New York, New York, USA
Appointed by the Sephardic Jewish community, PBDW Architects designed the building in order to reflect the sensibilities of its young and forward-thinking members while at the same time honoring the traditions of their community.
Located on New York’s Upper East Side, the Moise Safra Center was envisioned as a second home for its young Jewish community.
PBDW Architects’ project has been awarded a 2021 American Award for Architecture from The Chicago Athenaeum and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
Faced with a tight site and an ambitious program, the 65,000 square foot building is packed with the community and religious spaces in a vertical campus of 14 floors.
This approach extends across all aspects of the design and is characterized by the selection of contemporary artists commissioned to make works for the building.
Renowned French artist Daniel Buren created a modern interpretation of stained glass for the synagogue windows, and Herve Van Der Straeten designed both the Nir Tamid eternal light and the menorahs that grace the sanctuary.
The building includes both religious and community spaces, catering to the whole person under one roof.
Community spaces include a wellness center and pool, classrooms, and flexible program spaces. Religious spaces include a double-height formal sanctuary, a smaller daily sanctuary with a generous library/study, and offices for rabbinical staff.
Upper floors house a half basketball court, a lounge with a fully retractable glass wall giving on to an outdoor terrace, and a double-height banquet room, all with striking views of the city.
Capitalizing on North and East facing primary exposures, the main program spaces maximize daylighting through the use of a thermally-broken curtain wall system.
Buff terra cotta panels cover secondary facades and provide context with the large masonry neighborhood.
Monumental Jerusalem limestone-clad fins at the synagogue level hint at the religious space enclosed within, and offer a glimpse of Daniel Buren’s colorful interpretation of stained glass.
A holistic approach was undertaken to interweave the two identities of the Center – religious and community – starting with a common entry vestibule that opens into two distinct lobbies: the synagogue lobby leads you upstairs to the sanctuary spaces, while the community side welcomes you with a café and reception desk before orienting you to the wellness center below or classrooms on upper floors.
The synagogue lobby is entered through a series of ornate doors crafted from wood, bronze, and colored glass that establish the palette employed throughout the religious spaces.
The generous open lobby and main stair, reflecting light from the Venetian plaster, terrazzo, and honed limestone surfaces, lead members up to the formal sanctuary and to a smaller daily sanctuary with a generous attached library/study.
The double-height synagogue has a soaring ceiling and wraparound balcony, yet is an intimate gathering space.
Ample daylight activates the warm material palette of Jerusalem limestone and light wood and introduces an immersive element of color that changes throughout the day.
The formal design language that began on the exterior reaches its crescendo in the stone, bronze, and colored glass ark which becomes the focal point of the space and guardian of the sacred scrolls within.
The building provides a safe place for the pursuit of cultural, educational, and spiritual endeavors while creating a lively setting for social interaction and community engagement.
Project: Moise Safra Center
Architects: PBDW Architects
Stain Glass Artist:Daniel Buren
Lighting Design:Herve Van Der Straeten
Client: Moise Safra Center
Contractor: Mc Gowan Builders
Photographers: James Ewing