Chabad Seven Locks, Potomac, Maryland
2002
“A little building with an elevated architectural reach.”
Benjamin Forgey, The Washington Post
The expansion of this existing sanctuary creates a contemplative space using new materials and forms. While the gesture of the exterior reaches towards the sky, the inner space is designed for meditation, prayer, and introspection.
As the plan reveals, secular and spiritual world and are separated by a metaphorical wall or nexus. One makes a journey through the long processional entry sequence that transports a person from the outer world to a spiritual realm.
The building, while striking at first glance, sits comfortably on the site and relates to its neighbors through the use of materials and scale.