Sephardic Community Center in New York, United States

November 23, 2010 Category: Education, Public Buildings

Designed by BKSK Architects, Sephardic Community Center located in New York, United States. The new complex now includes an additional street façade on a quieter residential street that further interprets the planar quality of the original building, and weaves an institutionally-scaled structure (gymnasium, preschool and community room) into the residential urban fabric. The deceptive simplicity of the exterior design only hints at the intricate programmatic puzzle of the interior.

The Center hosts activities and programs for all ages, including a gym, pool and spa; a 170-student preschool center; meeting spaces for a wide range of social groups and gatherings; a performance space; extensive administrative offices; and a celebratory space as a repository of cultural memory. An emphasis on spatial legibility extends a sense of welcoming order to the multi-story Heritage Hall entry lobby, from which the full range of activities becomes evident. The community’s shared lineage has become a true centerpiece of the lobby, with hundreds of ancestral images sandwiched between layers of glass.

Sephardic Community Center design by BKSK Architects