flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

First Look: Center for Hope will welcome world's religious to Jerusalem

First Look: Center for Hope will welcome world's religious to Jerusalem

The space, backed by The Elijah Interfaith Institute, is meant to "bring about world-changing peace and harmony."


By Lee H. Skolnick Architecture + Design Partnership | February 6, 2014

The firm Lee H. Skolnick Architecture + Design Partnership has been selected to design the Center for HOPE, a new, 46,000-sf center in Jerusalem for religious education, cultural sharing and prayer among members of different faith traditions.

Like a United Nations for the religious world, the planned Center for HOPE is conceived by its backers as a place where people of all religions have a welcoming home and a place to help "bring about world-changing peace and harmony," according to The Elijah Interfaith Institute, the project's leader.

Support for the Center for HOPE has come from around the world from financial supporters as well as religious leaders including: the Dalai Lama; Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Austria; Bhai Sahib Bhai Mohinder Singh of the U.K.; Grand Mufti Mustafa Ceric, of Bosnia; Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks of the U.K.; and Mata Amritanandamayi Devi of India.

According to Lee H. Skolnick, FAIA, the Center for Hope will be located on Prophets Street near Jerusalem's Old City, designed with symbolic meaning that reflects its redolent location.

 
 

"HOPE stands for 'House of Prayer and Education,' and the Center for HOPE experience is designed to unfold as a journey of peace and ascension," says Skolnick. "It is designed to provide beautiful prayer spaces, museum elements, art exhibition spaces, a library, a hospitality center, and study and lecture rooms for resident scholars."

The ribbonlike, sloping buildings curve around a verdant courtyard with reflecting pools, and feature green roofs and sustainable design elements. The mission of the new center, according to the Elijah Interfaith Institute, is as follows:

"Through prayer, education and cultural sharing, the Center of Hope seeks to bring about transformation in the lives of participants, increased understanding and appreciation between members of different faith traditions and a meaningful contribution to processes of peacemaking, community building and reconciliation between diverse faith communities in Jerusalem, thereby serving as a sign and model for religions and their possible relationships worldwide."

 

 

Related Stories

| Oct 14, 2014

Proven 6-step approach to treating historic windows

This course provides step-by-step prescriptive advice to architects, engineers, and contractors on when it makes sense to repair or rehabilitate existing windows, and when they should advise their building owner clients to consider replacement. 

| Oct 12, 2014

AIA 2030 commitment: Five years on, are we any closer to net-zero?

This year marks the fifth anniversary of the American Institute of Architects’ effort to have architecture firms voluntarily pledge net-zero energy design for all their buildings by 2030. 

| Oct 9, 2014

Steven Holl's 'intersecting spheres' scheme for Taipei necropolis gets green light

The schematic design has been approved for the 50 000-sm Arrival Hall and Oceanic Pavilion for the Taiwan ChinPaoSan Necropolis.

| Oct 1, 2014

Philip Johnson's iconic Crystal Cathedral to be modernized, made 'intrinsically Catholic'

Johnson Fain and Rios Clementi Hale Studios have been commissioned by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange to upgrade the all-glass church in Garden Grove, Calif. The church acquired the property in 2012. 

| Sep 24, 2014

Architecture billings see continued strength, led by institutional sector

On the heels of recording its strongest pace of growth since 2007, there continues to be an increasing level of demand for design services signaled in the latest Architecture Billings Index.

| Sep 22, 2014

4 keys to effective post-occupancy evaluations

Perkins+Will's Janice Barnes covers the four steps that designers should take to create POEs that provide design direction and measure design effectiveness.

| Sep 22, 2014

Sound selections: 12 great choices for ceilings and acoustical walls

From metal mesh panels to concealed-suspension ceilings, here's our roundup of the latest acoustical ceiling and wall products. 

| Sep 9, 2014

Using Facebook to transform workplace design

As part of our ongoing studies of how building design influences human behavior in today’s social media-driven world, HOK’s workplace strategists had an idea: Leverage the power of social media to collect data about how people feel about their workplaces and the type of spaces they need to succeed.

| Sep 9, 2014

Ranked: Top religious sector AEC firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]

Brasfield & Gorrie, Gensler, and Jacobs top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest religious sector design and construction firms, as reported in the 2014 Giants 300 Report.

| Sep 9, 2014

Frank Lloyd Wright's Annie Pfeiffer Chapel brought back to life using 3D printing

Restoration of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed chapel was made possible (and affordable) thanks to 3D printing.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Giants 400

Top 40 Religious Facility Construction Firms for 2023

Crossland Construction, Haskell, Big-D Construction, Whiting-Turner, and JE Dunn Construction top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest religious facility general contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report.



halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021