Vanishing Mosque Does Double Duty as a Public Plaza

<a href="http://ruxdesign.net" target="_blank">RUX Design</a> has turned traditional mosque design on its head with their <a href="http://www.viatraffic.org/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&amp;cntnt01articleid=87&amp;cntnt01origid=15&amp;cntnt01returnid=57" target="_blank">competition winning proposal</a> for the Vanishing Mosque. Instead of a specific single-use building for religious purposes, the New York City-based firm decided to create a dual purpose, open-air mosque that can serve as both a spiritual space as well as a public plaza. This way, <a href="http://inhabitat.com/2010/10/01/renderings-released-for-park51-mosque-and-community-center/" target="_blank">mosque</a> becomes fully integrated into the fabric of the city and the community increasing the value of surrounding buildings. Energy use is practically eliminated since the mosque is open-air and naturally daylit.

As the mosque is located out of doors, retractable awnings can be used to provide shade to worshipers during the day and to protect the plaza from intense heat.

At night, when the plaza is not used for religious purposes, it becomes a place for casual interaction and is lit from the sides by homes and offices.

The prayer plinth is elevated above the plaza floor and points in the direction of Mecca.

White marble columns and dark arches mark the separation between religious space and commercial areas. Passersby and shoppers can continue about their normal business without disrupting prayers.

The abulation pool is used for ritual cleansing as well as an area for relaxation and leisure. The cool pool helps create a microclimate for the plaza.

The prayer plinth points in the direction of Mecca and also serves as the visual focus towards infinity.

The plaza is designed as an optical illusion and the sides of the plaza decrease in size to create infinity in the direction of Mecca.

This plan for the Vanishing Mosque calls for about 5,000 sq meters of public plaza surrounded by mixed-use development.

The plaza lifts up to a point at the prayer plinth and underneath is an abulation pool.