Openness, Ushpizin, and Olympics

Festival Sukkah

Sukkot is an architectural holiday. In Jewish tradition, it celebrates ushpizin—shelter for family and neighbors, built resourcefully with minimal means. Lehrer Architects was commissioned to design two modern sukkah for the Sukkot Festival at The Ecology Center in San Juan Capistrano. These became prototypes for something larger: structures reimagined for Los Angeles during the 2028 Olympic Games.

A second exhibition in Silver Lake showcased their open, welcoming indoor-outdoor spaces as models across LA's streetscape—inviting residents and visitors to gather during The Games. Equipped with solar panels, they can power screenings, charge phones, light the night, and serve as vibrant transfer stops throughout the city. The opportunity to celebrate our home and a beloved friend inspired us to embrace this festival and continue evolving the typology with joy and purpose.

The holiday Sukkot celebrates the shelters built in the desert centuries ago; it celebrates a past full of questioning faith in the desert…and a future full of questioning faith in the desert.
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Cultural
Location
San Juan Capistrano, CA & Los Angeles, CA
Client
Jewish Community Foundation of Orange County: https://jcfoc.org/weissman-arts-sukkot/
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Project Team
Landscape Architect
Studio-MLA
Swimming Pool Engineer
Jones & Madhavan
Jones & Madhavan
Jones & Madhavan
Project Management
City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation & Parks
City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering
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