The synagogue is an architect’s dream-of-a-building to design. Having no preset blueprints (outside of the inclusion of the Torah Ark), the building type is flexible enough to accommodate for the ebb and flow of additional programs, such as schools, kitchens, libraries, and day care centers. Add to the mix the chance for architects to test their phenomenological prowess in an exercise of spatial spirituality, and serve with a bit of local flair, and you have a building that fuses social requirements with worship, acting as a great "third place" for the Jewish community. In celebration of Hanukkah, which begins at sundown this evening, we have gathered a collection of some of the most inspirational synagogue designs from around the world. Ranging from the all-wood, sun-oriented "Gates of the Grove" to the introverted stone "Weinhof Synagogue," these projects exemplify the broad variety of possibilities for this ancient-yet-modern building type. Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation Synagogue by Ross Barney Architects Weinhof Synagogue by Kister Scheithauer Gross Architekten Gates of the Grove, in Long Island, New York, by Norman Jaffe Architects. ...
The synagogue is an architect’s dream-of-a-building to design. Having no preset blueprints (outside of the inclusion of the Torah Ark), the building type is flexible enough to accommodate for the ebb and flow of additional programs, such as schools, kitchens, libraries, and day care centers. Add to the mix the chance for architects to test their phenomenological prowess in an exercise of spatial spirituality, and serve with a bit of local flair, and you have a building that fuses social requirements with worship, acting as a great "third place" for the Jewish community. In celebration of Hanukkah, which begins at sundown this evening, we have gathered a collection of some of the most inspirational synagogue designs from around the world. Ranging from the all-wood, sun-oriented "Gates of the Grove" to the introverted stone "Weinhof Synagogue," these projects exemplify the broad variety of possibilities for this ancient-yet-modern building type. Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation Synagogue by Ross Barney Architects Weinhof Synagogue by Kister Scheithauer Gross Architekten Gates of the Grove, in Long Island, New York, by Norman Jaffe Architects. ...