Green Synagogue  |  Our Building

Virtual Tour: Third Floor

Third Floor

• Entry Foyer to the Sanctuary
• Sanctuary and Social Hall
• Kitchen

Entry Foyer to the Sanctuary

Solar tube in foyer ceiling

• The foyer gets daylight through east-facing windows and from Solar Tube Skylights. Solar Tubes can also be found in the kitchen, hallway and reception areas to bring in natural lighting and reduce our need for electric lighting.  When the doors at the top of the stairway light comes in from our three-story high south-facing windows.

Sanctuary and Social Hall 

Sanctuary, looking east at the Bimah and Aron HaKodesh (photo: Steve Hall @ Hedrich Blessing)

• The sanctuary is a magnificent open space, with seating capacity for 500.  The east wall is a curtain of windows looking out to neighboring trees.  The walls which rise 18 feet are the only support for the roof, meaning there are no support columns within the sanctuary to obstruct views.

  Sanctuary, looking east (photo: Steve Hall @ Hedrich Blessing)

• Sanctuary: Here, we again see the reclaimed cypress, as well as black walnut from storm-fallen trees harvested and milled locally, our solar Ner Tamid and the dramatic use of the high efficiency low-E Glass overlooking the treetops.
• The main Sanctuary (third floor) has a movable divider which can section off a third of the room so that the two areas can host different functions at the same time.  For example, the eastern portion of the Sanctuary, with the Ark, can be used for services, while the western portion can be used as a social hall.  For large events, the divider is raised, enabling seating for 500 people or a sit-down dinner for 250.

  Sanctuary, looking west toward the social hall, with room divider in raised position (photo: Steve Hall @ Hedrich Blessing)

• Accessibility features include listening devices and closed-circuit TV.
• Lighting: Computer programming provides for 8 dimming "scenes". Photo-sensors dim for ambient lighting. If it gets too bright from the clerestory windows we can lower the motorized shades. A track is recessed in the ceiling for a large curtain that could be drawn across the main east window if necessary for light control.
• Aron HaKodesh (Ark which contains the Torah scrolls) and Ner Tamid (Eternal Light): These were built by David Bachrach, an artist in Baltimore, MD, with reclaimed and environmentally friendly materials. The wood is walnut and came from a wind-felled tree on a local farm. The substructure wood is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, a non-profit organization promoting sustainable forestry. The metal cladding is reclaimed material - the steel was scrap from a construction site and the copper from a metal slitting company. The vermillion (an exotic wood) for the Ark's handles was scrap from a pool cue maker in Baltimore. The cloth linings of the doors were made by Pamela Hill, a fiber artist from northern California. The Eternal Light is solar powered. (The large curtain that can be drawn across the east window can also wrap around the bimah to hide the Holy Ark when the room is used for events where it would not be appropriate to have the Ark visible.) 
• Heating and Cooling System: The unique heating and cooling system in the sanctuary is called a Displacement Ventilation System. Air diffusers, located in the lower portion of the walls, circulate the air so that only the bottom 7 feet of the room is warmed or cooled. This allows us to have a high ceiling without the high utility costs to heat or cool the entire room.

Kitchen

• Energy Star appliances were used, including a highly efficient quick cycling commercial dishwasher.
• The Washer/Dryer are also high efficiency Energy Star models with a special sanitizing feature.
• There is recycled content in the stainless steel and the pressboard in the wood bases contains no formaldehyde.
• Solar Tube skylights bring in daylight.

Washer and dryer, adjacent to Kitchen

JRC has china service for 100

Energy efficient freezer

Kitchen cabinets, from low-VOC and recycled components

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

  

GREEN PRACTICES: In the Kitchen

• The goal of having a dishwasher and washer/dryer unit is to decrease our use of single use kitchen products such as paper or plastic plates and flatware and paper tablecloths and towels.
• Congregants are encouraged to say “no” to Styrofoam; say “possibly” to recyclable plastics; say “perhaps” to paper, and say “regularly” to reusables washed in the dishwasher. Other disposables will be explored (PLA and Plant-based compostable products) as well. JRC is currently preparing a list of suppliers for sustainable disposable /paper/janitorial goods.
• Recycling areas will be located on each floor, and community will recycle as much of its’ waste as possible.
• Buying organic, healthy and locally grown food is encouraged.

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Awards and Recognition
JRC Awarded Platinum-Level LEED Certification!
Virtual Tour: Exterior
Virtual Tour: First Floor
Virtual Tour: Second Floor
Virtual Tour: Mechanical Systems
Project Overview
How did we do it? A History...