Design Criteria for Mosques and Islamic Centers
Art, Architecture and Worship
By- Akel Kahera, Director, Texas Institute for the Preservation of History and Culture, Prairie View A&M University, USA
- Latif Abdulmalik, Professor of Interior Design, Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, USA
- Craig Anz, Assistant Professor, School of Architecture, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, USA
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.
Audience
Readership (primary):
Professional and student architects with an interest in mosque design
Readership (secondary):
Academics interested in religious architecture
,
Published: June 2009
Imprint: Architectural Press
ISBN: 978-0-7506-6796-8
Contents
- ForewordChapter One: Interpreting PrecedentsThe First MosqueOrigins and Later developmentDesigning the American Mosque The Urban Mosque : Case StudiesThe Islamic Center of New York, Manhattan, NYCThe Islamic Center Washington DCIslamic Center, MiamiAn Urban Mosque Boston, MassachusettsAbiqui, New MexicoRegents Park Mosque, LondonBirmingham Central MosqueRome MosqueParis MosqueChapter Two: Site PlanningResponse to Site & Regional ContextGeometry of the SiteChapter Three: Regulating GeometriesDesign ElementsThe Elements of CompositionGeometry of the PlanStructure and Structural SystemsChapter Four: Enclosure and Architectural ConfigurationOrientation and MovementMaterials and Surface treatmentProportion and ScaleDetails: mihrab, minaret, mimbar, ablution fountainsChapter Five: A Word About OrnamentIndexAppendixGlossary of Terms
