Kol Emeth Synagogue

By Diana Carta - 1 March 2023
BEGA, ERCO have participated in the project

To build a sacred place is to imbue it with the dimension of the intangible unknown, and make it perceivable through the tangible medium of architectural composition. Acknowledging the wisdom of Louis Kahn, architects Stan and Jess Field believe this can only be achieved with a design process that involves melding light and structure. Their design of the Kol Emeth Synagogue creates just such an interweave, giving form to a spiritual experience through architecture.

The main building extends as a single horizontal unit with interior and outdoor spaces, such as the sanctuary, outdoor courtyard and social hall, flowing one into the other thanks to full-length sliding glass partitions. This dynamic continuity is further sustained by a sinuous undulating canopy – recalling the traditional Jewish chuppah, or wedding canopy – stretching the full length of the interior. Supported by 12 large, rhythmically-placed wooden pillars, the canopy filters the ever-changing light from skylights and clerestories, again enhancing the sense of a dynamic presence. This is especially true in the sanctuary where the close proximity of the bimah, or pulpit, to the concentrically arranged pews seems to emphasize the inextricably intimate connection between our personal worldly sphere and the heavenly dimension. The strict axial design of this single continuous space culminates in the Torah ark, or aron kodesh, a 5-m block of Italian travertine cut from a single piece, as evidenced by the continuous veins on the stone. Its solid, imposing presence is offset by a glazed frame and gaping central slice that lend the structure a contrasting upward movement. The aim, say the architects, is to produce a fluctuating mass in the natural landscape, which although outdoors, is an integral architectural component of the sanctuary thanks to the glazed partitions. Set back from the three streets running along the site, the Synagogue grounds surround the...