Daughters of Israel Mikvah

Daughters of Israel Mikvah

Brighton, MA

The Daughters of Israel community-wide mikvah has offered its ritual immersion bath facility for decades, servicing the Boston, Brighton, Newton, and Cambridge communities and beyond. Realizing the need to improve and modernize the facility, DOI enlisted Kaplan Construction in late 2017 to build a new state-of-the-art two-story, 9,000 SF mikvah, including two immersion pools, handicap accessible prep rooms, and two apartments on the upper level.

The existing mikvah had enduring problems resulting from a lack of a proper ventilation system to mitigate the building’s constant humidity. Through the use of computer modeling, a wide array of possible moisture conditions were considered for the new structure. The concluding data drove the decision to install a high density insulation on the building’s exterior, with a Desert Aire dehumidification unit installed indoors. The exterior, designed to be maintenance-free, is a thoughtful combination of HardiePlank siding, stone veneer, and Brazilian teak. The pools were constructed from a single monolithic concrete pour and without the use of typical metal concrete forms, as governed by rabbinical statute.