=1280/data/www.scientology.org/files/making-masterpiece/making-master-piece-cross_en_IE.jpg?k=Whkf_bvvyb 2x)
![](https://files.scientology.org/imagecache/cropfit@w=280/data/www.scientology.org/files/making-masterpiece/making-master-piece-cross-and-people_en_IE.jpg?k=LAjsxWLzs6 1x, https://files.scientology.org/imagecache/cropfit@w=560/data/www.scientology.org/files/making-masterpiece/making-master-piece-cross-and-people_en_IE.jpg?k=qsSDN6KRg_ 2x)
175
feet abovestreet level
ATTENTION TO DETAIL
Over 100 hand-crafted stone medallions are inset into the floors of the Flag Building. These masterpieces are created using detailed drawings and waterjet technology to allow the inlay of polished Dark Emperado marble to fit precisely—putting Scientology symbology into the very fabric of the building itself.
![](/sites/default/files/making-masterpiece/making-master-piece-floor-designs.jpg)
1,264
doors500,000
feet ofpiping installed
800,000
linear feet of wallconstruction material
2.5 million
man-hours
to construct theFlag Building
HARDWOOD FLOORING
The flooring in the Chapel was fabricated from carefully selected “End Grain Wood,” cut at a 90-degree angle. Each piece of wood is about five inches by five inches and laid with the grain side facing upwards, producing a highly aesthetic character, colour and durability. The floor was laid down over a two-month period.
ONYX WINDOWS
The Atrium and Chapel both feature stone windows made of onyx, cut so sheer that the light shines through. They were originally designed as resin panels, but the contractor substituted the materials with onyx stone as their own contribution to this architectural masterpiece of a building.
![](https://files.scientology.org/imagecache/cropfit@w=640/data/www.scientology.org/files/making-masterpiece/making-master-piece-glass_en_IE.jpg?k=kbsdNtf0b- 1x, https://files.scientology.org/imagecache/cropfit@w=1280/data/www.scientology.org/files/making-masterpiece/making-master-piece-glass_en_IE.jpg?k=stj3i7vvUK 2x)