Taube Koret Center for Jewish Life
Palo Alto, CA

Description Of Site

The Campus for Jewish Life incorporates a Jewish Community Center (JCC) and Senior Residences.

The JCC has a fitness center, a day-care center, educational facilities for teens and adults, a performing arts theater, and a restaurant. The Senior Residence portion contains condominiums, activity centers, a dementia section, and a large dining facility. There are three kitchens within the overall facility to serve the residential units and provide catering capabilities. The entire facility is raised on a podium, with street-level parking below.

The site will be used for large events as well as having several hundred residents and several thousand visitors on a regular basis.

SBD Involvement

SBD worked with the design team to incorporate security elements into the architectural design.  This allowed a more aesthetic approach while reducing overall costs.

In addition to a scalable access control system, senior residents required a fast response to any medical emergencies.  Emergency call buttons were placed discretely throughout the site.  Residents are issued mobile emergency devices as well.

The dementia living area had additional safety needs which had to be incorporated into the overall plan to provide an effective response to any situation that might arise.

The JCC included areas with varying levels of security, such as the Fitness Center, Day Care Center, and classrooms.  SBD incorporated access limitations to certain areas while maintaining an open and inviting atmosphere.

Of Special Interest

• Personal Emergency Response Systems
• CPTED-Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design
• Unique Echelon LON-based access control and alarm system