In Hebrew, Kol Emeth means “the voice of truth,” explains Stan Field, who, with his son Jess, leads Field Architecture. The Palo Alto, California–based firm recently completed the Kol Emeth synagogue in the city. “This spurred us to make sure everything was authentic.” Much of the project’s authenticity has to do with truth in materials—a lesson Stan learned studying with Louis Kahn at the University of Pennsylvania in the late 1960s—interpreted here in raw wood, steel, and stone. And the design is also genuine in its response to a difficult site, to the nature of its environment, and to its purpose as a spiritual center.
Kol Emeth replaces a synagogue built on this site in 1967, and expanded in 1972 and 1987, that its congregation of 1,500 members had outgrown. The 17,850-square-foot complex comprises two volumes on a triangular lot, framed by an expressway and a cemetery on its northeast hypotenuse and by houses along its west and south legs. The smaller volume is an administrative building, while the larger one includes a sanctuary and a social hall that open onto a shared outdoor court—which conveniently allowed for services during the pandemic. The sanctuary and hall are flanked by smaller spaces, including classrooms, a kitchen, and a room where children can play or pray.
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