According to Richard Meier, its architect, it is "the crown jewel of the Vicariato di Roma's (Archdiocese of Rome) Millennium project" (p. 354).

Designed to look like a ship, the south side of the church features three large curved walls of pre-cast concrete.

Meier claims to have designed the church to minimize thermal peak loads inside.

The large thermal mass of the concrete walls control internal heat gain; the result is less temperature variation, and supposedly more efficient use of energy.

According to Borgarello: "When the titanium dioxide absorbs ultraviolet light, it becomes powerfully reactive, breaking down pollutants that come in contact with the concrete.