Congregation Biet Simchat Torah New York USA

Congregation Beit Simchat Torah was the first synagogue project for Luke Hughes in the US. The installation is on three floors of the distinctive 1928 ‘Assyrian style’ SJM loft building by Woolworth Building architect Cass Gilbert, for what is probably the world’s largest LGBTQ Jewish congregation.

Founded in 1973 and catering for LGBTQ+ members from the city and state-wide, Congregation Beit Simchat Torah - whose devotional functions are supplemented by community support and social and political activism - had been searching for a new home for some years.

Stephen Cassell of architects Architecture Research Office (ARO) had responded to the brief for a new sanctuary and memorial chapel with elegant and inspiring designs, especially the inclined glass fibre reinforced concrete wall which feeds daylight dramatically into the underground space from the street above.

The Luke Hughes team took on the architect’s early concepts, re-working them based on their deep understanding of what the furniture could be made to do in both the sanctuary and minyan.

In addition to custom curved and straight upholstered stacking benches, this project also features: Athena folding tables, Lincoln stacking timber chairs and Lincoln chair dolly system. It was also one of the first projects for which we designed curved stacking pews.

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