The New Mosques: Islamic Centers in North America

of the region and adapting it to an Islamic use, this mosque also represents the community's desire to accept its surroundings and its situation as both Canadians and Muslims.

THE ISLAMIC CULTURAL CENTER OF NEW YORK

This last mosque is in the United States. The Islamic community in New York was looking to represent itself to the outside world through architecture. However, in this case the clients insisted on typical Islamic elements like the dome and minaret while that was not necessarily an issue of focus in the previous projects. This desire to represent the Islamic community in a way the West would expect was not the only view expressed. There were several parties involved in this design process including two committees of experts who pushed for a more modern design which fit into the New York context while accommodating Islamic beliefs. In the end, perhaps because of the influence of a board of ambassadors from Muslim nations whose governments were funding the project, the architects compromised and designed a center that is clearly Islamic although not so clearly of New York.

The building, which is set back from a busy intersection, is basically an ornamented cube topped with a dome with a minaret located adjacent to one of its corners. It is set back in order to lessen the normal distractions of the city, but doing so actually separates the mosque from its setting and gives it greater distinction. Its Islamic orientation versus the city's grid orientation also give it that distinction. Although the elements are Islamic, the structure is very modern with its four trusses supporting the concrete dome. The dome itself is steel-ribbed and covered with copper and steel. The top corners of the cube are clipped and there you find skylights which provide natural light to the prayer area below. Although in this mosque the elements are old the structure is modern and the architects seemed interested in showing that.

CONCLUSION

As North American Muslims become more comfortable with their status as members of the "East" and "West", designers will become more willing and more free to explore exactly what that means. Although it is possible to take old forms and make them modern with new technology that is not the only choice in new mosque design as was shown by the Kingston Islamic Center. Just as from the onset Islamic architecture was always developing and changing it can

Go To Page: 1 2 3 4

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic