Originally scheduled for May 20 — now rescheduled to July 15!

Join us for a guided tour of the Telyas Chabad Jewish Center, recipient of a 2024 Faith & Form Award and an AIA Central NJ 2024 Design Award. Designed by Joshua Zinder Architecture + Design, LLC d/b/a Landau Zinder Architecture, this 23,000-square-foot community center integrates seamlessly into the landscape while serving as a focal point for Hunterdon County’s growing Jewish community. The design prioritizes accessibility, natural materials, and environmental sensitivity while balancing modern programmatic needs with zoning constraints.

The tour will explore key spaces, including the lobby, sanctuary, social hall, classrooms, offices, and nursery school. Following the walkthrough, Joshua Zinder, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, will present on alternative firm business structures, highlighting a Firm Within A Firm Strategy as implemented at his firm.

Tour Course Description: Tour (1 HSW)

Join us for a guided tour of the Telyas Chabad Jewish Center in Clinton, NJ, recipient of a 2024 Faith & Form Award and an AIA Central NJ 2024 Design Award. Thoughtfully positioned within the limited buildable area of a 7.2-acre site—bordered by two wetland zones and two roadways—the 23,000-sf community center was developed with a “town square” parti, serving as a dynamic focal point for the growing Jewish community of Hunterdon County. The design takes advantage of the site’s natural slope to integrate the building into the landscape, maintaining a low profile to address neighborhood concerns while ensuring seamless accessibility. Natural and regionally sensitive materials were selected to complement the area’s historic character while supporting durability and environmental considerations. The tour will explore how the building balances modern programmatic needs with zoning and site constraints, incorporating thoughtful solutions for egress, acoustics, and flexible gathering spaces. The design fosters both individual and communal well-being, with an emphasis on daylighting, material choices, and a strong connection to the surrounding environment. Attendees will be divided into two groups for a guided walkthrough of interior and exterior spaces, including the lobby, sanctuary, social hall, classrooms, office space, and nursery school.

Course Description: Business Structures as a Strategy for Firm Growth (0.5 LU)

Participants will gather for a Business of Architecture presentation by Joshua Zinder, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP focused on alternative firm business structures as a strategy for firm growth and future financial stability. Specific case study will feature a Firm Within A Firm Strategy, as established at Joshua’s firm Joshua Zinder Architecture + Design, LLC d/b/a Landau Zinder Architecture – the design firm responsible for the Telyas Chabad Jewish Center.

Guest Speakers

Joshua Zinder, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C

Joshua has over 30 years of experience, focusing on service to the profession, community, and his faith. He holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Syracuse University and a Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University. He is the Founder and Managing Partner of two Princeton-based firms—Joshua Zinder Architecture + Design and Landau|Zinder Architecture—where he leads projects that blend traditional materials with thoughtful design. His work spans hospitality, cultural, educational, religious, and government spaces, as well as private homes and mixed-use developments.

Joshua is passionate about community, exemplified by Sukkah Village in Princeton, which raised over $40,000 for nonprofits. He serves on the Executive Board for the AIA National Small Firm Exchange and has presented at the AIA National Conferences. Locally, he was AIA NJ President in 2021 and continues to serve on several AIA NJ committees and boards. He is also a Trustee of AIA Central New Jersey. Outside of architecture, Joshua is active in Jewish Family and Children’s Services, Gotham Networking, and the Princeton Jewish Center.

Benjamin Grace, AIA, NCARB

As a Registered Architect (State of New Jersey) overseeing all phases of the design process, Benjamin consistently demonstrates intelligence and acumen in his management of diverse project types for higher education, hospitality, retail, commercial, well-being/fitness and multi-family residential projects. He recently served as the Project Manager for the Telyas Chabad Jewish Center, the 3-acre Venetian Hotel Pool Deck in Las Vegas, and multiple projects for Princeton University including a new Data Visualization Lab and the renovation of historic Prospect Avenue faculty townhouses. Prior to joining the JZA+D team in 2013, Benjamin worked at William Starck Architects in Massachusetts.

The 23,000-sf Chabad Center is thoughtfully designed on a 7.2-acre site, carefully integrating with its natural surroundings while responding to community needs. The building’s layout follows a “town square” concept, with a central, light-filled lobby acting as the heart of the community. The design prioritizes connectivity to the landscape, using the site’s slope to keep the structure low-profile and unobtrusive. The sanctuary, oriented eastward toward Jerusalem, features a flexible space that accommodates 150 congregants, with natural light flooding through clerestory windows. A multipurpose “jewel box” in the lobby serves as a gathering space, while an amphitheater offers outdoor opportunities for prayer and events. The design blends modern forms with regionally sensitive materials, creating a dynamic and inviting space that goes beyond a synagogue to become a vibrant community hub for the growing Jewish population in Hunterdon County.