Finchley Reform Synagogue

FRS serves an inclusive reform congregation whose life extends far beyond prayer. As well as services and festivals, the community supports learning, care, interfaith dialogue and outreach. The challenge was to imagine a building that could hold sacred space while also working as a lively community centre – somewhere people feel welcome to gather, talk, learn and support one another.

The ambition was to rethink how a synagogue might function today. The design needed to be outward facing, highly sustainable and flexible enough to accommodate many different forms of gathering, while still creating moments of intimacy and spiritual focus. Rather than separating religious and everyday life, the building was conceived to bring them into conversation – calm, generous, progressive in spirit and built to serve the wider community as well as the congregation.

Our design moves away from the traditional sequence of entrance, hall and main space. The prayer hall is placed at the centre and wrapped with an oversized foyer – a generous, flexible zone that supports socialising, learning, events and everyday gathering. This perimeter space also forms a soft buffer to the landscaped boundary, offering security without creating a fortress. Seating in the hall is arranged in facing ellipses, reinforcing shared presence and community.

Materially, the project is conceived around sustainability, warmth and symbolism. Exposed cross-laminated timber spans the main spaces, forming a three-dimensional ceiling grid, while a lantern above the hall subtly echoes the Star of David through light. Low-embodied-carbon materials such as rammed earth, stone and timber ground the building in place. Community uses extend beyond worship – including a kindergarten for 60 children with sheltered access to an external roof terrace – reflecting a synagogue that works all week, not only on holy days.