Exclusive Interview with Legendary Architect R' Sholom Langsam
R' Sholom Langsam is the CEO of MaxSpace Design. He has become a living legend in the field of shul design, especially for the Chassidish sector in North America.
I had the zchus in collaborating with him on R' Wolf Zicherman's private Kollel in Boro Park. He brought me in to create the most extravagant Parochet, Bima and Amud set!
I asked him a few questions about his work and the shul design/build in general that I felt might interest you.
So, without further ado… Here's the interview!
Me: Have you seen any trends in the past 5-10 years?
R' Langsam: Yes, I saw a major trend. People are investing more in shuls these days than 10-15 years ago.
10-15 years ago, all the way back to the Second World War, the shuls were made random. You know what they say, Abi Gezunt! Not much thought was put into it. They just went into a store and bought random tiles, etc.
10 years ago, for some reason, people suddenly decided they wanted to have more beautiful Batei Midrashim, went to designers, and are paying for full design, interior, and exterior packages.
We are bringing in a lot of European flavor but with a modern touch.
Me: What does the Chassidish oylam want these days?
R' Langsam: It’s very funny. I had a Satmar shul in Canada. They said they want modern, nothing Chassidish in the shul. Showed me inspos. I was shocked. I really tried to pick their brain. When I showed them the render… they said, ‘no way’. It was too modern!
So I went back and started adding in more and more Chassidish elements to the design and it ended up being a nice mix of modern and European.
On the other hand, over on Piccolo, at Rabbi Gradon’s famous Kollel- Mercaz HaTorah Kollel of LA, they said they wanted a Chassidishe-looking shul, so I went all out with very heavy woodwork around the windows. I presented the render to them but it was too much. So then I started taking out elements and making it look more modern…
The funny thing is, basically both shuls ended up looking a bit the same!
Today people want clean.
But to give it the sense of a shul, you need woodwork.
Me: You got another story?
R' Langsam: A Chassidishe shul came to me, they had received renders from a designer, but they were unhappy with the look, I looked at it again and again I told them I liked it and I didn’t immediately see anything that bothered me.
After a few days, I realized what was bothering them- there were no arched windows.
Give a 5-year-old a pen and paper and tell him to draw a shul…what will he draw? Arched windows!
So I changed the windows, made them arched, changed a bunch of things and they really liked it!
Me: Any suggestions to make our shuls even better?
R' Langsam: Don’t be stingy in the finishes!
Sometimes I tell people - what’s the difference between a fancy and a stingy floor- $20,000. In a multi-million dollar shul, what's a few dollars?
For a few dollars, you will get something so much better.
Me: Where do you take your inspo from?
R' Langsam: Before I start, I Google ‘European shuls’, I close-up into these grainy photos. I make sure not to take any inspo from a Makom Tuma even if they’re very beautiful ideas.
Me: Do you have a formula for coordinating it all? Aron Kodesh-parochet-railing-tables-windows-wall and floor tiles-ezras noshim?
R' Langsam: Let’s say I have two arches, like 2 shapes, an arch, and a rectangle. I will repeat them throughout.
All the finishes should not be too many finishes and colors in the overall palette.
I usually like to add tiles to the walls, it adds a lot of depth and beauty to the shul.
As for the Ezras Nashim: I've been receiving lots of requests lately- both from Chassidism and not Chassidism- for floor-to-ceiling glass. One-way mirror. But it’s not 100%. Sometimes you can see shadows. So sometimes we do a print on the men’s side. But it takes away from the look.
I wish someone would come up with some better idea for that!
Me: Best calming shades for a shul?
R' Langsam: Earthy tones. Picks up on the wood tones. Very in style.
Me: Ideas to make design/build run smoothly?
R' Langsam: A good contractor is crucial!
Don’t change things in the middle of construction!
Have your full set ready before construction, then you can price it out in advance and know what you’re getting yourself into.
Me: How long does it usually take?
R' Langsam: So most shuls don’t start out, with 5 million dollars.
Most shuls say, make designs for us and then we’ll make a campaign…
It can take about 2 years till the shul is actually built.
Me: Do you have any lobby/foyer tips?
R' Langsam: A lobby is one of the most important things in a building.
It should be a big nice spacious space.
If you feel that openness when you walk in the building, that feeling goes with you through the whole building…
I tell people that it’s not wasted space. It's a very important thing to do.
Me: Thank you for your time, you should be matzliach!
Note: Above and below are renders of The Chabad Shul in Ithaca, NY, all the way up.
They want the vibes of a shul, but it should have more of a sporty look. College students are coming in their free time, so we want them to feel welcome. So this is not looking like your typical campus shul.
