How LDS Temples are Built – Part 3 – The Construction Phase
(Feature photo can be found here: Ogden Temple – The Morning Breaks by Rory Wallwork)
Welcome back to our four-part series about how the LDS Church builds temples! In case you missed it, be sure to read Part 1 – Funding, Finding a Need, and Selecting a Site and Part 2 – Design and the Importance of “Sustainable Design”. In this third part, we’ll be talking about the construction process.
The Highest Standards
As we’ve talked about already, everything about a temple is held to the highest of standards. And upholding these standards during the actual construction is possibly more important than anything else. That’s why the Church sends representatives around the world to seek out the best contractors to build the temples. Because the design of any given temple is usually so complex, it requires the very best that most workers have ever had to give on a project in their career. The Church utilizes more than a dozen contractors to supply these workers.
But why do such high building standards need to be in place? First, the Church builds temples to last hundreds of years. Second, because members of the LDS Church believe that the temples are one of the holiest places on earth and a wonderful tribute to God and Jesus Christ.
During construction, there is no detail that doesn’t require the utmost care. One such example is the brick masons. The Church asks them to “lay their brick in a rigorous way such that it’s very uniform and consistent throughout” and thus “installed to the very best of the craftsman’s abilities.”
For most workers, however, the desire to do their finest work comes naturally for a project like building a temple. It’s something to be proud of and the workers are just excited to be working on such a beautiful building. Contractors want to do their highest-quality work and have their very best journeymen they can have on the job site.
Philadelphia Temple – Sunset Glow by Rory Wallwork
Selecting a Contractor and Timeline
Not just any construction company can work on a temple. The Church is very careful to select companies that are financially stable and able to meet Church regulations. While the construction workers do not have to be members of the Church, they must follow the regulations that prohibit smoking, drinking, and loud music on the construction site. Once a number of suitable companies are found, they are invited to the bidding process. Then depending on the location, once a company is chosen, construction from start to finish typically takes 24 to 48 months.
However, construction can often take longer for temples outside the United States. For example, in some countries, more manual and time-consuming labor might be required because they don’t have the machinery or equipment that we have in the United States. Or sometimes it may take more to aquire a temple site in some international areas, or additional procedures or fees might be required by local governments. But eventually each temple gets finished.
The high standards that are set can make it challenging to find qualified contractors, especially outside the United States, but it is well worth it for both the Church and the workers. Not only does temple construction supply numerous jobs in local communities, but they also provide what many construction workers consider the highest point of their career. For example, the foreman of the concrete crew for the Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple said that in 30 years, he’s “never seen such a well-designed project” — one that he says is so durable that it “will be here when mankind is gone.”
Come back next week for the last of our four-part series about the temple construction process!
