JW3 Building Design Review (Essay Sample)

A Review of the Jewish Community Centre in London
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Induced by misrepresentation, the term Judaism has received many opposing definitions. To some it is a race, to others it is an ethno-religious group but for most it is just a religion. Undoubtedly, Judaism is not specific to a religious affiliation but refers to a culture with strong linkages to its origin, to include aspects like: customs, marriage, family, lifestyle, dance, music, art, literature and media. To preserve and spread this code of conduct observed by Jews around the world, the Jewish Foundation has constructed more than 1100 centres globally. Each has unique architectural concepts, innovations in construction, community inspired functionality and revolutionary concepts to inspire future architectural projects. Since 1854 the centres have not only offered Jewish people a place of solace in largely non-Jewish societies but a place dedicated to celebrate the Jewish life through cultural, recreational and educational activities.


Figure  SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 1: An artist's impression of the JW3: Jewish Community Centre in London
In London, the Jewish Community Centre, now called JW3, opened its doors to the public in September 2013 after 10 years of construction. It is located off the busy six-lane Finchley Road directly opposite the Camden Arts Centre and north of central London’s main Jewish heartland. Visitors access the centre through a bridge constructed over a large sunken courtyard leading to the piazza. Designed to promote the rich cultural and educational tradition of the Jewish culture, the complex serves as a meeting place for Jews and non-Jews alike. The 3250 sq m cultural drive complex dubbed “the postcode for Jewish life” is the brain child of Vivien Duffield of Clore Duffield Foundation who inspired by Jewish Community Centre in Manhattan stumped up the 40 million required to bring the dream to fruition. The four time Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) award recipient complex comprises of three components: a flexible three storey community centre, a munificent open space for outdoor events and a residential block of 14 two bedroom flats, all designed by architectural firm Lifschutz Davidson Sandlands (LDS).


Figure  SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 2: Hufton + Crow impression of the JW3
LDS was tasked with delivering a robust centre that serves a multitude of diverse activities (short and long-term) in each space within the facility. The design, according to the stakeholders, needed to architecturally fresh, to reflect a centre that is environmentally friendly, that harnesses natural ventilation, harvests rainwater, easy to navigate, and accessible to all. In addition, the centre had to be appealing both to the young stars and the older members of the community. More importantly, the centre had to evoke creativity rather than merely re-enact a Jewish culture.
LDS’s response was exceptional! It has been described by some as ‘a building that appears to be uncomplicated; nonetheless, a very sophisticated and well-resolved, both in its details and concept’. The architects at LDS developed an accommodative architectural concept which brings coherence and flexibility to spaces for retailing, socializing, performing and learning.
The spaces within the complex are arranges hierarchically, with the most public areas located on the ground level which opens up to outdoor terraces. The three storey building, read as two from the street, feature a multipurpose hall, a 60 seats cinema hall and large kosher café on the ground floor: opening up to a screening room, workshop space and piazza. The first floor, designed as a community space, features a demonstration kitchen, arts and craft room, learning resource centre, rehearsal and dance studios, meeting rooms and a learning centre. The second floor features a nursery with outdoor space that allows the kids to benefit from a roof top terrace which was designed as a play area. It also features a 10 storey 14 two bedroom apartment residential block.


Figure  SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 3: A cross-sectional view of the ground floor
The architectural concept behind JW3 was to build a robust and utilitarian style centre with a loose-fit philosophy that emphasises a high degree of flexibility. To accomplish this, the building is designed as a pavilion that utilizes a flexible concrete frame construction model. This allows a large degree of adaptability in arranging the facilities in a clear and logical way. The dense concrete column grid above the transfer structure on the ground floor minimizes the floor slab depth. This keeps the overall height within the limits. It also plays a huge role in promoting the environmentally-friendly theme of JW3 by providing exposed thermal mass which contributes to the passive temperature control of the building and helps to meet the aspiration for sustainability.
Some of the high-flying innovative flexibility features in the JW3 includes: large flexible spaces, folding walls, and a seamless merging of the indoor and outdoor activities. Simple but innovative solutions to meet the environmentally-friendly ambitions include rooftop chimneys which provide natural ventilation to all the areas and also allow for cooling at night. Additionally, the windows in the piazza - positioned on the elevation – serve as a way of controlling heat gain; and also support a seamless indoor/outdoor experience. To enhance the environmentally-friendly theme, the complex is constructed using a sloping topography as a way of sheltering the lower floors of the piazza and terrace from the bolstering traffic noise on Finchley Road. Moreover, the sloping topography also allows for adequate light to permeate the lower floors.


Figure  SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 4: An artist's impression of the front view of the JW3
The structural engineers involved in the JW3 project considered a wide range of building materials (void slabs, timber and waffle), before they finally settled on beige reconstituted bricks. They walls are constructed within a 350 mm by 175mm bronze balustrade concrete rib configuration that features a high quality finish. The ribbed slab configuration allows for seamless service routing throughout the floor areas, enabling the connection between ancillary and open activity zones which gives the building its unique open-house concept. All the formwork was done on site to ensure the integrity of all joints and corners. One of the biggest contributions of the JW3 construction to the architecture discipline was the development and use of a unique mix of cement within the interior of building. The cement, which has a lower solvency ratio and special ash, dries up faster to give a darker shade when cured. This revolutionary development set a benchmark in the industry for its detailed method of concrete workmanship. The traditional form of cement that results in a lighter shade when cured was used in the exterior of cen...