DESIGN NAME: Sea Mosque in Abu Dhabi
PRIMARY FUNCTION: Prayer Hall
INSPIRATION: The conceptual starting point is the movement of the water drop, which is reminiscent of the miracle of creation of living things from water as described in the Holy Quran. The building freezes and solidifies the movement of the sea. The ocean appears in the forms and movements of the surfaces that are clad with polished white tiles as these enhance the dancing reflections of the water.
UNIQUE PROPERTIES / PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The water drop is stylized to a conical formation stretched to meet the ground and link it with the sky. Repetition of the main unit develops a modular system that emphasizes the geometry and tension of the floating volume. This volume is sliced by an inclined plane in order to face Mecca and the ocean. The slicing produces a cut in the volume that shapes a giant wave in the elevation of the building, referring to the motion of the sea.
OPERATION / FLOW / INTERACTION: Ground floor is presented as a bridge between the city and the sea while the deck extends and sinks in the water. The shape of the building is a generous platform that barely touches the ground, narrowing at the top and disappearing in the air. A totally unified floor plan aligns with the urban grid and extends to the sea. Inverted cones form the physical foundations that support the Prayer Hall as well as the vaulted roof structure. The mosque can be reached at the lower level through circulation paths facing the city.
PROJECT DURATION AND LOCATION: The project was designed and developed in 2016 in Abu Dhabi.
FITS BEST INTO CATEGORY: Architecture, Building and Structure Design
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PRODUCTION / REALIZATION TECHNOLOGY: The dynamic sweep of the supporting cones and the ceiling vaults is materialized with the help of a structural steel assembly that provides a unified load bearing shell. The structural system adopted, frees the interior from supporting columns and the unified space correlates with the vast environment of the sea. The base formations facilitate the vertical circulation network of moving walks and lifts that transfer people to the prayer room above, which appears to be floating on air.
SPECIFICATIONS / TECHNICAL PROPERTIES: This unique facade allows light to filter in during the day and to glow out at nighttime, transforming the solid, massive volume into a veil. Continuous openings and the high deck allow the visitors to look out over the landscape from a public terrace that offers panoramic views of Abu Dhabi. The large lattice openings connect further the interior and the exterior, while looking over the landscape reminding the roots and identity of the city.
TAGS: mosque, ocean, fluid, prayer, Abu Dhabi
RESEARCH ABSTRACT: Islamic art and architecture is largely characterized by intricate geometries in patterns, ornaments and structures. This was a starting point for evolving the underlying rules of Islamic geometries and readapting them, seeking innovation in the design of the Water Mosque. Urban and environmental challenges are combined sensitively with cultural aspects and integrate with the established geometrical principals that generate the form of the building.
CHALLENGE: With the belief that the Mosque should play an essential role in the regeneration of the area of Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, the design serves not only the function of a religious building, but consists also an open place of gathering and interaction. Conceived as a new building typology, the Mosque aspires to have a strong civic presence, in an effort to synthesize spatial quality, functionality and the relationship of the building with its context, culture and the urban environment.
ADDED DATE: 2016-06-21 07:26:18
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IMAGE CREDITS: All images belong to Nikolaos Karintzaidis.
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