A silica sol-gel fabrication process is provided which allows improved control of the shrinkage that takes place during the drying of a gel body. In particular, the invention makes it possible to attain extremely low shrinkage through the completion of the drying stage, e.g., below 1% linear shrinkage, in relatively large sol-gel bodies of (dry weight) 1 kg or more, typically 10 kg or more, or even 40 kg or more, compared to the much higher shrinkages typically encountered. Specifically, use of a particular polymeric additive makes it possible for a gel body to experience linear shrinkage at least 55% less than an identical process without the polymeric additive.