Bluewaters Mosque
Dubai, UAE
The Bluewaters Mosque forms part of the Bluewaters development, which is built on a new man-made island off the coast of Jumeirah Beach Residence in Dubai, UAE. Bluewaters is a new entertainment destination for Dubai, complemented by residential, hospitality, retail program. The focal point for the island is the 250m high observation wheel, providing stunning views along the dynamic coastline of Dubai.
The concept of the masterplan for the mosque is to create a respectful but iconic environment with a non-intrusive landscape. Acting as an important interface with the overall masterplan of Bluewaters development, the mosque is located centrally within Bluewaters Residences, surrounded on three sides by the residential podium and residential towers. The eastern edge opens out onto the primary street ‘boulevard’, giving important visibility and presence for the place of worship within the masterplan. It also looks across to the island retail district and the impressive observation wheel.
The concept of the masterplan for the mosque is to create a respectful but iconic environment with a non-intrusive landscape. Acting as an important interface with the overall masterplan of Bluewaters development, the mosque is located centrally within Bluewaters Residences, surrounded on three sides by the residential podium and residential towers. The eastern edge opens out onto the primary street ‘boulevard’, giving important visibility and presence for the place of worship within the masterplan. It also looks across to the island retail district and the impressive observation wheel.
The key design is driven by the desire to create a shaded colonnade structure along the public road edge - a simple structure which protects worshippers from the harsh Dubai sun before and after people gather to enter and leave.
The colonnade is defined by a simple 2.4m wide module, which runs the full length of the building defining a simple elegant structure. The structure is orientated to Mecca – a simple yet powerful reference to the direction of worship which all mosque buildings adhere.
The colonnade is defined by a simple 2.4m wide module, which runs the full length of the building defining a simple elegant structure. The structure is orientated to Mecca – a simple yet powerful reference to the direction of worship which all mosque buildings adhere.
The module is carried throughout the entire design, a guiding principle of planning and construction modulation, defining all aspects of the design both internally and externally.
The colonnade structure incorporates a level change from ground level outside the main entry to the mosque and the upper podium garden level of the residential development - height change of circa 6m.
The colonnade structure incorporates a level change from ground level outside the main entry to the mosque and the upper podium garden level of the residential development - height change of circa 6m.
The roof design proved to be the most challenging aspect of the design process. The ‘traditional’ dome always seen as the signature moment of definition on the skyline. Our concept was to incorporate the movement of water – the wave form defined in the lines of the roof to create a ‘dome’ elevation in the roofscape.
The design seeks to enhance its role within the community, encouraging design innovation while preserving Islamic architectural heritage.
The design seeks to enhance its role within the community, encouraging design innovation while preserving Islamic architectural heritage.
winning awards
Identity Design Awards 2020 - Finalist of Architectural Cultural Building
team
Design Partner - Nick Cordingley
Project Partner - Chris Jones
Project Leaders - Javier Perea, Jason Easter
Architectural Team
Marco Bonucci, Bryan Diehl, Arjan Pit, Jonathan van der Stel, Warith Zaki, Nick Benner, Dan Narita, Karol Kurzak, Jinjing Yu, Dian Feng
CGI Team
Peter Alsterholm, Yasser Salomon, Serhii Zvaholskyi, Lulu Guo
consultants
Photo courtesy of Rafael Vargas, Eugene de Villiers for 10 Design
