Islamic Architecture

UNIT+ by Studio Toggle is an installation that calls attention to the massive amount of construction waste that is generated during construction activities.   According to a report by the World Bank in 2012, there is a global build-up of 1.3 billion tons of solid waste every year. This volume is expected to increase to 2.2 billion tons every year by 2025. Building material accounts for half of the solid waste generated every year worldwide. The rising concern of countries around the world to construct environmentally sustainable developments has led to the creation of various  strategies to increase the recycling of construction waste.   After analyzing the waste generated by the construction of the Kuwait International A... More

The office of Silvio d’Ascia Architecture, in association with the Moroccan firm Omar Kobbité Architects, has delivered the new Kenitra TGV station, north of Rabat. The station, part of the “Royal” construction project of Africa’s first high-speed train line, which connects the Mediterranean with the Atlantic, is also conceived as a lively transition zone for Kenitra, linking its historic center with districts of the modern city.   The Kenitra station was imagined as a jewel case framing the renewed identity of traditional Moroccan architecture in an urban context, in particular thanks to its facade, a reinterpretation of a moucharabieh expanded to the scale of the city. Associating the socio-economic a... More

Featuring an iconic merging of traditional and contemporary visuals, this Modern Islamic Private Villa in Medina, Saudi Arabia, is an ode to beautiful harmonizing. The design features clean lines with horseshoe-style arches and mashrabiya geometry. The layout respects the cultural boundaries of Saudi Arabia by segregating the men’s and women’s entrances. The outdoor area is lushly landscaped and feels like an actual oasis in the middle of the desert More

This Modern Arabic Villa Architectural Design in Taif, Saudi Arabia, is both classic and iconic. Its white-hued cube-shaped structure has been deliberately designed to complement the urban fabric of its surroundings. But the traditional aspects have been retained through the use of horseshoe-shaped arches and light fixtures. This single design element propels the Islamic-style aesthetic but has been modernized by the black filigree and intricate geometric patterns that run on the boundary wall. More

Dubai Design Week Istanbul-based MAS Architecture Studio’s design Barjeel will be exhibited at Dubai Design District (d3) during this year’s Dubai Design Week known as the fifth edition of the largest creative festival in the Middle East. Staged in partnership with Dubai Design District (d3) and supported by Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (DCAA) and Audi Middle East, the fifth edition of Dubai Design Week will spotlight the design identity of the UAE through diverse representations of local and international creative efforts.   Barjeel is an architectural installation inspired by the iconic wind towers of the Gulf region, which have been used for centuries as passive cooling devices. Through geometric abstraction and t... More

Margraf marble at the heart of Islamic architectureVicenza-based Margraf has pulled off another astounding design feat thanks to a blend of marble (a unique and eternal material), futuristic CNC processing technology, and artisan attention to detail. The result is the new Irek mosque on the Kremlevskaya embankment in Kazan, in the Republic of Tatarstan (Russia). The building was designed by architect Evgeny Bolotny and its main distinguishing feature is the distinctive interior cladding. The walls are covered with curved, finely inlaid slabs of Margraf Bianco Sivec marble, from the only Macedonian quarry with “the whitest marble in the world”.Producing the marble cladding presented a tough challenge for Margraf on the design and technology... More

We were offered a renovation project of a dental clinic with financial and time limitations. We began planning and design project with the aim of creating a space based on quality standards, regarding the aforementioned limitations. Sufficient attention was paid to the lighting of the project for reaching a dual effect: on one hand we aimed not to disrupt the functionality of the clinic and on the other hand we planned to create a sense of security, peace and closeness for the patients.This project is formed through contextual approach.This conceptual design is based on fractal order of teeth and heterotopia space.the dental clinic is a heterotopic space.In this design the elements of Islamic architecture have been used so as to respect the... More

Water is a precious element in residential architecture, almost an essential element for happiness. In Islamic architecture water isused as a balm to restless minds and is often found in psychiatric hospitals.This justifies our manic search of waterfronts, beach fronts, harbour fronts, lakefronts and river fronts for to settle in. Water is also a divisive element; it creates a barrier or forms a border, such as the moats that surrounded mediaeval castles, or the swimming pools of today. Australian swimming pools in particular create barriers that not just inexperienced swimmers but ones that all residents must face owing to a strict pool fencing code. This home in Hunters Hill is accessible only by bridging the swimming pool... More

A public seaside promenade facing the marina provides a unique setting for this Jame’e Mosque. Inspired by its context and sitting in harmony with its surroundings, the formal language of this mosque derives from a reinterpretation of traditional Islamic architecture, suggesting a new reading while maintaining the essence of them.The design approach investigates geometry, scale, and architectural language, and looks at them from a new perspective that reflects the intellect, aspiration, and vision of this nation. The end product is multi-faceted in nature, by corresponding to numerous factors and considerations, all of which interact to create a mosque that is avant-garde and yet deeply rooted in its culture and context.The traditional saha... More

"…the orientation of the axis of every mosque on Moslem soil toward the black stone of Kaaba is an awe-inspiring symbol of the unity of faith“Le Corbusier, 'Journey to the East', p.104.“The contention is that architects, more efficiently than intellectuals and scholars, can resist the devastating violence generated by the confrontation of religion, state and society (Din, Dunya, Dawla -the three major concepts developed in classical Arabic thought) at a greater scale than all societies and cultures in history have achieved thus far. This means that all important architectural achievements contribute either to strengthening the dominant ideology in any given historical tradition and political order, or to creating a breakthrough in the inher... More

Mosque interior design requires a very specific knowledge of the Muslim religion and culture since they are the insignia of Islamic architecture. So this mosque interior design by CAS in Leicester, UK is extremely iconic in its ambient quality, vision and physical execution. All the details of the design have been kept decidedly abstract in order to honor the Muslim culture and the practice of prayer that takes place in the mosque 5 times a day. Moreover, special attention has been paid to maintaining an ambiance of understated grandness throughout the mosque. The idea was to enhance the mystical quality of a space-of-worship in order to elevate the spiritual connection with God through spatial experience. This is why a small water body and... More

Alcasaba project has won two International Property awards. The first award was the best Architecture Multiple Residence on the level of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; whereas the second award was the best Architecture Multiple Residence on the level of the Arabic region. The project was also nominated for the same award on the international level. The purpose of the project is the design of a residential compound fit to the modern way of life without any neglect on habits, traditions and local cultures. Two types of residential villas were constructed through applying different treatments for the external facade creating homogeneity between the residential units, taking into consideration the favorable client’s request to adhere the contemporar... More

NOOR RESTAURANT, CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE WITH ANDALUSIAN SOUL Spaces, motifs, materials and light evoke the atmosphere of the Caliphate in the pursuit of a complete andalusian gastronomic experience When Paco Morales embarked on the opening of his newest restaurant in Córdoba, he parted from a clear and ambitious premise: to regain and reinterpret Andalusian cooking from an avant-garde andhaute cuisine perspective. Therefore, the Cordoban chef didn’t conceive NOOR as a usual restaurant, but as a “cultural project” which would provide diners a complete gastronomic experience, that is, an actual recreation of what a palace banquet at the 10th century Medina Azahara might have been. Thisrequired going beyond a mere gastronomic propos... More

Located within a 6.8 hectare park and sharing the site with Toronto’s Ismaili Centre, the Aga Khan Museum seeks to encourage intercultural dialogue and exchange, fostering knowledge and understanding of Islamic civilization through cultural programming and an extraordinary collection of Islamic arts and artifacts. The museum’s architecture is a reflection of this dialogue, a finely crafted contemporary interpretation of Islamic architecture and art within a Canadian context. The museum’s diverse program - a mix of galleries, public spaces, a performance hall, and a restaurant - are arraigned around a central glazed courtyard, a Canadian adaptation of a common element in many Middle Eastern buildings. Etched into the courtyard’s glaz... More