DIFC Grand Mosque
RMJM
Short description
Designed by RMJM Gate Avenue is the first retail and leisure developments in the Middle East region to achieve the LEED® Gold Certification. It's offering a modern, non-conformist, facility known as “DIFC Grand Mosque” which makes reference to tradition by reinterpreting the essence (the “DNA”) of traditional design in the contemporary context reflecting the position and status of DIFC in Dubai.
The clients vision was to create a new vernacular for mosque design in the UAE with a building form to be a simple cube, the 5th “node”, reflecting the cubic forms of the other 4 “nodes” within the Spine project concept design.
With a capacity of over 500 worshippers, the Mosque serves all five daily prayer times, Friday and Ramadan prayers, and is accessible 24 hours from street level through lifts and escalators. The outdoor spill out area behind the mosque has an overall capacity of 675 worshippers. From a design perspective, the 24,500 sq. ft. DIFC Grand Mosque is set to create a new vernacular for this typology in the UAE, offering a modern, non-conformist facility with references to tradition.
The building form is a simple cube within a cube, reflecting the iconic Gate Building of DIFC. The outer cubist form uses a hanging mashrabiya screen that acts as a veil to provide shade and privacy to certain areas and opens at the public areas. The screen is lifted to allow the intricate detail of the interior to be visible to the visitors of the area. The reflective pool along the mosque façade provides a promenade and separation from the main circulation at the promenade level.