Dubai, UAE
Historically, the mosque was not considered an iconic building, but served as a communal space that was open to the public, enabling various types of social activities in addition to prayer. In contrast, when not in use for prayer, today’s typical Dubai mosque is often enclosed and inaccessible, with only a single side of the building designated for entry. These mosques commonly have a linear, hierarchical spatial organization, whereby a visitor passes through the riwaq (arcade), then to the sahn (courtyard), and finally to the haram (prayer hall). Al Warqa’a Mosque challenges these expectations by having public entry on three sides and no boundary wall. This communal approach dissolves the linearity of the spatial organization, resulting in the riwaq (arcade) wrapping around the perimeter of the haram (prayer hall). Further, the glass material selection for the back wall of the prayer hall transforms it from an interior space to a semi-outdoor space, blurring the boundaries between architecture (in) and landscape (out).
