The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is certainly stunning, but as engineers the most impressive detail is the design life – 10 centuries. To achieve this the building has no steel reinforcing of any kind. Foundation walls are up to 7’ thick, and flat beams are massive, nearly flawless single pieces of stone. PEC consulted with Dr. Kumar Mehta of UC Berkeley to develop concrete mix designs suitable for this life span, with maximum strength and minimum heat of hydration. The final mix incorporated 60% fly ash, and testing at Georgia Tech’s structures lab confirmed that it delivered 10,000 psi compressive strength at 180 days using no more cement than a typical 3500 psi mix.
The beautiful stone work includes Turkish Limra limestone, Indian pink sandstone, and Italian Carrera marble. Every exposed stone piece is hand carved. The column grid on the main floor is a stout eight feet on center, and there are 17 carved domes - each unique, and each entirely self supporting, with interlocking panels and stone keys to lock it in place.
Go to Lilburn and see. The rush is up to you, though, because the Temple will outlast us all by a good while.
