1st Edition

Design Criteria for Mosques and Islamic Centers

By Akel Kahera, Latif Abdulmalik, Craig Anz Copyright 2009
    106 Pages
    by Routledge

    106 Pages
    by Routledge

    The design principles necessary to create functional and dynamic contemporary mosques can be hard to grasp for those unfamiliar with the Islamic faith. 'Design Criteria for Mosques and Islamic Centers' provides an easy-to-use and practical set of guidelines for mosque design, illustrated with 300 line drawings.

    Case studies of urban mosques in New York, Washington, Boston, and London and Birmingham amongst others, demonstrate how mosques and Islamic centers have evolved to integrate into the urban scenario. The book also compares tenets from Western and Eastern religious and secular philosophies and discusses their relation to architectural creation, place-making, meaning, and identity. The book shows how mosques fulfill multiple faith-based and social roles through their design; it provides a wide-ranging, basic understanding of Islamic liturgical conventions and secular functions to enable architects, designers, and community advocates to work with confidence.

    'Design Criteria for Mosques and Islamic Centers' is the first dedicated design guide for mosques and Islamic centers available.

    • Features case studies from the USA, UK, and Europe
    • Explains fundamental principles to make it easy to create viable design solutions for these exacting buildings that fulfi ll a range of social and religious roles.

    Foreword
    Chapter One: Interpreting Precedents
    The First Mosque
    Origins and Later development
    Designing the American Mosque
    The Urban Mosque : Case Studies
    The Islamic Center of New York, Manhattan, NYC
    The Islamic Center Washington DC
    Islamic Center, Miami
    An Urban Mosque Boston, Massachusetts
    Abiqui, New Mexico
    Regents Park Mosque, London
    Birmingham Central Mosque
    Rome Mosque
    Paris Mosque
    Chapter Two: Site Planning
    Response to Site & Regional Context
    Geometry of the Site
    Chapter Three: Regulating Geometries
    Design Elements
    The Elements of Composition
    Geometry of the Plan
    Structure and Structural Systems
    Chapter Four: Enclosure and Architectural Configuration
    Orientation and Movement
    Materials and Surface treatment
    Proportion and Scale
    Details: mihrab, minaret, mimbar, ablution fountains
    Chapter Five: A Word About Ornament
    Index
    Appendix
    Glossary of Terms

    Biography

    Akel Kahera, Latif Abdulmalik, Craig Anz