A boldly contemporary landmark, the Grand Mosque is the spiritual centre of the all-new mixed-use King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) in Riyadh. It serves as the Juma'ah (Friday) mosque for visitors and residents, accommodating up to 1466 worshippers inside and welcoming many more in its generous public plaza. The building is sited prominently at the convergence of three of KAFD's landscaped pedestrian walks conceived as shaded urban `wadis’ or streambeds coursing through the urban fabric.
The inspiration for the unique geometry of the mosque are naturally-occurring `desert rose’ crystal formations. Composed of intersecting plates and voids, the pale stone-clad building, developed through parametric design techniques, evokes mineral and geological processes. The design took into account how the mosque would be experienced from every perspective, including the view from above, since the site is surrounded by towers. Two sculptural 60m minarets anchor a new public plaza, which serves as a public amenity and an outdoor extension to the prayer hall during religious celebrations.
To achieve a column-free interior, the walls and roof of the mosque are melded in a continuous structural shell, which supports a floating mezzanine. This sacred environment is defined by filtered light, folding planes, and articulated geometries that suggest the inside a crystal cavern. Shard-like faceted glass muqarnas—an abstraction of a traditional decorative corbel used in traditional Islamic architecture—further enhance the crystalline atmosphere. Arabic calligraphy is layered into the triangulated side windows, backlit by the sun during the day and visible from the street at night, when the mosque is lit from within.
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