Ramaz Lower School

From the ashes, the design team rendered a new ambition: preserve the original volume of the destroyed sanctuary, and create an additional 8,000 square feet of space for the Lower School directly above the temple. To better fulfill its mission of an integrated and whole child approach to learning, the school's expansion includes new classrooms, a gymnasium, rooftop play area, and an enlarged cafeteria and multi-purpose space. To respect the hallowed space of the synagogue, new floors were added above without running any additional columns through the nearly 110-year old sanctuary, devising a nearly invisible support system of shear walls around the perimeter.