islamic institute
of boston
Type
Cultural
Location
Boston, USA
Year
1998
Status
Completed
Scope
Architecture, Interior, Landscape
"Balance between traditional elements
and Bostonian Design"
The Islamic Institute of Boston was designed as a cooperation between Dr. Sami Angawi and the Islamic society of Boston to provide a socio-cultural center in which prayer can be accommodated.
This structure has been designed to facilitate the needs of a growing Islamic population in Boston.
"A contemporary Islamic Bostonian Expression"
This structure has been designed to facilitate the needs of a growing Islamic population in Boston, which includes a mosque, an elementary school and a community center and an exhibition space.
It is proposed that this complex becomes a contemporary Islamic Bostonian Expression and a symbol for the Muslim community in Boston, with inclusion of the larger community.
The Center was designed to simultaneously assimilate into and stand out from the architectural landscape in the immediate vicinity.
The prominent red brick building finds a balance between traditional elements of Islamic architecture and Bostonian design to create a unique identity. Some elements of the design include a 383 meter minaret, and a 23 meter dome, accentuated by ceramic tile and calligraphy.
Located on a busy thoroughfare, the ‘Gate of Peace’, a series of arches that extend a welcoming gesture to the community, serves as a transition between a prominent street level public plaza and the centralized prayer, social, and educational spaces within.
"The Gate of Peace"
The main entrance of the mosque on the first floor, is through the "Gate of Peace," a brick arcade approximately 70 feet high that extends approximately 25 feet toward Malcolm X Boulevard. To the left is a shop selling religious and cultural items, and gifts, and to the right are offices of the school.
The arches catch the eye and train the gaze upward to a dome and minaret that rise elegantly, high above anything else in the vicinity.
The vestibule feeds into a lower lobby, and a short set of stairs mount to the upper lobby, to left of which is the main prayer hall. It is open to the upper floors, but the space on each side is not. These two large function rooms each approximately 32 sq ft, can be closed off by movable partition walls, or left open to expand the prayer hall. It can also be expanded into a larger space to the east.
The main entrance of the mosque on the first floor, is through the "Gate of Peace," a brick arcade approximately 70 feet high that extends approximately 25 feet toward Malcolm X Boulevard. To the left is a shop selling religious and cultural items, and gifts, and to the right are offices of the school.
The arches catch the eye and train the gaze upward to a dome and minaret that rise elegantly, high above anything else in the vicinity.
The vestibule feeds into a lower lobby, and a short set of stairs mount to the upper lobby, to left of which is the main prayer hall. It is open to the upper floors, but the space on each side is not. These two large function rooms each approximately 32 sq ft, can be closed off by movable partition walls, or left open to expand the prayer hall. It can also be expanded into a larger space to the east.
