The Our Savior Church & USC Caruso Catholic Center project built a new LEED Gold church complex comprising a 6,000 sf, travertine-clad Romanesque Italianate Chapel seating up to 400 parishioners. The complex also houses a 14,000 sf, two-story Catholic Center veneered in “USC Blend” brick, a student union, a library, church offices, a kitchen, flexible event space and a 7,000 sf events plaza. MATT coordinated closely with owner-contracted artisans to incorporate artwork and liturgical items into the building, such as the stained glass windows and the 10-foot crucifix suspended from the roof trusses. Interiors feature fine stone and mahogany. The complex is the first LEED Gold church in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Sustainable elements such as energy and water-wise fixtures, low irrigation plantings and mechanisms to capture and filter stormwater and reduce runoff helped the church to achieve this rating.
Project challenges included a small staging area for laydown and a tight, heavily trafficked site across the street from the USC campus. MATT’s team coordinated with subcontractors and owner-hired specialty contractors to minimize disruptions and to ensure a level of quality that befitted a place of worship.
Benny Chan
