Architectural Polymers

On May 22, 2011 a catastrophic EF-5 tornado tore a mile wide and six mile long path through the heart of Joplin Missouri. The St. Mary's Catholic Church and School was demolished and the only thing left standing was the iconic cast iron cross that marked the entrance to the church.

In the wake of the disaster, the community was anxious to rebuild with new goals of safer structures to withstand future storms. RDG Planning & Design, the architect for the new church and school, specified precast concrete to meet the goals for both durability and speed of construction. RDG worked closely with the precaster, Enterprise Precast Concrete, Inc. to optimize the design capabilities of precast concrete. The strong look of split-faced stone and traditional masonry were ultimately achieved with Versa-Brix® M thin brick formliners from Architectural Polymers.