Design Intentions: The aim of this project is to propose a design concept to renovate and Improvement of a mosque in one of most crowded crossroads of Tehran, “Qods Mosque”. The current situation of the mosque has a confounded landscape with several wrongly installed objects.
The Mosque is consisted of a tent-shaped building and an unfinished minaret. The client (Tehran municipality) needed to remove the non-Islamic face of a pyramid mosque and also to renovate the urban landscape. The design, proposed a semi-transparent urban façade, which could cover the mosque but not to delete or fully cover the mosque, as client had suggested.
This façade which is an extensible Islamic pattern, would make skyline of a mosque with a dome, gate, porch and a minaret, which the façade could be used as a multipurpose traditional porch. The minaret is also a decoded architectural object of a traditional minaret, which used the Islamic concepts of a minaret into separate codes. This design is also a practice of attribute-oriented architecture, which is a research by the designer.
Urban Façade: The facade is generated out of random extension of a Persian Islamic pattern to form a multi-functional contemporary porch. Base pattern is taken from an artwork by late “Mahmoud Maheronnaghsh”, an Iranian traditional Architect and researcher. Porches could be seen in every city and building in historic Iran.
These porches; are one of the most important parts of the historic Persian mosques called “Ravagh”. As the porches all around the world could provide; they are place for public service. This facade could also provide temporary book shows, be a place for religious ceremonies or even a shelter for an old woman to rest in the shadow during a day walk.
Minaret: The minaret is created by 3 cubes with different axis. These cubes are an extrusion of 3 squares of a dodecahedron Islamic pattern (star). The pattern was decoded to 3 squares, and each were rotated to a specific axis, to creating functions of the cubes. First cube represent the “Light” in Islam and the “fire” on the top of the minarets. As long as mosques use chained lamps to decorate minarets in the nights, this cube could be used as urban LCD itself.
This cube is directed to the residential zone of the Darya Blv. Second cube is the Muezzin’s place; it could place sounding systems, for as we know no one would say live Azaan. One side of this cube has a small window-port which is in axis with Qibla, and the other side is directed to Darya crossroad. Azaan is taken from Qibla and singed for the people. The third cube has cardinal directions, which could remind The Call, which was one the most important functions of Al-masjed Al-nabawi.
Construction: All parts of the façade is prefabricated in the factory. There are 3 types of tiles with same size; 1-including Ali pattern, 2- surfaced tile and 3- rings only. The main structure would be installed in the place, using prefabricated steel. Then tiles would be installed on their place. The material for the inner tile surfaces is transparent concert. Source by Arash G Tehrani.
Location: Darya Blv. Tehran, Iran
Architect: Arash G Tehrani
Firm: Naghsh Urang Pars Consulting Engineers
Client: Tehran Municipality, region 2
Status: Concept proposal
Arch Visualizer: Pooria Abasi – Up Studio
Graphic: Parivash Yazdani
Images: Courtesy of Arash G Tehrani