The Temple B’nai consisted of a new 9,532 square foot synagogue to be built on a 6-acre parcel of land located along the Easton Parkway. The new building, Temple B’nai Israel- The Satell Center for Jewish Life on the Eastern Shore serves the surrounding Jewish communities of Kent, Queen Anne’s, Caroline, Talbot, and Dorchester counties. The new temple’s sanctuary can seat up to 280 people and can be reorganized for events with tables and a dance floor, such as for weddings, ceremonies and other special events. Front and center of the sanctuary the rising sun fills the bimah with natural light. The doors are designed to cover the ark, the cabinet in which the Torah scrolls are stored. The new building also consists of 3 classrooms for religious education, a conference room, offices, commercial-grade kitchen, and a cultural art infused main corridor. Lutron lighting systems were installed throughout, along with Rulon linear stained open style wood compromise the acoustical ceilings, audio, voice, and visual system. The exterior envelope of the new synagogue is constructed by steel columns, metal studs, and drywall, with a Brazilian ipe wood and stone. Willow Construction was also responsible for constructing a 3,000 square foot brick paver patio and a Cupola that faces the rural countryside of the site.

Project Challenges & Solutions
- When geotechnical testing started, some unfortunate discoveries were made, unsuitable soils. Several months consisted of backfilling, surcharging, monitoring of settlement and moisture, and multiple geotechnical reports took place in order to get the site ready for the new building. At the beginning of the surcharge the estimated duration was 8-12 months, it ended up taking 10 months. These findings of unsuitable soils made it difficult to create a GMP. Our team had to coordinate with subcontractors and explain that there was going to be a delay in the start of construction and for their prices to reflect that estimated delay. Additionally, our team started purchasing the materials needed and stored them onsite at inception to hedge against any inflation of prices.
Project Details
- 9,532 square feet
- Easton, Maryland
- Construction Manager
- Owner: Temple B’Nai Israel
- Architect: Levin/Brown and Associates, Inc.