Sacred Space Design

Congregations often ask David to design the bimah settings in which his arks will be situated. David welcomes the opportunity to create an integrated visual statement that ties together his pieces with the other elements of the sanctuary. David has worked with the architects and design teams of synagogues and Hillels on numerous new construction and renovation projects.

Congregation Or Atid Bimah Wall

Congregation Or Atid Bimah Wall

Sacred Space 2B - Or Atid Or Atid Ark InstallationSacred Space 1A -Or Atid

This bimah installation for Congregation Or Atid in Wayland, MA, was designed to establish an intimate, human scale while taking advantage of the natural setting in which the ark wall has been placed. It received a Citation for Design from the Boston Society of Architects.

Schechter Day School Multi-purpose Room

Schechter Day School Multi-purpose Room

Sacred Space 2A Schechter

The design challenge in this multi-purpose room for the Solomon Schechter Day School of Newton, MA, was to have a dedicated worship space while taking up no permanent floor space. The solution was to define the bimah with an overhead sculpted tree of life and to inset the ark in the wall. The two-sided reader’s table is lightweight for movability.

The downward light from the cast bronze Ner Tamid interacts with a slowly rotating upwardly-directed light from from below, creating a subtle, ever-shifting pattern that evokes the interaction of the worldly realm with the light of the Shekhinah.

The downward light from the cast bronze Ner Tamid interacts with a slowly rotating upwardly-directed light from from below, creating a subtle, ever-shifting pattern that evokes the interaction of the worldly realm with the light of the Shekhinah.

 

 

M.I.T. Hillel

M.I.T. Hillel

In this multi-use setting at M.I.T. Hillel, the ark is contained in a wall unit that captures the cascading light from the clerestory windows and echoes the cascade with a subtle waterfall sculpture that is seen when the ark is not in use for services. The wall unit contains storage facilities and houses a second, portable ark that is used on the High Holidays.

In this multi-use setting at M.I.T. Hillel, the ark is contained in a wall unit that captures the cascading light from the clerestory windows and echoes the cascade with a subtle waterfall sculpture that is seen when the ark is not in use for services. The wall unit contains storage facilities and houses a second, portable ark that is used on the High Holidays.

When the ark is used for services, the outer doors slide aside, revealing a more dramatic view of the same waterfall, along with a backlit inscription from Amos 5:24: “Let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream”. The inscription remains illuminated at all times, befitting its function an the Eternal Light.

When the ark is used for services, the outer doors slide aside, revealing a more dramatic view of the same waterfall, along with a backlit inscription from Amos 5:24: “Let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream”. The inscription remains illuminated at all times, befitting its function as the Eternal Light.