Kol Emeth Center, the world’s first LEED Platinum, net zero and net zero water synagogue, opened recently in Palo Alto, Calif. The design gives nods to tradition and inspires a connection to the natural world as a source of spiritual well-being.
Unlike a traditional synagogue, the building’s flexible environment contains indoor and outdoor spaces that can be used individually or in combination. The structure was built using a strategic off-site fabrication strategy that minimized its construction footprint, including a shading lattice made from 2,200 timber shorts that were diverted from a landfill.
The complex consists of three independent structures that contain a sanctuary, classrooms, administrative offices, a multi-purpose room, and a garden. Airy, welcoming spaces promote flow between indoors and outdoors, connecting congregants both physically and visually to the natural world. Using simple but impactful features such as skylights, clerestory windows, and full-length sliding glass walls, Field Architecture created an environment that provides optimal daylighting and temperature control throughout the building.
The sanctuary, outdoor courtyard, and social hall are joined by an undulating canopy that filters natural light, creating a dynamic experience that changes as the sun moves throughout the day. The canopy emulates the traditional Jewish chuppah, and the 12 large wooden pillars supporting it represent the 12 tribes of Israel.
A delicate timber lattice wraps around the trio of buildings and evokes the traditional prayer shawls worn by Jews during worship while also modulating light and shade. Designed using parametric tools to optimize spacing, alignment, and rotation, the lattice imbues a centuries-old tradition with contemporary meaning. The front façade of the building integrates a garden serving as a living habitat showcasing native plants for the enjoyment of both congregants and neighborhood residents.
Congregation Kol Emeth has been a part of the Palo Alto community for 50 years.
On the building team:
Owner and/or developer: Congregation Kol Emeth
Design architect: Field Architecture
Architect of record: EID Architects
MEP engineer: Fard Engineers
Structural engineer: Mar Structural Design
General contractor/construction manager: Smith Hyder Construction
![Kol Emeth ext 2](/sites/default/files/inline-images/Kol%20Emeth%20ext%202.jpeg)
![Kol Emeth Center int](/sites/default/files/inline-images/Kol%20Emeth%20Center%20int.jpeg)
Related Stories
| Oct 7, 2011
GREENBUILD 2011: Transparent concrete makes its North American debut at Greenbuild
The panels allow interior lights to filter through, from inside.
| Oct 6, 2011
GREENBUILD 2011: Growing green building market supports 661,000 green jobs in the U.S.
Green jobs are already an important part of the construction labor workforce, and signs are that they will become industry standard.
| Oct 6, 2011
GREENBUILD 2011: NEXT Living EcoSuite showcased
Tridel teams up with Cisco and Control4 to unveil the future of green condo living in Canada.
| Oct 6, 2011
GREENBUILD 2011: Kingspan Insulated Panels spotlights first-of-its-kind Environmental Product Declaration
Updates to Path to NetZero.
| Oct 5, 2011
GREENBUILD 2011: Johnson Controls announces Panoptix, a new approach to building efficiency
Panoptix combines latest technology, new business model and industry-leading expertise to make building efficiency easier and more accessible to a broader market.
| Oct 5, 2011
GREENBUILD 2011: Software an architectural game changer
Interactive modeling software transforms the designbuild process.
| Oct 5, 2011
GREENBUILD 2011: Tile manufacturer attains third-party certification for waste recycling processes
Crossville has joined with TOTO to recycle that company’s pre-consumer fired sanitary ware.
| Oct 5, 2011
GREENBUILD 2011: Roof hatch designed for energy efficiency
The cover features a specially designed EPDM finger-type gasket that ensures a positive seal with the curb to reduce air permeability and ensure energy performance.
| Oct 4, 2011
GREENBUILD 2011
Click here for the latest news and products from Greenbuild 2011, Oct. 4-7, in Toronto.
| Oct 4, 2011
GREENBUILD 2011: Methods, impacts, and opportunities in the concrete building life cycle
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Concrete Sustainability Hub conducted a life-cycle assessment (LCA) study to evaluate and improve the environmental impact and study how the “dual use” aspect of concrete.