Jewish Leadership Academy—a new Modern Orthodox middle and upper school in Miami—aims to combine academic rigor and Judaic studies with an emphasis on developing future leaders and giving back to the community. Early in the project’s development—before faculty or a full curriculum were established—Gensler’s design team was tasked with creating a cutting-edge campus that would promote diversity and a holistic student experience.

Beyond architecture and interiors, Gensler also developed a visual identity and website that reflect the school’s mission and values. The resulting campus is a dynamic and purpose-driven space spanning five buildings, unified by a central courtyard. The campus includes all the traditional features of a school as well as a music and recording studio, fabrication lab, innovation lab, multiple science labs, two full indoor basketball courts, an outdoor practice soccer field, an outdoor basketball court, a track and two tennis courts.

Photo by James Ewing

A commitment to harnessing cutting-edge technology to enhance learning experiences is central to the academy’s educational philosophy and guided design choices. The fabrication lab, for example, is equipped with 3D printers, laser cutters, vinyl cutters and CNC routers. The lab provides students the opportunity to turn conceptual designs into physical representations through experimentation and creativity.

All classrooms have four cameras, one to capture the teacher, one to capture the students and two to capture anything written on class whiteboards. Additionally, classrooms feature two digital displays: one for the teacher to project digital resources to students in the classroom and the other for projecting the image of students or guest instructors who are not physically present in a classroom.

Unique to Jewish day schools, the academy houses two full-size kitchens—one dedicated to meat and the other to dairy. Student lounges feature pianos to encourage social gatherings and artistic expression.

Photo by James Ewing

An early challenge for the team was acquiring sufficient land for an educational campus in a central urban location. After years of developing relationships with local residents, lots were acquired incrementally. As a result, the design had to be adjusted several times to accommodate the addition of new pieces of land.

Both the land purchase and the early design process were further hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic’s limitations on travel and in-person meetings.

The pandemic also presented challenges during the procurement stage, with ongoing supply-chain disruptions, material shortages and shipping delays. Delaying the completion date was not an option for the new academy. In the summer of 2022, it was announced that the academy would open in fall 2023.

By March of 2023, about a hundred students had given up spots in their current schools to enroll in Jewish Leadership Academy for the upcoming academic year. By September of 2023, the school had to be ready to open, regardless of supply-chain disruptions and material shortages. Despite the challenges, the design and construction teams collaborated to find solutions and the academy opened it doors 18 months after shovels were first put in the ground.