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Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue by Peter Caulfield photos: robert stefanowicz C ongregation Beth Israel ("House of Israel") on the west side of Vancouver has just completed an extensive renovation and expan- sion of its facilities that will give the synagogue's membership plenty of room in which to grow and thrive. "The congregation has 650 fami- lies and it is increasing in size," says Shannon Etkin, Congregation Beth Israel executive director. "The original synagogue was built in 1948, and we needed a new facility that was modern and responded to contemporary needs." The largest synagogue renovation ever undertaken in Vancouver, the proj- ect created not just a new sanctuary for worship, but also a hall for community gatherings and festive events. The remodelling kept intact three sides of the original synagogue, includ- ing the Oak Street facade, where the building's entrance used to be located. But it moved the new entrance to West 28th Avenue, where it provides easy access. The exterior of the sanctuary combines limestone cladding and glass. Inside, the sanctuary features slabs of Jerusalem stone that are articulated so that light from the skylight shines on it. The stone is flanked by two large (16 feet by 24 feet) stained glass windows. Panels of cherry veneer wood give a rich feeling to the space, and make it warm, welcoming and beautiful. Adjacent to the sanctuary, there is a chapel on one side and a pray-and-play room for fami- lies with young children on the other. One of the benefits of the new, larger sanctuary, which can accommodate 1,400 worshippers, is that it will be able to host High Holy Day services (which take place in the fall of every year) under one roof. "We used to have to hold the High Holy Day services in two separate locations, because the old Beth Israel sanctuary wasn't big enough by itself to hold all the families who wanted to attend," says Etkin. The new synagogue also contains the Gales Family Life and Education Centre, in which there is a host of facilities, including banquet and meeting rooms, a kitchen, classrooms, youth lounge, boardrooms, administrative centre, conference centre and a ballroom that can accommodate 525 people for spe- cial occasions such as weddings and bar and bat mitzvah celebrations. The renovation created a number of informal spaces, including a series of five landscaped outdoor courtyards, where people can gather. Not only was the original synagogue too small for the congregation's cur- rent needs, it was no longer in tip-top condition. "Its time had come to be replaced," says Etkin. "It was an old building with a leaky roof and bursting pipes and the air conditioning wasn't working properly. Because our con- gregation is growing, we needed more space and a greater number of flexible rooms, to enable us to accommodate diverse groups of different sizes." The new facility is 36,000 square feet in area. The spiritual area – the sanctuary and chapel – is 14,000 square feet, and the Life and Education Centre is 22,000 square feet. "The ren- ovation and expansion has given us 50 per cent more floor space than we had in the old building," says Etkin. The new synagogue has a warm, comfortable and light atmosphere. "We've created a building that is enjoy- able to worship and socialize in, not a grand monument," Etkin says. In place of the original surface parking lot, the new synagogue also includes a two-storey underground parkade that can hold 200 cars, which is twice as many vehicles as the old parking space. The parkade was undertaken as a joint venture with nearby Vancouver Talmud Torah school. The new parkade solves any potential problems that could be created by morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up at the school, which has 500 students who come to Talmud Torah from all corners of Greater Vancouver. The total cost of the renovation and expansion, which took place between January 2013 and Septem- ber 2014, is $24 million. The figure includes construction, consultation and transition costs. Mark Ostry, principal of Acton Ostry Architects Inc., says the new Beth Israel has many energy-efficient and sustain- able features. "It is very efficient in lighting, heating, ventilation and in its use of energy," Ostry says. "For example, the new synagogue can be plugged into a district energy system, which is an energy network that is a more energy- efficient and greener way to deliver energy to buildings." Alfonso Ergas, chairman of the project's Building Committee, says the new synagogue presented a number of challenges. "Beth Israel was, and is, the largest synagogue in Vancouver. The congregation had never attempted a renovation on such a scale before, and we had to do it on budget and in time for this year's High Holiday Days [September-October 2014]." However, Ergas adds that the project was completed successfully because it had the right team. "Everyone involved in the renovation worked well together and put their best into it," he says. Roland Haebler, president of Haebler Construction Ltd, agrees that the proj- ect was challenging. "The concept of the project was complex, since it involved building an underground parkade beneath the new synagogue, which itself was attached to the shell of the old building," says Haebler. Furthermore, time was tight, and the contractors had to make some unex- pected revisions. For example, they discovered that significant structural revisions were required once the proj- ect was already underway during the demolition of the original synagogue. "In addition, there were numerous architectural revisions required, and seismic upgrades were needed, due to the condition of the soils underneath the synagogue," Haebler adds. "Despite the challenges, the team worked well together and we managed to bring everything off on time and on budget." n Location 989 West 28th Avenue, Vancouver, B.C. owner/DeveLoper Congregation Beth Israel cLient representative Westbourne Projects Ltd. DeveLopment manager Alfonso Ergas architect Acton Ostry Architects Inc. generaL contractor Haebler Construction Projects Inc. structuraL consuLtant Glotman•Simpson Consulting Engineers mechanicaL/eLectricaL consuLtant Integral Group LanDscape architect PFS Studio totaL area Synagogue, 36,000 square feet; parkade 75,000 square feet totaL cost $24 million december 2014 /59 congregation beth Israel Synagogue