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Elham Fairuz AMERICAN COLLEGE TOWN AMERICAN COLLEGE TOWN

1 ELHAM FAIRUZ AMERICAN COLLEGE TOWN MOSQUE A study of mosque architecture in a small college town in the United States

American College Town

To mom, for your strength. Mosque To dad, for your perseverance.

To you both, for everything.

Elham Fairuz 1.0 Context 1

introduction. 2 content. a little background on islam and architecture. 3 2.0 History 5

mosque in history. 6

from the classical Islamic period. 7

contemporary mosques. 9

college town mosques. 11

the mosque in bryan-college station. 13

3.0 Community 15

in the united states. 16

The is not data. 17 a history of buildings or their styles. 4.0 Practices 19 It is a history of ideas and how they have shaped the way we think about habits and practices, and representation. 20 ourselves and our built environment. practices in spaces. 21 Harry Mallgrave1 5.0 Spaces 25

design. 26

parti. 27

rationale. 31

schematics. 34

drawings. 35

6.0 End 47 iv

conclusions. 48

endnotes. 51 acknowledgement. regret is not being able to do justice to the opportunity you provided for research in laying the foundations of this project. And without the help and support of Professor Rebecca Hankins, I would still be fumbling in the dark on This project is in this book today only because of all the history of the Muslim community in the United States. the people who helped me build it. I owe so much to my Thank you for taking such great care of me, for helping committee members. me navigate and get through this project - through all of I’m specially thankful to my committee chair Dr. its ups and downs. Your patience and enthusiasm were Andrew Tripp. His fascination with architecture and constant, and you stuck with me throughout it all. I deeply everything else beyond, including anthropology, art, value the time I spent working with you. history, globalization, practice, and dinner tables - and I would also like to thank Dr. Ahmed Ali for the great enjoyment he derives from picking his students’ encouraging me to take up the topic of mosque brains - all had a role to play in the way this project architecture in the United States. And a nod to my studio developed. He collected the pieces of my supposed thesis professor Brian Gibbs, for his guidance and efforts. and constructed a project in less time than most people are allowed; This project would never have seen the light Also, a big thank you to everyone who stayed up late of day without your constant support through our many and worked with me (you all know who you are), to all my sprints and sound-board sessions. I owe you tons. The friends who listened, questioned, and reflected with me. I opportunity to work with you has been one of the most am eternally grateful for the people who got me through rewarding experiences during the time I have spent in this - grateful and blessed to have had the opportunity to Dr. Andrew Tripp Dr. Stephen Caffey Professor Rebecca Hankins the graduate program. Thank you, for the new academic call you my friend, teacher or family. Committee chair Committee member Committee member lenses, and thank you for dredging me out and for pulling me through. To Dr. Stephen Caffey, thank you for pointing me in the right direction, for asking critical questions, and for trying to make me see others’ perspectives in design. It has always been a privilege to hear you speak, and I hope vi I have absorbed some of the wisdom you so endearingly vii imparted on us. Even in your crowded schedules, you made time for me, and I am incredibly grateful. My only American College Town Mosque States. the United the mosqueas“Firstauthenticmosque”tobebuiltin An articlefrom1952by Christie G. Thompson introduces 2

This sectionintroducesthebasic architectural representation,i.e., from theideaofarchitectureas mere representation—through through architecturalsections. articulating everyday practices A LittleBackground onIslam reproduction ofvisualstyles— to aspace-makingprocessby project usesthesmallcollege town mosquetomoveaway premise ofthisproject. This within existingmeansof Context Subsections are: Introduction this relationshipthis people and between space, their is project,particular therefore, in an attempt to explore is mosque. the associated This with society type relationships.social of creating physical spacesaround, for on and these based Architecture understood as practice the be can then, also changes, and are changed equally by variations. these shift and morph,become we participants active those in space and spaces. And as and times contexts around us us—thatbetween forge and found our understandings of architecture. It is relationships the people— between isthis aphenomenological way of about thinking qualities that At are as social. better described its roots, geometrical or dimensional quantities, but rather in emotionalthe impact of cannot adesign found be in ability to affect emotions? Whatbecame: qualities of architectural this carry design as Iexplored question perennial the design, for me thus I’ve learned, is not only caused by what is visible. And so, with its ability to affect a me emotionally; response,that memory, Ihave come to associate ‘good’ architecture national assembly building inDhaka. Throughthis inspiration, Ioften remember the my experience of In Muslim the community, building primary the My proposal—perhaps even my thesis—is that project,When adesign Ibegin and Irummage for introduction. functions. a “program” of practices and not just aprogram of that architectural generated be could design also from practices within existingand spaces to demonstrate social possibilitiesthe and practicabilities of situating religious draw 6will existing conclusions the structures. Section to iterations for college asmall town on mosque based frameworkthe possible for discusses 5which Section town help mosque, will of and lay book the section this habitsThese giveand contextpractices the collegeto as ameans to situate practices and habits inspaces. States. graphical the 4uses representations Section heterogeneity of Muslim the community United inthe introduces, through and the history existing surveys, historicalthe study of mosque architecture, 3 Section introduces topic. the 2gives information Section on is into divided this Thesection, first sixsections. one, focusing book on practices. The structure the of social that re-imagines process the of designing amosque by (not representation) basis of the be architectural design? practices “structure”social mosque? the Can participation we imagine way the participation the inwhich invarious has which styles, its own structure of relationships, can If we were beyond to representation the think of visual “reproductionthe of culture” on depends participation. “reproduction of styles” visual on depends representation, reproduction of elements visual and Whereas styles. the of culture” (i.e., enculturation), is differentfrom the This reproduction,the whichalso is “reproduction throughtime reproduction the practices. of social and its association with community has evolved over other hand, mosque the as aspace and an institution, through architectural forms and expressions. Onthe on variations stylistic the and representations visual study of mosque history, there is strong emphasis on astudyfocused of mosque. the In architectural the

This book accompaniesbook This an architectural project 2 Context 3 American College Town Mosque a littlebackgroundonislamand architecture. transmitted by its Prophet, ( Saudiis modern Arabia. To more be specific, Islam was geographical century inthe mid-6th the location of what little background here that help will with later discussions. community? To answer questions, these a need we will specifically,why the interestis the in the practices of space. Why interested isbook this inmosques, and associated with Islam as areligious practice. architecture. Thisthe is thatonly buildingtype is directly architecture is studied of as part of history the Islamic As an architectural ‘typology,’ of history the mosque “architectural” of history back mosque to. the is traced Yaathrib or Madina, as it is known today.where This is the to leave and Makkah travel northtowards another city, the norm.the Persecution and threats forced Prophet the ( have prayed out open, inthe and that would have been was known to have built been at time. this People would known to have prayed at Ka’aba. the No structure new an obligation Muslim, on every Muhammad ( numberthe of adherents grew, and prayer was made claims its place with other the Abrahamic religions. was builtbelieve by . Through ancestry, Islam Ka’aba is abrick structure Muslims which inMakkah, daily,times and faceKa’aba they during prayers. their The of Islam. One of is prayer. the these Muslims pray five with a few other practices are religious the requirements largest annual pilgrimages today. The pilgrimage,along a resident of current day site Makkah—the of one of the century. ofactivities Muslim the community from mid-6th development of mosque the is directly with linked the for creating dimensioned architectural design spaces,the and access to mosque. the With no religious prescription though, Qur’an the places emphasis on maintenance the prayer inclean spacesand inclean clothes. Interestingly mosques. Qur’an, the i.e. does not of require building the religion the or architecture, text, and the art Islamic it isone of most the within widely studied buildings Islam, as we know of it today, as religion, the beganin The themosque is Muslim community’s religious The mosque is central this to architecture project. When Prophet the began teaching Islam, and as The only commandments are for establishing ﷺ ), who was), who 3 Although Although ﷺ ) was ﷺ ) Arabia The Prophet’s Mosque, , Saudi Makkah,Arabia Saudi The Ka’aba and Mosque, Surrounding the left thesurroundingsofKa’aba unrecognizable. This imageisfrom Similar totheProphet’s mosque,theextensiveexpansionworkhas prayer space. courtyard ensemblethatprovidedtheMuslimcommunitywitha The currentmosqueretainsnoresemblancewiththefirsthouseand

of2008.hajj 4 History American College Town Mosque part ofthemosque. ornamental piecesofartthatwouldeventually become Another articlefromtheEveningstarshowing and leavesoutthesocialcultural 4 their studyleanstowardsthevisual,

historical development ofmosques our understandingofmosquesand and thetransformationinmosque designs intermsofarchitectural ‘aesthetics’ throughprecedence This sectionwillproposethat Contemporary Mosques dimensions ofthemosque. This sectionwilllookatthe College Town Mosques College Town Mosques inHistory The subsectionsare: History studies. developed quite organically with requirements the of the that find also the courtyard will the of Prophet’s housed topicsthe of discussion. But ifwe at didlook history, we of images inornamentation—these to dominate seem cavernousthe intricate spaces,the calligraphy, and lack and formal elements of mosques. The ,the , that discourses the on largely design with visual the deal tolook for history guidance and inspiration, we often find center. Islamic the playgrounds built under of day banner and the cares studentareas, centers, ‘modern’ school classrooms, of mosque. West the the In today, we have sports residence, etc., were incorporated under umbrella the were added. Hospitals, markets or , ’s the As mosques increased insize, schools or for need the ‘ablution designed spaces’ inmosques. that require washing of faceand the limbs, created there are other requirements such as ablution—or itself constitutes of various movements and sequences, first for used space organized prayers. the While prayer most agree that Prophet’s the house inMedina, was the over first the architecturalevidences the of mosque. But historians, along with archaeologists, have deliberated practice ofthe communal prayers. and Art architecture Today, of design the amosque we when and begin we Mosque as areligious space has its in beginnings

mosque inhistory.

, styles, andstyles, of use the construction techniques to create the differencescale, in geographical context, interpretation of areas are presented as examples of changes inbuilding townsmall mosques, mosques the and surrounding their of areas. the Although none of are these college town or contextualize and show difference the thegrain urban in show mosquesnew also surrounding massing, again, to including steel engraving and postcards. The images the of images of older the mosques are from various medium circle of quarter radius mile to give of The asense scale. current location of mosque. the maps the All show a spaces. designed college towns and how to best accommodate within them a glimpse into how practices are those shaped by the practices. In take we of last the will part section this elements, but provide also they space for particular ‘traditional’the mosques share some architectural basic variety of expressions. of contemporary the Both and on contemporary mosque reveals sheer design the inanynot aquick discussed book, inthis detail search mosques exhibit alot more ‘stylistic’ variations. Although less homogenous—and by Imean this that later these and craftsmen. The later contemporary mosques are usual factorsthe of economics and available artisans through regional and dynastic practices as well as have complicated issue. the less defined, and issues of ‘copy-pasting’ designs appear to Unitedin the States. Here classification the systems are dolittlethey to provide guidelines design for amosque well to inform us of how mosque the is and was studied, mosquethe inour classifications While times. these do repute of merits designer the architectural the study of States, classification this doesoften not Lastly,hold. the that catered neighborhoods. to In smaller United the not with same the designed provisions as mosques the mosques that can accommodate thousands of people were onsize depends Thelarger function. the congregational classificationwiththe size the deals of mosque—the and labeled demarcatedbeen as functions.third The place for travelers. weary of ‘practices’ All these have discussions, prayers, ‘seat of government’ and as aresting space; it for was used deliberations, charity, community community. The mosque did notfunction just as prayer

All ofAll maps the following inthe show section the The variations acrosswereperiod informed classical 6 History 7 American College Town Mosque mosques fromtheclassicalIslamicperiod. given mosques. to all situated inasacred area—a classification not Thiscategorized be mosque wouldalso being as engineering and construction interventions. urban context formed through design, modern steelthe engraving hardly resembles current the shows current the expansion. Thefrom mosque landscape.the The map the on top pagethe of it shows are , the courtyard the and looked like before century. 19th the But what accurate representation of what mosque the Prophet’s mosque, may or may not an be This photograph of a steel engraving the of Medina, SaudiArabia The Prophet’s Mosque 623 CE courtyards are oriented towards the interior the while prayer spaceand the spacesarefunctional along aligned street the through transition spaces. The outer and wall from noises external the from street the The prayer area theand allowing access visual to entrance the portal. mosquethe sits at an angle to street, the thus a hospital it when was built. The entrance to complex or souq into major the prayer area, and acommercial a mausoleum, asahn for Sunni the mosque1300s this has four madrasas Commissioned by Sultan Hassan mid- inthe Cairo, Sultan HassanMosqueAndMadrasa 1356-1363 CE orthodox jurisprudence school, on west. the It evenhoused (courtyard) that opens are shielded (school) . 5

also byalso windows on main the dome. lit through windows on exterior the and wall The central domeallows for a voluminous space courtyardthe as ‘foyer’ the acts of mosque. the are incorporated at entrances, the and for royalty. the The entrance that and was specifically designed used market area, and ahospital. There also an is of alarger complex that has mausoleum, school, characteristics of style. The this mosquepart is surrounding it, and long, the minarets thin are The central dome, theand numerous ‘style’mosque whose replicated is still today. IofAhmed Ottoman the Empire, is iconic the The blue mosque, commissioned by Sultan , Sultanahmet Cami(BlueMosque) 1609-1617 CE is ornately decorated, Imam Mosque mosque. maydan andactivities, gardens the and inthe pools mosquethe is ahub and for commercial social winter and summer prayer areas. The exterior of entrances, and plan the distinguishes between to qibla facethe entiretythe of mosque the beyond is rotated vestibule,the is oriented along maydan the along Isfahan’s maydan Imam mosque is afour Built by Shah Abbas of Safavid the dynasty, the Isfahan, 1612-1638 CE form of part urban the context of the . This mosque too has several . This several mosque has too . The front. The the of mosque, plan mosque built

but but 8 History 9 American College Town Mosque designed bydesigned Mohammad Rossi. conducts various classes. It was The mosque has alibrary, and forstyles minarets the and arches. traditional motifs to recreate the mosque draws on existing mosque.this Stylistically, the instigated efforts the for building functions for aTurkish diplomat a mosque to perform funerary of mosque. the The absence of foundingthe and construction community was instrumental in Direct efforts the diplomaticby sponsored by foreign countries. first themosque in United States Washington D.C. is probably the The CenterIslamic of Washington D.C. Islamic Center 1957 contemporary mosques. contemporary Albuquerque, New Mexico Dar alIslamCenter 1980 characteristic of Fathy’s work. quality of building the is simplicitythe and sculptural mosque is not ornamented and construction. The interior the of played arole unfinished inthe building and codes regulations building traditions, but existing by Fathy are similar to local the construction techniques used remote areas. The Nubian adobe community surrounding inthe The centerthe mainlyserves and aSaudi businessman. an American-born Muslim dar Islam al was conceived by byDesigned Hassan Fathy, the 6

purpose norpurpose its function. sight, and gives away neither its is “hidden,” almost inplain The exterior the of mosque space for Muslim the community. hidden domes provided afamiliar with its geometric spacesand where interior the of mosque the having pursued intent adesign mosque. The architect recalls on exterior the ofobserved a elements the design, otherwise mosque internalizes through byDesigned Gulzar Haider, the Plainsfield, Indiana Islamic Center of North Islamic Centerof 1982 7

surrounding landscaped areas. visit who park the those and communities and caters to area, but away from residential Fathy. The mosque is inaurban are of similar to those Hassan construction techniques used sculptural building. The dome mosquethe is simple, asmall, by Abdul Wahed El-Wakil, built Designed along sea. the one of three inaseries mosques project, corniche the mosque is Part of alandscape development Jeddah, SaudiArabia Mosque Corniche 1986 who workwho vicinity. inthe area, and is frequented by those surrounding the mosque serves with calligraphy on The them. ofcollection geometric glasses mihrab and the Manhattan, New York Islamic Cultural Center Islamic Cultural column interior free spaces, structure allows fortrussed of building. the Thevierendeel as identifying the featuresserve request of mosque the committee, and minaret, the on added at the existing The urban dome grid. of amosque sits at an angle to the York, ‘modern’ this interpretation builtpurpose mosque inNew byDesigned SOM, and first the 1991 is designed as is a designed 8

prayer for hall men. functions but provides aspacious spacesfor rudimentary ancillary two storied structure provides maintaining privacy. visual The hollow of pockets light while geometrical configuration creates skin conforms to site. the The Ka’abathe outer the while is rotatedinner cube to face configuration.in-a-cube The through acube-in-a-cylinder- requirementsthe of orientation mosque respondsthe design to byDesigned Marina Tabassum, Dhaka, Bangladesh Bait ar Raouf Mosque Bait arRaouf

2012 10 History 11 American College Town Mosque college towncollege mosques. seem to haveseem efforts the escaped of reproduction. affective spaces,the designed the qualities of architecture perhaps history. But recreations inthese of spaces, evenin mosque designs appear to aspire to emulate something, Unitedthe States. In of all images the on right, the the resembles growth the of other town small mosques in mosques however, to follow seem pattern acertain that data available on Muslim students meager. is also The above. mosquesdesigned discussed The demographic regarding is obscure design compared their to the only Urbana-Champaign has amosque on campus. MSAandthe are accessible from college the campus, but of mosques the are directly or indirectly associated with respective institutions universities. is typical inthese All founding of amosque by students and alumni of the Muslim Students’ Association (MSA)and eventual the programs academic their and repute.setting The up the of attracting Muslim students of since 1950sbecause the A&M University, are public institutions and have been universities. five All universities, including Texas of Michigan, other the universities all are land grant above.criteria described Except for University the University are classified as college all towns usingthe of Illinois, and West Lafayette, home to Purdue the Michigan, Urbana-Champaign, home to University the of Ann California, Arbor, home to University of institutes of Texas A&MUniversity were chosen. A&M University, four other universities that are peer- as acollege town is defined the by presence the of Texas limited Station to Bryan-College the area, character whose United States, were is chosen. Since scope design the mosques, or rather, Islamic centers from around the mosquesdesigned and college these town mosques, five of areas. these population some are features of characteristic the transient demographic makeup, apartially and from metropolitan locations, unique centers. The that grew around public institutions and away The design The design the of mosques theand information The college townBerkeley, of home the to University College townsCollege here, indicate towns small those 9 To analyze differences the the between

Islamic Center ofBryan-College Station Islamic Society of Greater Lafayette Central IllinoisMosque&Islamic Center of AnnArbor Islamic Center Berkeley mosque (From toptobottom) College townmosquesandtheirprayerspaces. 12 History 13 American College Town Mosque the mosque in bryan-college station. the mosqueinbryan-college community, and works with ISNA and MSA. the facility.the The existingSunni serves mosque Muslim or playground as raised requirements had been inanew structure. Thelack of acemetery,parking school spaces, mosquenew building or by moving into an existing for expanding into other buildings, either through a board and committee. community volunteers and on group mosque the serving transport. The maintenance carried is out funded and by university campus and is accessible through university over area for during men, Friday especially prayers. gathering and outreach as spill areas.serves Thealso court men’s as community area and court serve basketball the a one-way screen with glass an operable door. glass The prayer area. The women’s prayerseparated is space using and spaces are inaround other ancillary squeezed the elements, i.e., dome the and minaret. the Ablution, office exterior of building the not does utilize usualvisual the center. While buildings the both are ‘purpose-built’ the building has an indoor court and basketball astudent 2016 as an extension to existing the building.second This has prayer the second spaces.The building in was added apartments, and built first the two-story thatbuilding 1980’s, community the bought land next to existing the apartment before congregation the got large. too In the prayers. Ahandful of students to gather used inanearby group of Muslims to come together for communal their community organization has its roots desire inthe for a Islamicthe Center Station of College Bryan as a (ICBCS) The growingThe community has expressed the need The mosque is located ina residential area the to close Similar to many other mosques United inthe States, Interior oftheICBCS The qiblawalloftheICBCS the building’s ‘function.’ The extrudedformofthe on theleft. The men’s prayerspaceintheoldbuildingwith mihrab istheonlyexteriorvisibleindicationof mihrab

andqiblawall 14 History American College Town Mosque the geographicalpresence. conversion andspreadofIslam,pan-Islamicideologies, 1912, showingsnippetsfromMecca. The articlediscusses An articletitled“The Amazing Spread ofIslamism”from The sectionwillconcludebylooking section willintroducecollegetowns at theMuslimcommunityinBryan- Muslims inthe United States This sectionwilllookatthehistory followed byabriefanalysisofthe demographic datafromexisting of Muslimsinthe United States, surveys. The secondpartofthe Community 10

as ageographiclocale. The subsectionsare: Demographics College station. was not an indication of Muslim the presence. designs inAl-Andalus, presence their United inthe States architecture ingeneral, and often proliferated in mosque architecturalthese are styles often associatedwith , brought and build by Spanish. the While States, one canthe find presence of mudejar Contrastively, on Southeast the coasts of United the visibility’ of community this was mostly under-studied. establish visible architectural footprints, ‘architectural the through individual efforts. Withoutthe opportunity to slave continued trade to religion, practice their mostly Muslim Africans brought to Americas through the Unitedmosque inthe design States. For one, earliest the of forced or voluntary migration, have directly influenced to build mosques today. the inuse trends These inhistory, groups to gather and pray and eventually purchased land areas. In college towns, Muslim students often formed appropriated existing spaces to create communal prayer builtbeen in1934.Many early Muslim communities extant purpose-built mosque is reported to have common late inthe century, 20th although earliest the of 1960’s. the Organizations and built mosques became community existed here before immigration the boom to early the century. 16th An older American African Thelate 19th theand restsaw century the 20th of an Muslim presence back traced can inAmerica be muslims intheunitedstates. and Moorish understands their social andunderstands religious social their spaces. in understanding how community this builds and town community may provide better opportunities architect, the of patron initiating the or community’sin the choice large metropolitans, or the in architecture through visible are changes these affected While mosque design. effects the globalizationof on architectural has practice United States, heterogeneity the of community the and cultural andthrough economic social, contexts. In the community are constantly changed and transformed architectural study of mosques United inthe States. as ethnographic studies that can provide insight into the data on Muslim the community, and some of show this up afterthere 9/11, been has effortsrenewed in gathering or research.surveys In recent the years, and especially The community here notalso theis subject of extensive mosque building of activities Muslim the community. metropolitanthe centers provide an insight into the towns. college small These towns, outside and awayfrom of students the most is, visible as expected, incollege and community building The activities. involvement involved incommunity outreach, education, research of North (ISNA) America are directly or also indirectly institutions. organizations Other like Islamic the Society and now caters to Muslim students educational inthese universities United inthe States, was formed in1963 Association has (MSA)which a chapter inmost large foundalso The during period. this Muslims Students’ representation of Muslim the community. like Nation the of Islam impacted growth the also and RightsCivil movement and involvement the of groups to migrate into United the States. At same the time, the created opportunities for agreater number of people country, Immigration the and Nationality Act of 1965 mosque architecture United inthe States. Within the and modernization interest increased the in‘visible’ andMiddle East, general the advent of industrialization independencethe of oil the producing countries inthe centuryrolled 20th the founding in,the of nation-states, had interest perked colonial period ‘Orient.’ inthe As States. Ottoman Thethe fall of Empire theand prevalent increase number inthe of Muslims coming to United the The mosque building the practices of Muslim Some of largest the Muslim organizations today were

the social practicesof college the social the 16 Community 17 American College Town Mosque data. community. building trend is similar for Sunni the and Shia’a the percent mosques of were all This purpose-built. about Only buildings. by thirty purchasing existing were 1980’s built the over and of were these half built other urban areas away from centers. the mosques Most cities, there is agrowing trend of building mosques in in number. While most mosques are inmetropolitan the architecturethe and of cultural mosque the as social the questions asked to respondents are not aimed at exploring inferredcan be from demographic the the surveys, Islamic principles. While many of understandings these through cultural their understanding of ‘traditional’ a pattern of usage of religious spaces that traced can be in terms of occupation their and origin, but follow they and religious traditions. The community is heterogeneous study, and play. come They theirtogetherbased faithon people come together to pray, break fast during , is an amalgamation of many ethnicity and origins. The from that of men. suggested that women’s prayer space should separate be prayers mosque. inthe Almost of half community the also Almost of half community the attends some or of all their highest among Americans African and among men. Americans. Mosque attendance community inthe is comprised of converts, amajority of whom are African little less than aquarter of Muslim the community are claimed affiliation sectthewith of Sunni religion. Just a a college degree. More than of half respondents the also forty percent of population the reported having attained Muslims are currently enrolled incollege, and about and Middlethe East North Aquarter of . the proportions of foreign the population born comes from comeandfrom specifically Asia-Pacific regions. Equal Muslimsthe United in the States are abroad, born also population as identify non-Hispanic Blacks. Majority of Hispanic Whites, and more equal than quarter of the than MuslimLess the half population as identify non- to other religious groups participated who survey. inthe as younger,described and more diverse compared when conducted by Pew, Muslim the community can be portrayed demographic inthe studies. In surveys the The themosques in United States growingare also The Muslim community Station in Bryan-College The diversity the of Muslim community is well 12

11

Shia’a Non-specific 15% 11% (e) Muslimreligiousaffiliations Other/DK 10% 64% Sunni

All responses Muslims All responses Muslims All responses Muslims All responses Muslims 0 0 0 0 Education attainment of religiousgroups (d) Educationattainmentof religiousgroups(c) Immigration statusof (b) Racial religiousgroups andethniccompositionof (a) Age groups 1st Generation High School Grad orLess High School White Non-Hispanic 18-29 15% 22% 20 20 20 20 10% 30-49 30% 2nd Generation 36% Black Non-Hispanic Black 50-64 41% Some College 44% 40 40 40 40 65+ 34% 3rd Generation 28% 25% 61% Asian Bachelor’s degree Bachelor’s 60 60 60 60 4% 66% 32% 17% 12% Hispanic Don’t know/refused 37% 23% 26% 80 80 80 80 17% Post-grad degree 28% 15% 13% 3% 18% Other 17% 11% 74% 4% 18% 5%

4%

4% 100 100 100 100 18 Community American College Town Mosque community inordertospreadIslam. converted toIslamandwasactivelypursuingothersinhis and givesanaccount ofacertainEnglishmanwhohad This articleappearedinthe San Franciso Call in1903, introduces theideasofpracticeand visual representationasanmethod alternative tothereproductionof to approachdesign. The firstpart everyday practicesoftheMuslim community asperformedintheir the nextpartshowssketches of This sectionwillprovidethe Practices 13

mosques. habits andpractices, andrepresentation. architecture cannot accomplished fully be through well- community? reconcile and represent heterogeneity this of Muslim the representations of mosque. the How can then, architecture others within community. the their own carry They and understand space similar to and differentfrom community made up of individuals experience who of finances but in also terms perception. the of The of mosque. the The affordability is not just in terms luxuriousthe and ‘faithful’ reproductions of image the college small townthese mosques cannot usually afford have own their ‘styles’) or by architectural global firms, Unlike mosques by designed individual architects (who itself, what should architectural the be representation? within community the and patron the is community the Also, college inthe town, where funding the is from mosque building coherent with existing the practices? we looked at data, choosing the site does anew for anew on agiven site? Site analysis is no doubt important, but if in our “standard dimensions” designing and books begin we go for look standard dimensions and spaces functional should approach the be to designing amosque? Should States. on data the Based and information, the what into mosque architecture and Muslims United inthe If criteria the for analyzing Muslim religious Thelastsections, hopefully, few providedwindow a frame, thus creating aplan of practices. situating community’s oneself particular inthe narrative notbegins, from table the of form and but function, from reasons that create exercise spaces. The design then and arches, we then could possibly at look underlying the ofin case mosques, through symbols of domes, minarets architectural symbols of doors walls, and windows, and of representation, i.e. through of use the conventional beyond our understanding of spaces as reproductions appropriate.to spaces they the If we could move participation, as agents act that create and give meaning and individuals practices. These through collective relate to themselves and others through habits certain religious space.people Thewho gather the andspace use The mosque is acommunal place as much as it is a make up imagined community, this have much to tell. college town community. space understand affective this for whatmeans this people, the and we could look at to anthropology space of isembedded community the culture the in of understanding Or affective methods. because the elementsthese could perhaps replicated be through other space created mosques inthe through utilization the of have any of architectural these features. The affective notdoes necessarily indicate amosque’s presence. might building the identify as ‘’ or ‘Moorish’ but where of use the domes, minarets, crescents, or stars more meaningful. Consider contrasting the situation traditional stylistically, following the becomes observation as achurch, irrespective of it or whether is modern where cross’s the presence generally identifiesthe building representations. If we considered church the as an analogy context are they inwhich often placed dictates those expressions are important inrecognizing mosques, the of situating of type architecture. this Although visual as domes and minarets alone, there must other be means known and oft-attributed architectural expressions such The relationship individualsthese thatbetween Conversely, abuilding amosque could and be not

20 Practices 21 American College Town Mosque

Women Children Movement practices inspaces.practices

The Prayer of practicesthatbestsuitestheirneeds. engage inaddingandsubtracting,adaptingtherepresentation these canchanged,fixed,andaddedtoasdifferentcommunities practices. Eachimageisaone-pointperspectiveinthehopethat The followingimagesweredrawntodepictbothreligiousandsocial

Jumu’ah- Friday sermon 22 Practices 23 American College Town Mosque

Breaking fast Sitting in Separation space. will beusedto translate practiceintoarchitectural frame, arethe narrative plotofthecommunity, that cut planesoftheroofand floor, beyond this one-point perspectivesareframed bythehorizontal the differentmembersandage groups. Whilethese barriers, andthecommunityengagement among to andspaceforspeech,thevaried degreesof of columns,theraisedplatform thatgivescredence the carpetthatdictateformalorientation,use they havewiththeirspaces. Of note,arethelinesof practices ofthepeople,butalsorelationships These sketches aremeanttoillustratenotjustthe

Symbols Personal time

Outreach 24 Practices American College Town Mosque adaptive reuseofexistingspaceswill This sectionwillexplorethebuilding mosques. The designrationale, ‘typologies’ thatcanbecome ‘typologies’ development, andfinallythe conclude thissection. Spaces the idea that idea the evenappropriated spacescould eventually spaces, should give us an inclination towards not rejecting that most mosques inNorth are America appropriated in the negative,in the genre of its own, answer the to has which usually been about American the whether mosque has or astyle is a And,pertinent. eventhough there have questions been analyze community the to arrive at more seems adesign contextthe of an American college town, choosing to examples and inhistory from contemporary in times, to understanding and studying excellent the mosque ofrather, Though practice. we are used it isa‘typology’ on based function, is not typology just abuilding building type? warehouse retain still its ‘typology’? Is it an industrial still community or startup evenasmall company? the Does storage, to aMuslim is leased community, or aChristian warehouse,the we function assume primary whose is building or building what type metal type), happens when scenario. If awarehouse is building ‘typology’ (industrial far fetched, consider questions these following inthe Architectural Although style? last the question may be Is of functions? methods? it Construction atypology of? building ‘typology’, one may ask, what is it atypology The intentionThe here is thethatto suggest mosque While we can definitelythelabel mosque as a 14 it has also been suggested it that been has also fact the design. become abuilding tradition. process. Warehouse was chosen as final the option for the design forthose buildings these which were initially built. The spacesthatnew would practices different embody from Warehouse were considered viable options for creating for proposing a‘mosque.’ Store School, and II,the the existing buildings. for reusedcould as method be situating mosques new in ensured that building the ‘typologies’ under analysis location, and orientation. existing Choosing buildings analyzed by enclosure, their structure, plate, volume, plan, (Store IIand The School). buildings werethen topically through interventions or through complete demolition Warehouse), others the while were open for reuse either buildings were open for rent (OfficeI,OfficeII, Store I, online brochures of real estate companies. Some of the mosques. six buildings were on list the chosen based of existing mosques were created of within types buildings, which data could not found be on what percentage of existing grounding for choosing existing structures. Although with understandings their of provided spacealso spaces to create or addmeaning and value that resounds practices and communities can appropriate existing buildings to situate mosques. Additionally, that idea the surveys and comments the mosque surveys, from ethnographic a mosque inside out inan existing space. Thedata from is to createsection aprogram of practices and these build not denote materials specific or details. The intent this in space.perspectives The areparticular generic, and do Of the sixbuildingsOf the analyzed, three were considered These buildings based on listings wereselected or The images thelastsection are in not in placed any 16 provided rationale the for choosing existing

15 26 Spaces 27 American College Town Mosque

Commercial I Office II Office I Skin parti. Bone Plate Mass Plan

Context 28 Spaces 29 American College Town Mosque

Warehouse School Commercial II Skin Bone Plate Mass Plan

Context 30 Spaces 31 American College Town Mosque rationale. new mosques.new prefabricated steel for structures used to be ‘designing’ noting that United inthe States, it is not unusual for for religious and community It activities. might worth be andit used could opened up be to hundreds of people Warehouse was not for designed human habitation; yet, blanket insulation along entire the interior space. The and air conditioning, although there is pre-existing would require most the invasive additions ininsulation probably has weakest the character and presence and “storage” to situate various the practices. This building of affective space. The Warehousebecome the could architectural considerations as having qualities the in awarehouse that is hardly thought of ingeneral sheer outrage of having of to think amosque designed steel structure, versatility the of such astructure, and the design. central spacebecomes gravitational the center of the well insituating gender-separated the areas, where the physical structure. The building’s would play symmetry opportunities to orient aspacewithin astrongly oriented shaped area, building’s the form provides exciting volume, and enclosure. With its large central square- modification, addition, and subtraction in its plan, a mosque building inthis would an be exercise in has astrongalso character and presence, and to situate optimal for an adaptive reuse project. This building This buildingsome has historical valuethat makes it could solve inquiry problem. the further probably ablution the be spacesand washrooms, or maybe into deck. The the most inefficient this design in would systems, but structure the repeated could be outwards and additionthe would have to different use enclosure building’s enclosure proved achallenge to be to replicate; precise alterations form inthe of additions. Moreover, the massingthe or floor plates. This existingplan demanded floor area, and unlike Storethere I, is no similarity in and current use. Store has usable smallest the IIalso strong character regarding its location, history, material, other commercial spaces. This projectalready has a train depot and currently houses Knox the gallery, among

The Warehouse was chosen for its vast the space, School wasThe considered for acouple of reasons. Store of part to old the Station be College IIused 32 Spaces 33 American College Town Mosque

schematics. 34 Spaces 35 American College Town Mosque drawings. Existing buildingwithoutroof. Elements tobedemolishedareinred. Existing building. red. First floorplan-Existingbuilding.Elementstobedemolishedarein 0 5 10 25 red. East elevation-existingbuilding. Elementstobedemolishedarein

Interior ofexistingbuilding 36 Spaces 37 American College Town Mosque First floorplan-poche 14. MainEntrance Space 13.Men’s Shoes Storage Space 12. Men’s EntryFoyer Men’s AblutionArea 11. 10. Men’s WCs 9. Women’s WCs 8. Women’s Ablution Area 7. Women’s EntryFoyer 6. Women’s Shoe Storage Space 5. Women’s Prayer Area 4. Wheelchair Accessible Prayer Area 3. Men’s Prayer Area 2. Mihrab 1. Office/ Reception 0 5 10 25 5. Common StudySpace 4. Student’s Lounge(Female) 3. Kitchen/Pantry 2. Student’s Lounge(Male) 1. Office Second floorplan-poche Completed building Roof VAV ducting Steel structure Acoustic Panels Skylight Full heightglass panels

Screens 38 Spaces 39 American College Town Mosque Section BB’ - Through building entrance Second floorRCP-Mechanicalsystems Second floorRCP-Lightinglayoutforprayerspace East elevation-Newconstruction First floorplan-Furniturelayout

Second floorplan-Furniturelayout 40 Spaces 41 American College Town Mosque Materials Next page Industrial floorfinish(Existing) Low pilecarpet Suspended acousticceilingtile metal studframe Brick veneeron Carpet Vinyl floortile metal studframe Gypsum boardon Suspend acousticceilingtile Low pilecarpet Acoustic wallpanel Section throughablutionarea Wall assembly Stick framestorefrontcurtainwall Vinyl floortile Vinyl skirting wall Brick veneerontheinteriormetalstud Acoustic panel Metal studframe Insulated metalR-panel (Existing)

Space usage 42 Spaces 43 American College Town Mosque Office

Prayer space 44 Spaces 45 American College Town Mosque Ancillary spaces

Entry 46 Spaces American College Town Mosque contrasted totheprogramofspaces the project,andendwithdiagrams section isdedicatedtoreferences, This lastsectionwillsummarize on theprogramofpracticesas and functions. The restofthe and notes. End more than just three dimensional enclosures over existing andselections cost analyses. But structures are these loop of generic reproduction of details, technical material buildings, and thus designs, their are constantly stuck ina city the Beyond centers, structure the and construction of of space, are not always works the of ‘great’ architects. continually shaping our understandings and utilizations structures we are surrounded by, that infrastructure the is impress or affectbeyond us thevisual. Most the of masterpieces around us. But not then, built all objects apprenticethe are visible through and through inthe of architects. the The architecture the of master and extent that we strive to emulate ‘handprints’ design the sometimes we are inby taken abuilding to such an bymesmerized works the architects, of particular approach. As students of architecture we are often attempt to study and explore other of methods design mosque inawarehouse. But project this an was also of space. dimensions, but through assertions on affective qualities dimension of architecture, not just through quantitative richer ifwe be of are spacewill able to social addthe architectural The sections. thathope is our representation community’s narrative rendered within aframe of generic The end product this of project the design is of a with ended snippetsThelastsection the of Muslim conclusions. understanding. that creates which for need the such eludes tools still my of tools the and Ihave taught been how to but wield them, there’s little Iknow very actually of architecture—I know through project, this Ihave come to realization the that discoverstill and but learn, studio, inthis and especially possibly emerged from project. this There are tons to only hinder richunderstandings the that could have have not well articulated here, been and my shortcomings The relationships peoplewithof space andvice versa summarized throughbeen my feeble attempts at design. discoveries Imade during project this could not have tested And instudio yet, methods the -was unnerving. axes through real landscapes -to not taught the use and with massing and form, to not draw lines of imagined analysis, arrows with squiggly and asun-path, to not play I have asked question this myself. To not from begin asite as you flippedthrough book?” inthis design knowit, that with writing. If you have asked yourself, “Where is the is smaller, book the with ahandful of pages mostly filled endless loop of connections. This project was small, and architecture. better insight into many-faceted the discipline we call maybe, out of sheer curiosity, we might gain a also under layers the of accepted and methods practices, reading of architecture and buildings. If we looking start representations, unbeknownst to us, directly influence our of identity, practice, exchanges, relationships and oftentaken forgranted. underlyingThese frameworks of space, our approach to and design construction, are and factors the that implicitly affect our understanding landscapes. The reach of architecture is far and deep,

This project was one suchtripthrough seemingly a 48 End 49 American College Town Mosque Program ofpractices

Program offunctionsfrom existingstandards Program offunctionsfromproposeddesign 50 End 51 American College Town Mosque Stegers, Manuals. 216–17.Design Birkhäuser. Basel: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7643-8276-6_66. Europe Tapio Wirkkala-Rut Design Bryk Reader, edited by Philip Tidwell. Tapio Wirkkala-Rut Foundation. Bryk Islamic Relations. Lib. of Congress. 9. 8. 7. https://archnet.org/print/preview/sites=1549&views=i 5. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1953-03-22/ed-1/seq-151/ 4. 3. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1952-03-02/ed-1/seq-137/ 2. 1. 14 https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1903-12-13/ed-1/seq-17/. 13. 12. https://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/americas-changing-religious-landscape/. 11. “America’s Changing Religious Landscape.” 2015.Washington, D.C: Pew Research Center. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85040705/1912-01-26/ed-1/seq-5/. 10. 6. , 31–45.University of Press. California Gumprecht,College American Blake. 2003.“The Town.” Geographical Review Stegers, Rudolf. 2008.“Islamic Cultural Center of New York.” In Sacred Buildings: A Design Manual, edited by Rudolf Haider, Gulzar. 1996.“Muslim Space and of Practice the Architecture.” In Making Muslim Space in North America and “Masjid Al-Sultan Hasan.” n.d. Archnet. Accessed February 15,2021. Star.Evening the Theis mausoleum. other buildingtypology Star.Evening Mallgrave, Francis. Harry 2015.“Enculturation, and Built the Sociality Environment.” In Architecture and Empathy: A Kahera, Akel Ismail. 2010.Deconstructing the American Mosque: Space, Gender, and Aesthetics. University of Texas The SanChronicling 13,1903. December Call. Francisco America: Historic American Newspapers.Lib. Congress. of Bagby, American Ihsan. 2012.“The Mosque 2011.” US Mosque Study 2011. Washington, Council D.C: on American- Northern Wisconsin Advertiser. “Image 5,” January 26,1912.Chronicling Historic America: American Newspapers. “Dar Al-Islam.” n.d. Archnet. Accessed April 20,2021.https://archnet.org/sites/201. https://www.pewforum.org/2017/07/26/demographic-portrait-of-muslim-americans/. “Demographic Portrait of Muslim Americans.” 2017.Washington, D.C: Pew Research Center. Tracy, William. 1988.“Dar -Islam: al Calling.”theCode and The Aramco Saudi http://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;isl;eg;mon01;16;en. Torky, Tarek. 2021.“Madrasa and Mosque of Sultan Hassan .” Museum With No Frontiers. 2021. 1953.“Image 151,” March 22,1953.Chronicling Historic America: American Newspapers. 1952.“Image 137,” March 2,1952.Chronicling Historic America: American Newspapers. endnotes. . 93(1):51–80. 39(3):20–29. PowerHouse Books. History /Annales d’histoire de l’art Canadien 33(2):148–69. Press. 16. 15.

Dodds, Jerrilynn and Denise, Grazda.Dodds, Ed 2002.New York Masjid: The Mosques of New York City. 1st ed. New York, NY: Kurd, Nadia. 2012.“Sacred Manifestations: The Making and Meaning of Canada.”Mosques in Journal of Canadian Art 52 End When all you see is darkness, know that there will always be people to walk with you, until you can see the light at the end of the tunnel again. American College Town Mosque