B’nai Amoona Chapel Ark
Custom Furnishings Case Study
Problem: Construct and install a large scale Ark that provides storage of sacred Torah scrolls allowing congregation members to easily access and remove scrolls safely for religious services.
Solution: Collab worked closely with multiple stakeholders from the congregation to identify how the Ark needs to perform and create a one of a kind installation that acts as a back drop and an integral part religious services and rituals.
Collab was commisioned by the B’nai Amoona Congregation to design and fabricate a new Ark for the newly renovated Chapel on their Town and Country campus. Architect Margaret Goodin of HOK designed the renovation of the Chapel interior and developed the concept of using B’nai Amoona’s logo as the doors of the Ark. Collab was tasked with developing the design, selecting appropriate materials, specifying a track system that could support the doors without being visually obtrusive, and ensuring the cabinet dimensions and opening could safely hold a variety of Torah scrolls and they could easily be placed in and removed from the Ark.
The Ark doors measure over eleven feet tall and nine feet wide when closed and are constructed of solid walnut and ash wood. Together they weigh approximately 300 pounds.
Wood movement that occurs due to seasonal changes in temperature and humidity posed a major design challenge. The solid wood construction combined with the large scale of the assembly required two expansion joints in the walnut panel which allow the wood to shrink and expand without affecting track spacing. Hardware is screwed through slots in the walnut into the backside of the bleached ash allowing both layers of wood to move without cracking.
