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Project > Architecture > The Vanishing Mosque
Posted Date 03/2010

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What if a mosque was not a building? What if it vanished into the fabric of a city? Seamless with the streets, connected directly to the pulse of daily life, and open to anyone and everyone at anytime, The Vanishing Mosque becomes more visible, more iconic, and more integral to the spiritual and cultural workings of a community than any building with doors and walls ever could.

 

This design strategy was created as a "developer's tool" for integrating spiritual space within new urban developments in the Middle East. Superimposing the function of a mosque within an urban plaza maximizes the value of public spaces, increases the value of adjacent properties, and fosters a powerful sense of community for residents. 

While the image of The Vanishing Mosque is new and seemingly unfamiliar, its driving design principles are inspired by those that have ruled mosque-building for centuries.

 

Qibla (orientation to Mecca): The city grid around the mosque is disrupted by a powerful gravitational force, warping the ground plane, skewing facades, and forging a forced perspective view in the direction of Mecca.

 

Infinity: The Vanishing Mosque gestures to infinity with optical illusion. Diminishing column sizes and the subtle scaling of marble tiles extend the view to infinity within a finite space.

 

Light: White marble saw-tooth facades and floor contrast with deep arcades to create rich gradients of shadow in natural and artificial light. Retractable cloth awnings filter out harsh afternoon sun on the prayer floor.

 

Community: The inside of The Vanishing Mosque is its outside.  Its community extends to the limits of the city at large, creating a sense of shared ownership, collective identity, and deep roots that connect spiritual life to modern urban living.


Material: Alabaster marble, Glass

Size: 5000 square meters

Designers: Russell Greenberg, Tim Kirkby, Chris Beardsley, Joyce Chang

Location: UAE
Links: Competition Website

Download Hi-Res Press Release


 

The forced perspective effect makes it appear that the plaza extends to infinity in the direction of Mecca.

Retractable cloth awnings shade the prayer area from harsh direct sun.

In the evening, lights from residences and offices in the surrounding buildings cast chance shadows across iconic architecture. The plaza becomes a place for casual interaction and leisure when it is not in use as a mosque.

The prayer plinth points in the direction of Mecca, like a giant comopass needle.

White marble facades and deep shaded arcades create dynamic and contrasting lighting conditions. Passersby glimpse the prayer scene while going about their day-to-day activities.

Plan showing 5000 square meter public plaza with surrounding mixed use buildings

The ground lifts up to reveal a cool shaded pool of water beneath the city floor. This area is used for rest, relaxation and ablution (ritual cleansing).

This model photograph shows the ablution (or ritual washing area) beneath the raised prayer plinth.

The prayer plinth points in the direction of Mecca, like a giant comopass needle.

An aerial view of the plaza reveals that the forced perspective effect is actually created by a series of angled and distorted building facades.

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