Dubai Creek Competition

CONCEPT:
Throughout history, most mosques and places of worship centered design around creating mystery and a darker setting sparking respect and sometimes even fear. While more modern designs are mostly geared towards more ornate interiors and exteriors giving a sense of luxury which may sometimes be excessive and distracting for the building users. So for this iconic mosque, the design strives to flip the norm by ridding the building of excessive ornamentation and creating a sense of welcoming and warmth, inviting users inside and elevating their psychological health by being immersed in nature even for a few minutes everyday.
The architect steps back to showcase nature and God’s creations sparking contemplation and a sense of awe. This concept is emphasized as soon as the user enters the site allowing them to leave daily thoughts behind and enter a spiritual and relaxed state of mind building on the theory of biophilia studied by E.O Wilson explaining the innate and genetical affinity of human beings with the natural world.

TRANSLATION TO ARCHITECTURE:
The majority of today’s designs are almost invariably perceived as discrete/distinct objects with the focus being on the building itself not its relationship within its context. This design aims to provide a more subtle and graded relation between the natural and man-made; cementing the concept of contemplation and admiration of God’s work through creating a non-discrete building which is blended and infiltrated by nature. Thus creating Constructed landscapes that are not immediately recognizable as buildings with interior space. This mosque is set into the constructed landscape in an articulated matter enhancing its performance and spatial configuration. Interiors and exterior environments are set to interact on a spatial, material and temporal level by creating extended thresholds through the spreading of the boundaries of the discrete building into a series of layers (multiple envelopes).

Timeline:2018
Location: Dubai, U.A.E.
Services: Design Competition
Client: Emaar