 The strength of the building is twice what it was in Spain , with the stones supporting their own weight as designed , augmented by a framework of steel and concrete to hold them together when the California ground shakes . Contractor Phil Sunseri said that the building foundation was earthquake resistant as well ; with a three @-@ foot @-@ thick ( 1 m ) mat of concrete and steel underneath , " the entire building will move as one unit . " When completed , the building will be the largest example of original Cistercian Gothic architecture in the Western Hemisphere , and the oldest building in America west of the Rocky Mountains . 
