Image Credit : Willem Rethmeier
Project Overview
The Emanuel campus in Sydney includes a heritage listed Synagogue, completed in 1941 and second Sanctuary, designed by Aaron Bolot in the 1960's. These buildings constitute a significant legacy of Australian modernist architecture. The new sanctuary continues the tradition of contemporary religious architecture on Emanuel Synagogue’s campus.
The new Millie Phillips Building reflects the values of the community and expands its architectural heritage. The architecture displays a concern for transparency and connection to the exterior environment - natural light, fresh air. A courtyard between buildings provide space for people to congregate and celebrate festivals.
The courtyard is protected from rain by a diagrid steel structure roofed with glass. It is bounded by the facade of the old Synagogue including exposed heritage fabric and the new sanctuary building. Within this new courtyard, the old and new buildings talk to one another.
The new place of worship is a progressive architectural statement for a progressive religious community. Emanuel Synagogue is a progressive congregation supporting social and religious reform. The synagogue has supported the equal role of women and has worked extensively in areas of social justice and environmental protection. The community has a pluralist approach to Judaism, accommodating the Progressive, Masorti and Renewal streams. Australia's first same gender religious wedding took place in 2018 on the Emanuel campus.
The new pavilion is a concrete, steel and glass structure displaying the values of its community at this place and time.
Project Commissioner
Project Creator
Team
Felipe Torres, Project Architect
Tim O'Sullivan, Architect
Simon Lea, Architect
Brad Sorensen, Architect
Vivian Liu, Architect
Fuat Sezgin, Architectural Assistant
Catherine Jia, Architectural Assistant
Project Brief
With a congregation of 3,500 members, this is the fastest growing Jewish congregation in the southern hemisphere. The Emanuel Synagogue board resolved to build a new sanctuary to for 700 worshippers and a pre-School for 60 children in the southern wing of their campus.
Maximum flexibility was a requirement for the new religious sanctuary, which was conceived to serve also as a cultural centre for the local community. Most of the year the congregation will use it as an intimate prayer space with 260 fixed seats, but, during High Holidays, an operable wall will be opened to include an additional 400 congregants. The spaces can also be adapted for concerts, performances, films and functions.
The new pavilion is designed to serve the community as both a cultural centre and place of worship. The space is equipped to allow the sanctuary space to be adapted from religious services to concerts, performances, films and social functions and to serve not only the Emanuel congregation but also the wider local community.
An acoustically treated operable wall allows the interior to be subdivided for small intimate functions. A high standard of acoustic treatment and audio reinforcement provides the adaptability of the space for these differing requirements.
Project Innovation/Need
The earlier sanctuary designs adopted a straightforward industrial portal steel frame for the roof. The structure design was refined and in the process aligned to a triangle based motif which would be repeated throughout the sanctuary as a leitmotif for the entire building. The frame repeats the leitmotif of the Star of David symbol of two triangles superimposed.
The steel frame is exposed, and columns and beams are shaped so the express the loads and forces acing on them.
As it moves vertically, the new building takes on a more ethereal less monumental aspect, becomes less solid, lighter and more transparent. This is deliberate and consciously reflects the spiritual character of the architecture as it physically ascends. This spiritualization of structure is explicitly expressed in the shaping of the columns which taper upwards, so they resemble the trunks of trees, and branches as they spread outwards, becoming increasingly finer till they become fine twigs at their very ends.
Design Challenge
Spirituality is embedded in the building’s DNA. The integration of artwork, materials and structure, imbue the building with its inherently religious quality.
The first thing a visitor experiences is the transparency of the sanctuary, with filtered coloured light illuminating the interior. The long skillion roof shapes the interior space becoming lower and more intimate towards the rear, higher and more impressive towards the front, driving attention towards the ark and reader’s desk.
The orientation and dimensions of the new sanctuary are based on specific ancient biblical references, reinterpreted to respond to contemporary conditions. Custom made joinery, designed specifically for the new sanctuary, utilise Acacia timber veneers for the reader's desk and ark in accordance with these specifications.
The patterns on the glass panels in seven different colours tell a series of stories, and this is reiterated in the structure and space of the Synagogue itself. So what is its speech, what does this decoration tell us? What do the colours signify? What is the meaning of the triangular unit of which the figures are composed? Nothing is arbitrary here, it all is about the meaning of Synagogue.
Abstract religious artwork is integrated with the fabric of the architecture. It reflects the triangular geometry and Star of David motifs. The western glass screen providing privacy from neighbours is a depiction of the "parting of the seas" whilst the northern glass wall represents "the seven species". These artworks express the narrative of salvation from bondage and redemption to the promised land.
Sustainability
The new pavilion’s sustainability performance is achieved by the introduction of water detention/recycling, natural ventilation, natural lighting and the use of recyclable materials. Natural light and ventilation is fundamental to the design although combined with led lighting and mechanical ventilation, provides optimum comfort levels and a sense of luxury.
Overhangs in Sydney’s sunny climate give protection to the extensive glass from the hot sun throughout the year. Extensive patterns on the glass will further filter light and eliminate glare inside as a modern version of sun control. The open weave of the goats’ hair in the ancient tent performed a similar function, indeed the Old Testament image of the universe was of two such tent cloths, the stars being the rays of light shining through.
The black tent is an ingenious and remarkably adaptable, functional shelter. Its roof and walls could speedily adapted to the wind and changes in weather. In a similar way, the new Emanuel Synagogue borrows and applies similar lessons in taking advantage of natural ventilation to reduce energy use.
A modern VRV system of air conditioning has been installed to ensure the temperature inside stays within the range of 21-24°C throughout the year. The Sanctuary is designed as a naturally ventilated so it is not dependent on air conditioning which is provided, but should not be needed. A bulkhead above door head height hides the ducting and separates the glass walls from the upper highlight which runs around the perimeter. Light is everywhere significant to create atmosphere. Two skylights in the ceiling admit north light directly overhead above the congregation.
Interior Design - Public or Institutional
This award celebrates innovative and creative building interiors with consideration given to space creation and planning, furnishings, finishes and aesthetic presentation. Consideration also given to space allocation, traffic flow, building services, lighting, fixtures, flooring, colours, furnishings and surface finishes.
More Details