Towards a Kosher Architecture

Abstract

This thesis explores the spatial and material evolution of the Sukkah, a ritual hut built and occupied by Jews throughout the diaspora every year during the harvest festival Sukkot. From its ancient, nomadic origins to its role in contemporary practice, the holiday celebrates fundamental issues of memory, connection, and community through a set of rigorously defined theological mandates. In an effort to contribute to the ongoing Talmudic tradition of critique and analysis, the project proposes a series of allegorical Sukkah structures for a Jewish community in Tumwater, Washington. The eight reconfigurable huts seek to reinforce the sacred yet mundane cultural charge of the typology by extending their occupation beyond the festival into the remaining fifty-one weeks of the year.