Design as Reform

I wonder what makes a Manhattan based design studio like RUX think of entering a mosque design competition after designing a condom wrapper and a vodka bottle, and amazingly winning the competition.

The competition is called Design as Reform and is arranged by Traffic, a Dubai based art and design practice founded in 2007 which includes a store, gallery and studio. In the second edition of their competition, the focus was on design through the reapplication of existing Arab forms, preserving authenticity of the Arab culture in the age of mass production and exportation. The competition, open to both students and professionals, has been divided into four categories that address different aspects of the urban landscape of everyday Arab life, which consist of a mosque (architecture), majlis (interior design), a pattern (graphic design), and a public installation (experimental design).

The mosque winning entry has a very interesting idea behind it, although it is one of those unpractical ideas that can only work inside the imagination of a designer, and not real life. The idea is rather than designing a mosque as a building with doors and walls, the mosque here is an urban plaza. Designed as a "developer's tool", this public space orientated towards the qibla, would extend this "sense of community" towards the surrounding buildings. Although a romantic idea, as the category falls under architecture, I am afraid that it does not address key issues, most obvious is climatic considerations. The project also assumes that a mosque has the single function of serving as a space for praying, where in fact in most mosques, lectures are given, children are being educated in religion, and many mosques have adjacent halls for special occasions like weddings and funerals.

Most importantly, as the competition aims for preserving the authenticity of the Arabic culture, the idea of a public square is not really that common in the urban fabric of Arab cities. Public outdoors spaces, like a market for example, are usually narrow and shaded by surrounding buildings. I guess the main reason for ignoring these issues is the fact that the design strategy was to serve as a "developer's tool"!

The majlis entry was another interesting one, one which I thought was much more successful in addressing the theme of the competition. Designed by German interior designers 22 Quadrat, the project is called "white space" and combines a minimalistic aesthetic with references to the Islamic tradition of abstract art. The building provides separate divisions for men and women yet with the flexibility of being opened up.

In Detail

A door in Mecca

I stumbled upon this very nice picture of this door detail on flickr. My fascination with door details in Islamic architecture started when I bought a diary few years ago, which had a similar detail of a door on its cover taken from The Mosque of Sultan Hasan in Cairo. The intricate complexity of the decorating patterns haunts me whenever I find myself standing in front of door with such delicate beauty.


The door in Sultan Hasan Mosque in Cairo

Eid Spirit

As Eid is approaching, I would like to take this opportunity to say Eid Mubarak to you all. For this wonderful occasion, I thought I'd post this amazing painting by Ali Akbar Sahiwala, a friend and an architecture student that I believe one day will be among the "starchitects" that future generations will look up to.

I think Mecca has a unique spatial characteristic that is captured beautifully in this painting. As you can see from the painting above, and the aerial view below, taken by photographer AbdulRahman Roslan (I think), the white marbles that cover the floors and most of the walls, the white ihrams of pilgrims and the intense lighting system within the holy site illuminate this space adding to its grand status. Of course as a Muslim, I believe that there is a divine intervention that contribute to the captivating light within this holy site.

Why is Islam scary?

I am not sure if this is even a word, but is Europe afraid of being "Islamicized" again? The Muslim world was successful once in controlling a major part of the Iberian Peninsula for more than 7 centuries, which have left a fundamental presence on what is now known as Spain. That being said, this was only possible after long years of wars and battles. Today, however, "Islamicization" is re-emerging in a different way. Islam is spreading throughout Europe by the integration of Muslim immigrants in European countries for generations now. Their participation in the economical and even political development paved the way for Islam to become an accepted part of the European culture.

Now these are rough figures taken from Wikipedia, but with around 1 million Muslims in Spain, 1 million in Italy, another 1 and half million in the UK, 3 million in Germany and almost 6 million in France, some non-Muslims will naturally get scared. And if the numbers themselves are not enough, the government aid and protection for the Muslim minorities in many European countries is ringing alarm bells all of Europe.



Perhaps the latest sign of this is the approval of building Germany's largest mosque in Cologne. Situated 2 miles away from Cologne Cathedral, the largest Gothic Church in Europe maybe even the world and a UNESCO world heritage site, the amazing mosque is designed by architect Paul Böhm whose specialty is church design. When asked whether he is personally religious, the architect answered:

Religious, yes, but I am not a practicing believer. And I am also not a Muslim. I am often faced with this question. Yet, you don't have to be a criminal to build a prison or be sick to build a hospital! Instead, what is important is the art of empathizing with the needs of those who will later use the building being designed.

The opposition that the mosque is facing is incredible. Some people are seeing it as a threat since it may become a symbol of power while others see it as a positive sign of integration. Personally I don't see a big deal in building a mosque, especially when it is so elegantly designed. But again I am biased.

More info can be found here

Mosque of Algiers

Project: Mosque of Algiers
Architect: KSP - Engel and Zimmermann Architects
Location: Algiers, Algeria

A new mosque with the capacity of 20,000 (or 40,000) and a minaret that will be more than 200 meters high will be built by 2012 to the east of the historic center in the Bay of Algiers. Built as part of a new urban development, the mosque may be third largest in the world after the mosques in Mecca and Madina with the minaret being the tallest in the world.

The mosque will be a center uniting cultural, religious and educational institutions. And perhaps the main feature of the design is the dynamic minaret. It will be open to the public and will include a museum, research institutions and a viewing platform at the top.

Nazari Wall

The Nazari wall is one of the ancient archeological remains of the Islamic presence in Granda, Spain. A large section of the wall was destroyed by an earthquake in the 19th-century, which remained as a void until Antonio Jiménez Torrecillas designed an intervention not long ago.



Local and national heritage regulations dictated that the new wall should be capable of demolition in the future without damaging the original construction. This required designing special foundations that kept the old ones and designing a wall that is stable but also demountable. The architect chose granite slabs to accomplish the last, dry stacking them in a manner that creates interest both inside and out.



Influenced by "old military fortifications, the spirit of secret passageways and night patrols", there are two small openings on either side of the 40 meter wall allow access from one side of the wall to the other, via a narrow passageway between the two stacked granite walls. Torrecillas wanted visitors "to negotiate a world of light and darkness that is a part of the myth of underground Granada." Combined with the numerous apertures in the two walls, this space captures something of that essence without immediately recalling any specific historical form.



The intervention in Nazarí wall is the first step in a large urban design that will preserve the surrounding area.

Pavilion in Sudan

While I was looking at the entries of the 2007 AR Awards for Emerging Architecture, I was really taken away by one particular project that was highly commended by the jury. Its a pavilion for prayer and meditation for all faiths in Sudan designed by Studio Tamassociati.

The intention of the Venice-based Italian architects was to "create an enclave that could be spiritually neutral, yet still evoke a sense of the numinous" in a region that is suffering from religious and ethnic strife. However, and I don't know if its just me or if this is a testimony to the architects success in achieving their goal, the simplicity of the pavilion evokes a feeling of going back in time when Islam was pure. Stripped from any geometric decorations or architectural features like domes and minarets that have been influenced by the political power struggles between Muslims and other religions. It really looks as if this was the kind of mosque that our Prophet Mohammad (SAW) was praying in, a vernacular building made of local materials formed as simple as possible without decorations.

This pavilion is part of a heart surgery centre in Khartoum. The exterior is dominated by a large reflecting pool, a powerful symbol of physical sustenance in sub-Saharan Africa, which also separates the pavilion from the hospital and wider world. The pavilion is a simple composition of two white cubes connected by a roof of loosely woven bamboo that gently diffuses the harshness of the sun’s glare. At the pavilion’s heart are two trees, a reminder of the transcendental power of nature.

More news from Dubai

The biggest human-shaped building in the world


Inspiration for the tower: Traditional Arabic clothing


The biggest cross in the world according to some

Well... I am not sure if its good news but I've just heard about this proposal for the biggest concrete and glass human shaped building in the world. Of course such projects are only found in Dubai. The 35 storey, 140 meter, DH 500 million tower is called Burj Al Arabi, and is intended to be built near Jabal Ali Airport as a gesture for greeting arrivals and departures. According to this site, the project also received the backing of Islamic scholar, Ahmad Al Kubaisi. The UAE national had this to say about the project:

"Our Islamic and Arabic history is full of what we can be proud of but we do not make enough effort to reflect this in our real estate sector, as many developers race to copy foreign buildings which have nothing to do with our property heritage nor highlight our historic values. Burj Al Arabi is not intended to be the statute of a person, but symbolises a particular style of dress. It honours the religion, culture and language of the Arab people from a real estate perspective."

The project haven't been approved yet. I don't know the reason for that but my guess would be that it sure had a split decision about its representation of our heritage and historic values. I mean Burj Al Arab have been criticized because it resembled a cross and have been called the biggest Christian Cross in the world. Whether it was intended to be or not, I am sure the developers want to avoid such accusations in this project.

Although the proposal does have some fun features, such as the igal (the black circle at the top) is intended to be a rotating restaurant or a conference center, this is not what Islamic nor Arabic architecture is about. If the intention was to represent "heritage and historic values" through architecture, then depicting human beings is a big no no in Islamic architecture. Even though the architect intended to represent the dress as a symbol for culture, I am sure most people would have viewed the building as an abstract form of a human being. Besides considering the dress as a symbol of culture is very shallow. After all Islamic architecture and Islam always gave more importance to the interior rather than the exterior look. So representing our culture with how we look is not really the appropriate way.

The Kaaba

Found some good background information and diagrams about Kaaba, even I as a Muslim didn't know all these things so I thought I should share it.

-The Kaaba is the holiest place for Muslims, its the qibla "direction" where Muslims face while praying and where Islamic rituals like pilgrimage take place.

-Its called "Al-Kaaba Al-Mosharafa" meaning "The dignified Kaaba", "Al-Bait Al-Haram" meaning "The holy house", and "Al-Bait Al-Ateeq" meaning "The primordial house".

-The name "Kaaba" is derived from "moka'ab" which is the arabic word for "cube".

-Kaaba is a cubic masonry structure built from granite that is brought from the hills near Mecca.

-The structure is supported by 3 columns that run in the center.

-A marble base called "Shaazarwaan" extends outwards by about a foot and a half.

-The dimensions of the Kaaba from the tip of the Shaazarwaan is roughly 11.5m by 13m.

-The four corners of the Kaaba roughly directs towards the four points of the compass.

-The Kaaba is covered by a "kiswah" which is a black silk curtain decorated with gold calligraphy.

-The Kaaba have been damaged and reconstructed several times, but the shape remained the same.

Bahrain National Museum

Aerial View


Meeting space in front of the museum


Side view


View of the back


View of the entrance


View of the entrance from inside


Project: Bahrain National Museum
Architect: KHRAS Arkitekter (today known as KHR Arkitekter AS)
Year Completed: 1988
Location: Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain


An idea of a Civic Center was initiated when an old museum in Muharraq could no longer accommodate the growing collection of precious artifacts that are being discovered. A Danish architecture firm was appointed to design the proposal and the Museum complex was the first phase of this civic center which also included a congress complex, a library, a planetarium and an aquarium. The center was not realised due to economics, but almost 20 years later we begin to see the second phase in motion with the construction of a public library and a design proposal by Zaha Hadid for a new Museum for contemporary Arts.


The Danish architects didn't want to fall into shallow translations of architectural features. Instead they used reinterpretation of local culture as a design mechanism to achieve a mixture of Islamic/Western influence. The result is a stunning landmark that grasps the essence of Bahraini traditional values and present it in a modern contemporary building.

The main elements that make up the design strategy are the following:

1- Location
Bahrain literary means 2 seas, where fresh land water meats the sea. Its no coincidence that the museum, is located in a coast along the intersection of 2 highways that connect 2 cities; Muharraq the old Capital of Bahrain and Manama the present Capital of Bahrain. This way the sea, the land, and the fresh water pools express the meaning of Bahrain.

2- Water
The museum complex is surrounded by a water pool which signifies the importance of the water in an island where people earned most of their living from the sea. Its also a dramatic enhancement to reflect the museum and create a gathering place.


3- Simple Facades
The simple facades of the museum is a translation of the plain facades of old Bahraini houses that can be found even today in Muharraq and Manama as well. In these houses decorations can be found only windows, doors and in parapets.

4- Courtyard
Houses in Bahrain traditionally were courtyard houses, ranging from 1 up to 4 courtyards with varying functions. There are both environmental and cultural reasons behind this system which can be found in most Arabic countries. This feature is clearly evident in the meeting space in front of the museum in addition to other private courtyards in the museum complex.

5- Geometry
Geometry is clearly evident in the massing of the museum and the patterns of the facade stones. This concept is employed because it is rooted in Islamic Architecture and plays a significant role in Arabic spacial pattern.

6- Introspection
This concept is perhaps the most essential principle of Islamic Architecture which can be found in private houses or public buildings. Self-effacing exteriors are very common in mosques, houses, schools... etc. High attention to detail and decoration of the interior is much more important than exterior facade decoration. "One must look inward behind the surface, where Islamic architecture unfolds in a wealth of varied and often surprising spatial sequences, a sophisticated control of strong daylight and ornamentation that is always subordinate to the primary spatial expression."

Floating mosques

Project: Tengku Tengah Zaharah Mosque aka The Floating Mosque
Location: Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia
Architect: Raja Bahrin Shah (Senibahri Arkitek)
Completion date: 1994

This mosque won the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 1994. It can accommodate 800 to 1000 prayers and built with water flowing under it.



Project: Floating Mosque
Location: Dubai, UAE
Architect: Waterstudio
Completion date: 2008???

Located in one of the largest artificial islands in the world, Palm Jebel Ali, the design is modern with exaggerated Islamic architectural features.

My second favorite building in Bahrain

Client: Al Zamil Group
Project Description: 2 linked office towers with parking spaces that creates a new gateway to Manama Souq
Architect & Civil Consultants: Gulf House Engineering
Project Manager & Quantity Surveyor: Hisham Abdul Rahman Jaffar
Main Contractor: Chapo
Electromechanical Services: Gemac
Completion Date: 2004
Project Cost: BD 8 million ($ 21.2 million)

This is my second favorite building in Bahrain. I've been trying to find some info about it but couldn't find anything on the net other than this promotional site... If you see my first favorite building (which I also couldn't find a lot about it on the net) you'll see a striking resemblance, yet they are completely different. Almost the same materials are used in both buildings yet you have 2 different experiences. And this is what modern Arabic architecture or Islamic architecture in the Gulf should look like. Buildings should relate to each other, they should relate to their surroundings, and most importantly they should relate to the inhabitants.

Both buildings have this idea of combining the old with the new... in the Zamil tower the new emerges from the old... so when you see the lower levels you'll see stone cladding with detailed geometric decorations that are known in Islamic architecture, and as you go to the upper levels the building gets stripped of those details to reveal a modern aluminum structure with tinted glazing as a gesture to relate new materials and technology with old traditional ones. However, in Batelco building you see abstract forms and shapes that resembles the traditional architectural elements from the lowest to the highest level of the building, it uses few details to achieve symbolic abstract geometry.

When you see the Zamil Tower or Batelco building there is no doubt in your mind that you are in an Arabic Islamic country... these sort of buildings give identity... identity gives soul and character... and that's what attracts people from other cultures. Its not just the glazed skyscrapers and the complexity of the shapes of the buildings that makes you admire the engineering work which will attract tourists and investors... that helps of course and its good to have some of it but not to the extent that it becomes the theme of the city... otherwise you'll have a generic city and although many may think that is a positive thing I don't believe stripping new emerging cities of their identities is the best way to go.

Rem Koolhas says that the generic city is a multi-national city... its population is mixed and that is why obsessing with giving the city identity should not be the dominant feature in architecture... he goes on to say that a small part of the city should be dedicated to old things like those London buses or telephone booth but that part is a sort of amusing park or outdoor museum... I would prefer to have it the other way around... to have a city with a strong identity which is revealed in the people and the architecture... and have a small part of that city freed of this identity where developers and architects can be free to show off their designing and engineering skills along with their big wallets by building whatever they want... and that area could be an outdoor exhibition. A good example of this that comes to my mind is Paris, walk through the Champs-Élysées and tell me can you get more French than that... then go to La Défense and see the difference.

Dubai Central Library

Client: Dubai Municipality
Project Discription: Public Library
Architect: 'asp' Architekten Stuttgart in association with Obermeyer Planen+Beraten Munich and ACG Architecture Consulting Group
Completion date: 2009??


The inspiration... traditional islamic lectern "rehle"... a positive step in architecture for Dubai!!

Wanna live in a dildo???

Following a previous post about sail shaped buildings in the GCC, I did some research after I read that Jean Nouvel was planning to design an "Islamicised Torre Agbar" for a wealthy client from Qatar who requested from him to build the exact same building after seeing it in Barcelona.

Well the result is the second building on the right of the picture above... the Torre Agbar have been dubbed as the "dildo building" and since it has a striking resemblance to a year and a half older building called The Gherkin designed by Norman foster, the latter building caught the nickname as well... And now I've noticed that people have been calling the one in Qatar as the "condom building". I was afraid that Qatar would get that sail shaped building fever... but I guess they caught the dildo shaped building fever instead... how unfortunate for them!!

The funny thing is in that post I quoted Nouvel saying "If you travel a lot in the world... You see the same buildings without roots... You see a lot of repetition of stylistic vocabulary... It’s not the right attitude for architecture." I was anxious to see this "Islamicised Torre Agbar". And when I did I struggled to see what so "islamicised" about this building. Finally after deep and careful analysis I came to the conclusion that it could be a symbol to a circumcised penis since as Muslims men must circumcise their penises.

Al-Rajhi Bank Headquarters

Client: Al-Rajhi Bank
Architect: SOM
Location: Riyadh, KSA
Completion date: 2009

I really like SOM's developments in the Middle East... I think some of their projects are really carefully studied and thoughtful towards the region... unlike many other companies that look at the ME as a lifeless desert that would make a great workshop for experimenting with new prototypes. They even did a planning development strategy for the next 20 years or so in Bahrain... Check it out it has nice renderings done by the famous Muharraqi Studios.

Islamic architecture in Israel???

This is the fabulous mashrabiya house designed by an Arab Israeli Architect, Senan Abdelqader.

The mashrabiya is a type of projecting oriel window enclosed with carved wood latticework. It allows good views of the streets without being seen offering privacy for the occupants and protection from the glazing sun. The detailed latticework is open to the air, without the use of glass windows. It is often linked to Islamic architecture because it is argued that it started from Egypt and spread to other Islamic countries. The architect adopted the mashrabiya and adapted it to suit the site, which I think works very well in the context.

This makes you think of what Islamic architecture actually is... we hear of buildings as far as the far east in Asia being called Islamic even though they are not mosques or related to religion... Islamic architecture is being linked with any country that Islam has penetrated... Even though those countries have their own architectural characteristics, with time their architecture became know as Islamic purely because Islam became their main religion... Is this (or should this) be the case, or should we refer Islamic architecture to mosques and buildings that are related somehow to religious activities? I wonder why I never heard of the term Christian Architecture!!??