Congregation Agudas Achim Synagogue
Austin, Tex.
Lake/Flato Architects

A nomadic tent inspired this awesome sanctuary

© Paul Hester

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The congregation asked the architect to create a sacred space that could accommodate 1,000 congregants for high holy days yet maintain intimacy for 350 during regular services. The synagogue links to the Jewish Community Center School and the entire facility is ordered around a central courtyard. The low stucco walls house support spaces while limestone walls were used for the chapel and sanctuary. The budget dictated that the support functions be built for less than $100 per foot, allowing the sanctuary to be constructed at $225 per foot.

The design was inspired by the first synagogue ever built, a nomadic tent with a light-filled sacred space inside. Four concrete columns form an 80-foot square whose branchlike "V" beams create a hexagon overhead. A skylight forms the center of the Star of David and sends a soft glow throughout the space. The progression from square to hexagon springs from the Judaic tradition of using a "sacred geometry." The concrete mezzanine holds 550 congregants and compresses the sanctuary spatially. The thick east wall holds the Ark and the dry stacked lime stone walls recall the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. The stone walls float away from the central structure allowing in light, while providing privacy and a sense of containment.

The building's materials were inspired by the vernacular stone structures of central Texas and Eastern Europe's wooden synagogues. Wall and ceilings in the sanctuary were acoustically designed for the spoken voice to be heard unamplified in the sanctuary.

Formal name of Project:
Congregation Agudas Achim

Location:
Austin, Tex.

Size:
30,000 sq ft

Cost:
$5.3 million

Owner:
Congregation Agudas Achim

Architect's firm:
Lake/Flato Architects, Inc.
311 Third Street, Suite 200
San Antonio, Texas 78205