Iconic Mosque Dubai Creek Harbor

An Iconic structure is one that inspires conversation and becomes part of the city’s oeuvre and cultural memory.  Clarity of form, simplicity of design intentions, and dominant scale help initiate conversations that transform buildings into icons.  The proposed design begins with a simple intention: the transfiguration of a pure form (cube) by applying a scared ratio (the golden section) to produce a pious form.  The process is clearly illustrated in the diagrams below and the final shape is undeniable.  The result is a grand prayer hall: a focal point with its magnificence, visible from the outside plaza, placed above the main entrance and library.

This design combines the two most iconic parts of a traditional mosque: the minaret and the prayer hall, morphed by a single gesture.  Where the crescent was commonly placed at the tip of the minaret, this design hangs it in the highest corner of the prayer hall.  The form is then cut at the corner to reveal the crescent, a silent homage to the minaret.

The proposed Iconic Mosque, truly pious in its form, arouses a city to speak.