FLEMINGTON JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER COMPETITION

mark shapiro

HOME: MARK SHAPIRO

In order to realize the congregation’s aspiration that the Flemington Jewish Community Center be a spiritual gathering place this proposal has a COURTYARD at its center. The courtyard is intended to be the "heart" of the facility, both symbolically and functionally. Circulation is focused on the court and the activities of the social hall, school and lobby may extend into it in good weather.

The building is set back from South Main Street, but glimpsed of the courtyard are afforded through a grid of trees and an open loggia. Parking occupies the length of the site to the south, allowing entry to the building from the east, west and south. An angled wall guides movement into the main LOBBY and courtyard. And would be a suitable location for the relocated as well as new memorial plaques.

A "GROVE OF REMEMBRANCE" consisting of six trees occupies part of the court. Its paving pattern, in the form of the Star of David, should be inlaid with memorial inscriptions and plaques. The court provides an appropriate setting for the erection of a sukkah. Although the court provides a sense of enclosure and protection for the activities of the community it is simultaneously open to its surroundings.

APPROACH to the site is provided from both South Main Street and Ranch Haven Road. The building presents different aspect to east and west. The elements of the sanctuary, library and entries are presented in a dynamic relationship to the axis of Ranch Haven Road. This gives equal emphasis to the sanctuary and the view into the court. Arrival and pick up and drop off takes place in a clearly defined forecourt. The volume of the LIBRARY marks the entry to the SCHOOL which occupies the northern edge of the courtyard.

The cubic volume of the SANCTUARY is clad in stone and the volume of the ark is expressed on the eastern face. A West facing light monitor rises above the volume of the sanctuary and washes its eastern wall, as well as the doors and curtain of the ark, with light during the late afternoon, thus signaling the approach of sunset.

The SOCIAL HALL occupies the southern edge of the courtyard. Glass doors and a loggia link the social hall to the court so that activities such as weddings, celebrations and other gatherings can spill into the outdoors. The sanctuary and social hall are axially aligned and vertically sliding walls allow them to be seamlessly linked.

Three ELEMENTS are articulated from the general low mass of the building. To the east the sanctuary and library frame the main lobby with its view to the court as well as the school entry. They are differentiated from the rest of the building in their size, shape and height and establish a visible relationship between learning and worship. The YOUTH LOUNGE, which is inflected in plan is located diagonally across the court from the sanctuary. Interposed between them is the "Grove of Remembrance" thus establishing a symbolic relationship between the future, the past and worship.

HOME: MARK SHAPIRO