When it came time to upgrade its synagogue, the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation in Evanston, Ill., decided to start from scratch and totally rebuild. In pursuing the Jewish ideal of TikkunOlam-repairing the world-the JRC board opted to tear down the existing building, rebuild and create a structure that would attain LEED Platinum certifi cation.
In achieving LEED Platinum, the JRC synagogue represents the congregation’s commitment to the healing of the world through congregational education, activism and advocacy.
The congregation broke ground in October 2006, and held its first services in the $8 million building in 2008. The project utilized a steel-framed building that fit in with LEED criteria. Scott Steel Services Inc., Crown Point, Ind., was the structural steel subcontractor, supplying steel from Nucor Steel, Blytheville, Ark., and Steel Dynamics Inc., Columbia City, Ind. On the aesthetic side, the building features glass and stone imported from Jerusalem and reclaimed cypress wood. The completed building is 31,600 square feet (2,936 m2), 50 percent larger than the original facility.
Wilson Doors Inc., Elkhorn, Wis., supplied a 53- by 15-foot (16- by 5-m), 6- by 6-inch (152- by 152-mm) thick Wilson Premier vertical bi-folding door that separates the sanctuary and social area on the third floor, allowing multiple uses of the space. Wilson Doors engineered the Premier door to meet JRC’s requirements. The frame is made of ultra strong aircraft grade aluminum tubing and is 40 percent lighter than steel frame doors.
The project architect, Michael Ross with Ross Barney Architects, Chicago, considered several approaches, like conventional operable partitions or horizontal bi-folding doors, for room separation. “The space here is limited, so raising up the door panels into the ceiling was far more practical than parking them on each side and taking up precious floor area.”
According to Carol Ross-Barney, design principle with the firm, “The bi-folding door turned out to be a lower cost alternative to operable partitions, and it offers great sound separation.”
To improve the sound transmission coefficient for LEED, there is batt insulation of recycled fiberglass, plus 2 inches (51 mm) of polypropylene foam and a layer of recycled gypsum board on either side within the 6-inch-thick door’s aluminum frame.
The Premier door’s Ascent AC-Drive, and three-button controller, is a standard feature. The variable speed Ascent AC-Drive provides a smooth,soft start and stop, minimizing wear on the motor and components, while significantly decreasing the opening and closing time of the door. The door also has a bank of lights along the lower part of the panel on the sanctuary side so that when the door is raised and tucked up in the ceiling, the lights illuminate the area between the social hall and sanctuary.
Nucor Steel
Steel Dynamics Inc.
Wilson Doors Inc.
