Rux: the vanishing mosque

The architecture category of the multi-disciplinary competition called for a reinterpretation of the traditional mosque with a variety of requirements such as an ablution area, a women’s prayer room, and communal spaces. Rux’s design proposal, ‘the vanishing mosque’, plays with the idea of liberating the mosque from a building form and incorporating it directly into the fabric of the city, making it more visible, connected, and integral to the spiritual and cultural workings of a community.

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

Images: © Copyright Rux
Links: http://ruxdesign.net/component/content/article/53-architecture/81-the-vanishing-mosque.html