A San Rafael synagogue shaped by light and hills

Congregatio Rodef Sholom’s new synagogue in San Rafael begins with a simple shift in mood. Herman Coliver Locus Architecture designed it with the congregation to replace an older brick building they felt had become too closed off, and the new one responds by opening itself up: an L-shaped plan around a courtyard, pale sandy stone outside, and a raised entry path intended to slow your arrival before you step in.

Inside, the lower floor gathers the everyday parts of congregational life around that courtyard: a kitchen, staff offices, a social hall and a youth lounge. A double-height lobby leads to the staircase and then to the sanctuary above, where the main gesture becomes clear. The prayer space sits on the second floor under a vaulted timber-lined ceiling, ending in a large window towards the forested hills. The architects said congregants spoke about feeling closest to God in nature, so the room was lifted to frame that landscape directly.

Alongside it, the Beit Midrash and an outdoor patio support smaller gatherings, while downstairs the courtyard adds a fountain, fire pit, young Pardes trees, a small amphitheatre and turf. Details are carefully worked too, from hammered copper triangles around the Torah ark to prayers etched above doors and cut into handles. It’s a thoughtful piece of sacred architecture, and worth reading for how clearly belief, movement and landscape have been connected.

Our summary of a story from Dezeen, published 6 October 2026. Read the original