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.jpg?k=n7jyPCYq0L 1x, https://files.scientology.org/imagecache/cropfit@w=140/data/www.scientology.org/files/making-masterpiece/making-master-piece-bronze_en.jpg?k=6yQu1drf7e 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 molds, culminating in a molten bronze pour, heated to 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit.
2 Tons
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.jpg?k=95Vk98WY9R 1x, https://files.scientology.org/imagecache/cropfit@w=1280/data/www.scientology.org/files/making-masterpiece/making-master-piece-statue-building_en.jpg?k=syN2-eMRPt 2x)
TRAVERTINE
![](https://files.scientology.org/imagecache/cropfit@w=640/data/www.scientology.org/files/making-masterpiece/making-master-piece-details1_en.jpg?k=VDj4u489ea 1x, https://files.scientology.org/imagecache/cropfit@w=1280/data/www.scientology.org/files/making-masterpiece/making-master-piece-details1_en.jpg?k=QzZPB4IfcK 2x)
720 Tons
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.jpg?k=NTsV79pApk 1x, https://files.scientology.org/imagecache/cropfit@w=560/data/www.scientology.org/files/making-masterpiece/making-master-piece-rock-pattern_en.jpg?k=7wqdJIYFz4 2x)
![](https://files.scientology.org/imagecache/cropfit@w=640/data/www.scientology.org/files/making-masterpiece/making-master-piece-fso-logo_en.jpg?k=zPovqOAKeB 1x, https://files.scientology.org/imagecache/cropfit@w=1280/data/www.scientology.org/files/making-masterpiece/making-master-piece-fso-logo_en.jpg?k=cTe-qJtfOL 2x)
RAISING THE CROSS
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![](https://files.scientology.org/imagecache/cropfit@w=280/data/www.scientology.org/files/making-masterpiece/making-master-piece-cross-and-people_en.jpg?k=51YxyHGwGt 1x, https://files.scientology.org/imagecache/cropfit@w=560/data/www.scientology.org/files/making-masterpiece/making-master-piece-cross-and-people_en.jpg?k=Wf3pjbncLi 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, color 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.jpg?k=zNZdtqn9PW 1x, https://files.scientology.org/imagecache/cropfit@w=1280/data/www.scientology.org/files/making-masterpiece/making-master-piece-glass_en.jpg?k=CVJ8qJKC7r 2x)