Chabad of Hunterdon County sought to build a permanent home in Clinton, New Jersey after years of renting space for its growing congregation. After selecting a 7.2-acre parcel of land between two wetland zones, the 23,000 SF new construction features a “town square” parti program that provides a place of worship, a Hebrew pre-school, and a multipurpose community center for the Jewish community of Hunterdon County.

The three main components of the building’s program are a youth educational wing, a section for administrative offices, and a place for worship. In the center of it all, the open lobby and “jewel box” multipurpose space—serving as a library, lounge, meeting space for adult education, and Judaica Shop—behave as a dynamic social nucleus for congregants of all ages.

Greeted with the light-filled central lobby, wood, stone, and other natural and regionally sensitive materials enhance the feeling of natural connection and pay homage to the local historic district. Interior glass partitions allow the space to visually expand around the central multipurpose “jewel box” through the adjacent youth lounge and out towards an outdoor amphitheater, providing expansive views into the landscape in three directions.

The double-height sanctuary, illuminated by the clerestory windows and LED light fixtures, accommodates 150 congregants for worship and religious study. It can be utilized as a single volume or divided with a Mechitzah, a screen used to divide men and women for Orthodox prayer; a moveable wall between the social hall and the sanctuary can also be opened for additional seating or for other social/educational usages.