Temple Israel, Portsmouth, NH
Originally a Methodist church built in 1824, Temple Israel now houses a Hebrew School, a library, a community hall & kitchen, administrative offices and a daily worship space in addition to the main worship area. We were asked to create an inviting new entrance to the facility, reorganize the spaces for better access and insert a second level into the existing two story hall. The new entry steps down to meet congregants, its temple front modeled from America's first synagogue in Newport, RI. Inside, the Jerusalem stone wall & floor help impart the traditions of this ancient faith. The cedar vaulted vestibule harkens back to ancient Jewish building traditions. Each day, the passage of time is marked by the moving sun shadow cast by the Star of David window placed high in the gable. The new "Shmoozatorium" is believed to be the only one of its kind.
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Swasey Parkway Pavillion, Exeter, NH
Located in a bucolic riverfront park, this new structure primarily serves to shelter performers during the summer concert series and a number of other musical, theatrical & political activities. But it also takes on the role of place maker. It organizes the spatial experience of the park and provides an appropriate entry marker at the town's northern gateway. The structure is based on traditional New England Victorian band shells. It is anchored to the earth and elevated above it by a granite plinth to give it a greater sense of permanence. In plan it represents a marriage of two octagonal forms. In elevation, the building responds on the level of two competing scales. Its graceful wooden fretwork lends an intimacy and human scale. It frames views both into and out from its protected stage and mimics the sheltering forms of the park's shade trees. Its steep, angular wooden roof is powerful enough to compete with the natural forms of the landscape. Informally, it acts as a picnic spot, a backdrop for senior yoga and a distance gauge for the Phillips Exeter Academy rowing teams.
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