ArchShowcase 
Sanjay Gangal
Sanjay Gangal is the President of IBSystems, the parent company of AECCafe.com, MCADCafe, EDACafe.Com, GISCafe.Com, and ShareCG.Com. Center for Jewish Life at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by Stanley Saitowitz | Natoma Architects Inc.June 9th, 2017 by Sanjay Gangal
Article source: v2com Drexel University’s Hillel House is sheathed in local red brick as textured fabric draped in an abstract menorah that terraces down to the street. Arranged on four interconnected levels, the square building has thickened side walls which contain services, and four central columns which structure the middle, front and rear.  Image Courtesy © Richard Barnes
 Image Courtesy © Richard Barnes The building is organized on four interconnected levels:
The basement contains the kitchens, storage and mechanical areas.  Image Courtesy © Stanley Saitowitz  Image Courtesy © Richard Barnes
The street level is dedicated to everyday life, to meeting and talking, siting around a fire, gathering and eating at the rear which opens to a garden. At the center, and connecting the second floor, is a stair, amphitheater, auditorium, with a balcony overlooking it from above. This multilevel courtyard is a multipurpose space at the heart of the building, the pivot of everything.  Image Courtesy © Richard Barnes  Image Courtesy © Stanley Saitowitz
The second floor is for focused activities, offices for planning and arranging, rooms for quiet study and discussion, places for groups and gathering, spaces for exploration and learning.  Image Courtesy © Richard Barnes  Image Courtesy © Richard Barnes
The top floor is the place of worship, the Shabbat floor, the level of sanctity. The three prayer gatherings, conservative, orthodox and reform, are connected with a central court that opens with a circular cut, an absent dome to the sky above. This is the only view in the city free of the works of man. This absent sanctuary is what is common and connects the three branches of worship in shared faith. The largest room doubles as the library, or Beit Midrash, the House of Learning.  Image Courtesy © Richard Barnes  Image Courtesy © Richard Barnes By day, light reflects on the woven brick notches, by night light shines from within. This is a space to create a continuing community of traditional values through meeting, learning, and ceremony. This is a place to gather and emanate light.  Image Courtesy © Stanley Saitowitz  Image Courtesy © Stanley Saitowitz About Stanley Saitowitz | Natoma Architects Stanley Saitowitz | Natoma Architects is at the forefront of architectural design practices that are redefining relationships between architecture, housing, and the city. The firm’s multi-family projects are noted for clarity of vision, crisp forms, coherent building systems, site integration, and material innovation.  Image Courtesy © Richard Barnes  Image Courtesy © Stanley Saitowitz Led by Stanley Saitowitz, the practice is committed to the design and construction of projects which engage their context and community through a focused exploration of movement and perception. With the belief that architecture can play a role in shaping how we experience the built environment, this work has forged new relationships and catalyzed change across a range of scales, programs, and contexts from compact Type V infill housing on SOMA alleys such as Natoma, Tehama, and Clara, to Type I high rises such as Blanc on Nob Hill, the interiors of Jasper on Rincon Hill, and the common spaces of the W Hotel near the Yerba Buena Gardens.  Image Courtesy © Stanley Saitowitz | Natoma Architects Inc.  Image Courtesy © Stanley Saitowitz | Natoma Architects Inc.  Image Courtesy © Stanley Saitowitz | Natoma Architects Inc.  Image Courtesy © Stanley Saitowitz | Natoma Architects Inc.  Image Courtesy © Stanley Saitowitz | Natoma Architects Inc.
Tags: Pennsylvania, USA Categories: Educational Center, University, University Building |
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