Princeton University’s Center for Jewish Life Undergoes Renovation

Architecture and design firm JZA+D recently completed an energy-efficient renovation and refurbishment of Princeton University’s Center for Jewish Life (CJL) in Princeton, NJ, a multipurpose facility housing assembly, education, and office functions and originally designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects in 1993.

Princeton University’Center for Jewish Life

Highly popular with students ever since opening, the wear-and-tear on the CJL was to be expected. Spearheaded by Joshua Zinder, AIA, founding principal of JZA+D, the renovation project did more than merely replace the worn-out finishes. About 17,800 square feet of building area has now been completely refreshed—finishes, furnishing, and fixtures—while mechanical systems and exterior building envelope including windows and front doors have been upgraded to reduce both energy consumption and long-term maintenance requirements.

“Today, students and other users of the Center for Jewish Life experience better organized interiors, new signage, and wayfinding. Also, improved lighting and artwork help bring the Center for Jewish Life up to the high standards that Princeton University consistently offers in all its campus facilities," says Zinder, vice president-elect of AIA New Jersey.

Featured

  • Indiana University Launches Capital Campus in D.C.

    Indiana University recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new IU Capital Campus in Washington, D.C., according to university news. The eight-story facility will provide a central hub for the university’s existing programs and business operations based in D.C., uniting them under one roof and providing the opportunity to expand.

  • Classical building columns display digital data streams

    The Campus Nervous System: Why Facilities Risk Is Now a Leadership Issue in Higher Education

    Facility performance now intersects with safety, compliance, on-campus experience, institutional reputation, and financial resilience. That places it firmly on the leadership agenda.

  • California High School Opens New Classroom Building for 7th-, 8th-Graders

    Santa Rosa City Schools in Santa Rosa, Calif., recently announced the completion of a new classroom building for Piner High School. As the campus transitions to a Junior/Senior High School, the facility will play home to the school’s new population of seventh- and eighth-grade students.

  • Designing for Every Mind

    Learning environments have the power to shape not just what students know, but who they become. When a school is designed with genuine empathy—for the full range of ways students think, sense, and engage with the world—it becomes more than a building. It becomes a catalyst for growth, confidence, and belonging. That is the animating idea behind neurodiverse design, and it is one that is transforming how more architects and designers are thinking about school design.