Temple Beth Elohim
Project
Temple Beth Elohim
Client
Temple Beth Elohim
Location
Wellesley, MA
Completion
2010
Size
42,000 GSF
This synagogue for Temple Beth Elohim, on the site of their existing facility, features a flexible sanctuary which accommodates up to 1,000 people during High Holy Days while still providing an intimate setting for 400 during weekly services. The temple is sensitively sited to take full advantage of the surrounding wooded hillside and nearby wetlands. The transparency of the façade connects the front and rear courtyards to the major interior gathering spaces including the sanctuary and social hall.
PROCESS
Principal Sam Laskey speaks with three members of the synagogue to inform the educational and spiritual elements of design
A site model was particularly useful for understanding how the wooded site would interact with the proposed design
An interior model helps to explore the experiential quality of the synagogue
The entrance pathway is explored in physical model
The courtyard outside the Temple was just as important to study and design as a contemplative space
An early interior model studies an orthogonal seating layout, which was ultimately set aside for the final circular design
The interior model was used and adjusted throughout the design process as ideas and designs changed
Awards + Recognition
2015 BSA Harleston Parker Medal Finalist
2015 BSA Interior Architecture/Interior Design Award
2014 BSA Harleston Parker Medal Finalist
2013 AIA New England Design Excellence Honor Award
2012 Chicago Athenaeum American Architecture Award
2012 Faith&Form Magazine/IFRAA International Awards Program for Religious Art & Architecture Award for New Facilities
2011 BSA Design Excellence Honor Award
2011 CMAA New England Building Project of the Year Award for Building Under $20M
Boston Sunday Globe, “At Temple, A Masterwork,” Robert Campbell, Oct 9, 2011
Architectural Record, “Guiding Lights, Temple Beth Elohim,” Nov 1, 2012
The Boston Globe Opinion, “Building a sanctuary,” Joan Wickersham, Oct 19, 2012
Faith & Form Journal, “Lay of the Land,” Joseph Geller and Deb Michener, Fall 2010
Project Consultants
Structural Engineer | LeMessurier Consultants, Inc.
Mechanical / Electrical Engineer | Cosentini Associates, Inc.
Civil Engineer | Stantec
Landscape Architecture | Stantec
Lighting Consultant | Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design
Acoustical Engineer | Kirkegaard Associates + Acentech
Theater Consultant | Theatre Projects Consultants, Inc.
Interior Designer | Dietz & Associates
Artists | Peter Diepenbrock + Kate Kaman and Joel Erland + Gordon Hauther
Photographer | Bruce T. Martin