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
Related Stories
Giants 400 | Sep 9, 2022
Top 80 Hotel Sector Contractors + CM Firms for 2022
AECOM, Suffolk Construction, STO Building Group, and Swinerton top the ranking of the nation's largest hotel and resort sector contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2022, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
| Sep 9, 2022
Add sand shortage to supply chain woes
As if it wasn’t enough to have lumber, windows, doors, and metal pipe in short supply, you can add sand, which is theoretically plentiful on Earth, to the list of construction materials that can be hard to come by.
Senior Living Design | Sep 8, 2022
What’s new with AQ: The top trends in active adult living
Today's 55-or-better buyers are ready to design their lives and their homes as they see fit. With so much growth on tap, builders and developers must stay apprised of trends related to home, environment, and culture of 55+ communities.
| Sep 8, 2022
The Twin Cities’ LGBTQ health clinic moves into a new and improved facility
For more than 50 years, Family Tree Clinic has provided reproductive and sexual health services to underserved populations—from part of an old schoolhouse, until recently.
| Sep 8, 2022
U.S. construction costs expected to rise 14% year over year by close of 2022
Coldwell Banker Richard Ellis (CBRE) is forecasting a 14.1% year-on-year increase in U.S. construction costs by the close of 2022.
Giants 400 | Sep 7, 2022
Top 110 Industrial Sector Contractors + CM Firms for 2022
Clayco, Arco Construction, Ryan Companies, and STO Building Group top the ranking of the nation's largest industrial facility sector contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2022, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
| Sep 7, 2022
Use of GBCI building performance tools rapidly expanding
More than seven billion square feet of project space is now being tracked using Green Business Certification Inc.’s (GBCI’s) Arc performance platform.
| Sep 7, 2022
K-8 school will help students learn by conducting expeditions in their own communities
In August, SHP, an architecture, design, and engineering firm, broke ground on the new Peck Expeditionary Learning School in Greensboro, N.C. Guilford County Schools, one of the country’s 50 largest school districts, tapped SHP based on its track record of educational design.
| Sep 6, 2022
Herbert V. Kohler, Jr. (1939-2022) An incomparable spirit
Dynamic leader and Kohler Co. Executive Chairman Herbert Vollrath Kohler, Jr. passed away on September 3, 2022, in Kohler, Wisconsin.
| Sep 6, 2022
Demand for flexible workspace reaches all-time high
Demand for flexible workspace including coworking options has never been higher, according to a survey from Yardi Kube, a space management software provider that is part of Yardi Systems.
