Dean, College of Architecture

ISLAMIC CULTURAL CENTER By SALIM M. DASOO A Thesis in Architecture Submitted to the Architecture Faculty of the College of Architecture of Texas Tech University In Partial Fulfillment for the degree of BACHELOR OF ARCHITECTURE Chainnarí' ot the Comte4Jftee Programming Instructor(Arch. 4394) iProf. Dudley Thompson. Design Critic(Arch. 4631) « Prof. Michael Peters. ArPí>T>ii*rl/ Dean, College of Architecture. P r e s e n t e d t o Professor A. Dudley Thompson COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY In Partial Fulfillment of the Reqiuirement for Bachelor of Architecture Degree Arch.4394 Architectural Programming By Salim Mehmood Dasoo May 8th, 1986 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION 1 II. THESIS STATEMENT 1 III. PHILOSOPHICAL/THEORETICAL Basis ... 2 IV. PROBLEMS, NEEDS. ISSUES 2 V. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES 3 BACKGROUND: VI. THE ISLAMIC FAITH 5 VII. ISLAM AND ARCHITECTURE 7 VIII. ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS 10 IX. CASE STUDIES 13 X. ACTIVITY ANALYSIS 39 XI. SPACE SUMMARY 53 XII. SITE ANALYSIS 61 XIII. SYSTEMS PERFORMANCE CRITERIA .... 91 XIV. COST ANALYSIS 101 XV. BIBLIOGRAPHY LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1. Roman Mosque-Model 2. Roman Mosque-Elevation and Eloor Plan 3. Roman Mosque-S^ction through the main hall 4. Roman Mosque-Site plan 5. Roman Mosque-Interior structural details 6. London Mosque-Elements of the mosque 7. London Mosque- View from Regent Park 8. London Mosque-Floor plans 9. London Mosque-Section through the mosque 10. Indiana-Floor plans of the Islamic center 11. Indiana-Section through the building 12. Indiana-Elevation of the center 13. Iraqi Mosque-Ground floor plan 14. Iraqi Mosque-Section through the hall and courtyard 15. Iraqi Mosque-Interior view of main hall 16. Yugoslavian Mosque-View from outside 17. Yugoslavian Mosque-Abultion fountains 18. Yugoslavian Mosque-Floor plan of main level 19. Yugoslavian Mosque-View of the pulpit. 20. Yugoslavian Mosque-Section 21. Yugoslavian Mosque-View of interior praying area 22. Ministry Building-View of the main lobby 23. Ministry Building- Courtyard with water fountains 24. Ministry Building-Fenestration characteristics 25. Ministry Building-Wall treatment 26. Regional map of Texas 27. Map of U.S. showing location of Texas 28. Topographic map for Lubbock 29. Soil conditions-Geological diagram 30. Solar angles-Shadow patterns 31. Map of Lubbock, Tx.-Site location map 32. , Site map-for proposed site 33. Map showing Natural and built environment 34. Map showing access to site 35. Wind and noise direction map 36. Map showing direction of Mecca 37. Site Utilities map-Water 38. Site Utilities map-Sewer 39- Site Utilities map-Gas 40. Site Utilities map-Electrical 41 . Photos of site •'!^:< , ,•'.'»':'.• ;i ••'•'•'J;í<\KP>k[' •' ,''..'''.••'••* |. • •i';v '••*•??•; ^••! ííi^. V THESIS STATEMENT; The center for religious life throughout the Muslim world is the Mosque. It dominates the urban landscape of every Muslim town and city and functions both as a place for daily prayers and as a community center. Every new Muslim community requires a mosque. This is true for the hundreds of muslim communities that has sprung up in many non-Islamic societies throughout the world. Lubbock, like many other western cities, also have witnessed a growing trend in its muslim population over the years. Although, this number may be smaller relative to other major western cities, it is significant to justify for such a facility that would fulfill the religions, social and cultural needs of the Islamic community. The increase in the population is due to the growing number of International students from many Islamic countries attending Texas Tech and other educational institutions in Lubbock. In addition the number of Muslim families in Lubbock has also grown in size. The local chapter of the Muslim Students Association (MSA) has shown special interest for such a facility. The small mosque in west Lubbock is a step in that direction. This project provides an excellent opportunity to apply my understanding in architecture and use it to address issues relating to Islamic architecture and its significance in a non-Islamic environment. The project is also intended as an experiment in exploring the design possibilities of Islamic architecture which is experiencing a renewed interest in recent years. One of the major goals of this project is to promote friendship and understanding among the Islamic community through interaction. It is hoped that this project would contribute to the welfare of the Islamic coramunity in Lubbock as well as to provide Lubbock with a multi-cultural character. THEORETICAL/PHILOSOPHICAL BASIS: As I come close to fulfilling my lifelong dream of becoming an architect, I wonder whether all the education that I recieved have made me any more know- ledgeable. I think not. As T.S. Eliot once said; "all our knowledge brings us closer to our ignorance." I tend to agree with him. The more wé learn the more we find out. how little we know. The purpose of a meáningful education is not to aquire a degree, but to become above all, a better human being, to understand oneself and to understand the people who are influenced by our actions. Education does not provide us answers but it allows us to think in order to make meaningful contributions to society-My education in architecture reflects these thoughts. The power of thinking is the strongest tool that we can have. I like to approach my thesis based on these thoughts. The design should reflect the essential message of the koran, that of simplicity and austerity. There should also be an attempt to enhance the human dimension in the project. As architects we should set aside our personal egos and not create monuments that are mearly copies of the past. Let's be honest and true in our endevours. PROBLEMS, ISSUES , NEEDS : The reinterpretation of Islamic architectural traditions into new meaning to méét the emotional and cultural needs of today's contemporary Muslim socity. The issue of signs and syrabols and its theoretical iraplication. Preservation of Islamic culture and traditions. The integration of modern technology into the socio- culturâl fabric of Islamic socíety. A system to centralize social, cultural, and religious activities into a unifying scherae. GOALS: To design a mosque that fulfills the religious, cultural and social needs of a conteraporary muslira population. To promote friendship and understanding araong the Islaraic comraunity through forraal and inforraal interaction. To design a raosque that represent Islam and the finer qualities of Islaraic culture to everyone. To reinforce belief among the merabers in their faith by active involvement in religious activities. To invoke, through architecture,a sense of belonging and provide a statement of cultural identity for the muslims. OBJECTIVES.' To design a facility which corresponds fully with the architectural traditions of Islamic design philosophy. To provide spaces that will allow for the various activities of the mosque to be preformed. To extend the traditional vocabularly of the mosque into a more contemporary model- to satisfy the needs of a contemporary religious community. To design a facility which would be technologically appropriate in terms of th choice of materials and techniques of construction . To provide a contextual relationship between Islam and the West. BACKGROUND STUDY; THE ISLAMIC FAITH; Islam was the last o f the three primordial religions preceded by Judaism and Christianity. This t ôtally monotheistic religion was formed by Prophet Muharamad in the middle of the 7th century in the Arab Peninsula in order to create cohesion and unity araong the general Arab tribes which were caught in an old-age antagonism arao ng themselves. Islam, thus, emerged as a cohesive force attracting raany bel ievers through its clear message and its egalitarian nature. "The emergence o f Islam as a religion affected the totality of the lives of these people and also unified them on the social and political as well as spiritual level" Through Prophet Muha mraad , God reve aled his wor d in the f orm of t he K oran , "the sacred book which is dogma tica lly held to be t he u ncre ated attri bute of God, coexisted with hira". Muh amraad was the last of the grea t pr ophe ts , an d th e book he brought, the Koran, co rapletes an d su per s edes all pre viou s re velati ons . The message of the Koran,as r eveale d by God to Muha mmad , te ache s th at the ir i s one God who is the creator of all t hat exis ts ; that it is t he d uty of all men to subrait theraselves complet ely to the wil 1 of God ; tha t t hese who rebel aga inst the prophets will be puni shed b oth in t his wor 1 d an d th e ne xt; that a f ter death there is heaven and hell and th at a t th e en d of the wor Id, ther e will be a resurrection of bodies an d the day of u ni ve rsal jud geme nt. The Koran als o preaches equality among a 11 raan kind , tr uth , jus tice and uni ty a mong a 11 m en . The raessage of the K oran a long wi th th e sa ying s an d ac tion s of t he prophet forras the basis o f the "Sha r ia ," th e Ho ly L aw. Thi s la w regu late s the entire life of a Musl im. I t co ver s all asp ects of the publ ic and pri vate ; comraunal and personal lif e of t he m usli ra. "In some of its prov isions , es pecially those relating to propert y , raarria g e , i nher itan ce a nd o ther mat ters o f pe rsonal status, it is norraative c ode of law , wh ich raen were exp ecte d to obey and society to enforce." The word Islam liter ally means,"submission to the will of God." Islam is not seen just as a rel igious observance, but a coraplete way of life dictated by the laws set forth in the Koran.

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