What and where is this project?
Scarsdale Synagogue, Scarsdale, NY
The congregation of Scarsdale Synagogue sought to redesign their sanctuary to meet 21st century accessibility and flexibility needs. The original 3,500 SF sanctuary was barn-like with a wooden silo, an interior space filled with steps, tiered seating, and hard surfaces; these elements made the space inaccessible, acoustically challenged, and dark.
The design team recentered and reimagined the sanctuary to be more open, using the structure of four steel and concrete columns supporting the roof as a primary box form. The original east, south, and west walls were torn to allow for the sanctuary to be recentered as the original location of the columns within the space blocked the congregation’s view of the service. The bimah was lowered from seven to two steps which allows for ADA-compliant access ramps on both sides. Existing tiered seating was leveled to provide flexible seating for different types of services and events allowing congregation to better take advantage of the Sanctuary throughout the year. Supporting these services, new technology was integrated into the space, including, monitors, close caption cameras, and concealed speakers behind the acoustic panels.
Clerestory windows and a Jerusalem stone clad curving wall below the roof box refocus and soften the space to visually reference the sacred Western Wall in Jerusalem. To provide visual continuity to their original space, original wood paneling was reinstalled in a new horizontal orientation. The team’s design for the ark has multiple layers of symbolic meaning and the eternal flame was selected as a small crystal ray of light to delicately complement the ark. The exterior of the new sanctuary was reclad with zinc, matching the synagogue’s classroom wing and provides a new identity to the front of the building.
What population does it serve?
This dynamic growing Reform congregation can now create a diverse array of services and seating arrangements. Musical theater in the round, multiple seating groups, and traditional layouts, among others, now support this 340 multi-generational member unit synagogue, providing flexibility so every age and/or background can find a service with which to connect.
The Meaning of an Ark
Both physical and figurative arks are mentioned multiple times in the Torah:
1. A boat to hold Noah and the future life in the world
2. The woven reed basket that carried Moses, the future leader of the Jewish people
3. The Ark of the Covenant that held the tablets of the Ten Commandments, and the first Torah, as the laws for the future of humanity
These three appearances are reference and layered into the design for Scarsdale Synagogue’s Torah Ark to help “complement the musical, liturgical, and pedagogical goal of helping us to cultivate an inner relationship with the Diving,” as the Synagogue’s Rabbi had described.
How does it enhance its faith community and the community overall?
Religious institutions can be more intimate than a person’s home. Congregants are emotionally tied to their spiritual place, making aesthetic changes and symbolic gestures have considerable impact. Recognizing this challenge, the renovation strives to “complement the musical, liturgical, and pedagogical goal of helping us to cultivate an inner relationship with the Divine,” says the Synagogue’s Rabbi. As the congregation’s demographics shift and change, Scarsdale Synagogue needed a more accessible sanctuary space to better accommodate children, families, and elderly, to better the religious experience for all congregants.
To enhance the congregation’s spiritual experience of the sanctuary, multiple visual motifs and references to Judaic history and symbolism were woven into design choices. The windows in the Jerusalem stone wall represent the 12 Tribes of Israel, each uniquely sized and providing light, together in union under the roof box. The rectangular shape of the roof box is emphasized to emulate the image of a “chuppah” – a traditional Jewish canopy, most known for its use at Jewish weddings. A chuppah was historically made as a temporary sacred space for nomadic Jewish people to congregate under, as they were without a permanent or physical ritual space. Above the space, an illuminated arboreal sculpture hangs from the center, creating a divine motion-like a subtle wind through the trees.
How could others adapt it?
This project offers a replicable approach for faith-based and community spaces adapting to changing needs. Key strategies include prioritizing universal accessibility, replacing fixed layouts with flexible seating, and working within existing structures to remove barriers while preserving key elements.
Enhancements such as improved acoustics, integrated technology, and increased natural light can elevate both function and experience without extensive reconstruction. Just as important, embedding cultural and symbolic motifs into the design ensures that modernization reinforces, rather than replaces, a communities cultural identity.
Together, these strategies provide a scalable model for creating inclusive, adaptable, and spiritually resonant spaces.
How can interested parties learn more?
- Visit Landau Zinder’s website or contact Joshua Zinder, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, Managing Partner
- Connect with AIA’s Interfaith Design Knowledge Community, through town halls, the Community Hub, and reaching out to board members.