216 Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Mosque

This mandate came directly from Sheikh Zayed. The building shell of the enormous mosque, named after him, was already under construction and the project was to be appraised with a critical, open mind – every single part of it, from parking field to Prayer Hall. We were to make suggestions for eliminating or ameliorating the numerous building defects that had been listed in a detailed, highly critical report. We instantly noticed the shortcomings: defects, mistakes, errors! No wonder, inasmuch as the gigantic structure was built according to plans based on an image painted by local architects, which was then poured in concrete. A painted dream that suddenly materialized as a colossus, looking for all the world like quintessential luxury hotel architecture rather than a mosque. A far cry from the great historical predecessors in Damascus, Cairo, Istanbul or Córdoba.

We made it a condition that our work would be conducted in direct dialogue with the client. We wanted to know whether we were moving in the desired direction. At first, that worked very well, with feedback from architects trained at the Architectural Association in London, who represented the client with competence and acuity. We, in turn, had a team of some ten architects systematically working on single aspects of the project: parking, ablution, domes, prayer hall, inner courtyard, minbar, minarets, marble and other embellishments, and cladding. Our greatest contribution, perhaps, was the redesign of the gigantic, desert-like parking field for 10,000 vehicles as a landscape of plants and water. The mosque seemed to be afloat on a reflecting surface of water. The faithful would be conducted through this reflecting surface straight up to the fountain landscape of the ablution area and into the welcoming shade of the arcades.

However, this dream came to an abrupt halt. There were no responses anymore, no comments. Construction of the mosque was completed without us. It was inaugurated in 2007 without any major modifications to the original project. It is touted on YouTube and in travel magazines as a fairytale castle from The Arabian Nights.

Process

The mosque is already well advanced when Herzog & de Meuron are commissioned to plan and direct its completion.

The architects study the full richness of Arab building culture and the regional landscape.

The mosque forms a new center outside Abu Dhabi. It stands on a plinth that provides 10,000 parking spaces and is designed as a landscape with palm trees, water, canyons and pedestrian paths.

The focus on water as a central element gives the mosque complex the feel of an oasis.

To provide a greater sense of seclusion and better protection from the sun, the side arcades of the central courtyard are transformed into permeable walls with cantilevered elements over cavernous spaces.

The overall effect is calmed by removing many small domes and by streamlining the three large domes, each of which is lifted optically above the main structure by a light band.

Herzog & de Meuron propose modifications to the support grid in order to meet the requirements of the Islamic prayer rites.

The classic form of the minaret is adjusted to a more contemporary language by means of tapering, by morphing certain sections and by simplifying outlines.

Production of the presentation model with gilded domes and minarets.

Team

Partners: Jacques Herzog; Pierre de Meuron; Harry Gugger
Project Team: Mathis Tinner (Associate, Project Architect); Béla Berec; Francesco Brenta; Massimo Corradi; Mia Hägg; Verena Lindenmayer; Christopher Nicholas Pannett; Martin Saarinen; Werner Schmidt

Facts

Client: Shaik Sultan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Chairman The Works Department
Building Data: Site Area: 5'920'145 sqft, 550'000 sqm; Footprint: 241'240 sqft, 22'412 sqm; Length: 1'377 ft, 420 m; Width: 951 ft, 290 m; Height: 351 ft, 107 m